Any Nissan experts out there???

I have an 97 nissan maxima which has the full stillen package on it. Well last friday it was flooded somewhat. It had about 8" of water inside of it. It would not run "well" afterwards so I called the insurance company and the took it to a shop where the cleaned everything out. Now when I picked it up the check engine light was still on. I said something about it and they said it will reset after so many miles..blah blah blah. So I took it and now the tach doesn't work and it seem to drive..well normal..not like a supercharged car should. Now the local dealership doesn't want to mess with it because of the stillen package. I'm thinking the ECU is shot from the water. But when I read the codes the only one I could get was an O2 sensor code??? I dont think it's that making the tach not work and making it run like S***

oh one more thing it wants to die first start of the day and it runs kind of rough for about 2 minutes then smooths out but seem underpowered.

any thoughts?? because I think the insurance company is going to want to total it out. In which case I'll buy it back and fix to drive. But I need to know where to start looking.

BTW it was perfect before the flood!!

 

look up that buy it back scam, I don't think you have to do it. You still own the car.

 

to start if you are getting 02 sensor code replace it that will be issuse at start up
ecu is problem w/ tach most likley - start w/ new 02 sensor first

 

The O2 sensor will definitely cause the engine to run rough/lean/rich etc. if the sensor is faulty. The ECU should be pretty well sealed but not waterproof. So if I was a betting man, I would bet it's a fouled O2 sensor. Most current cars now have 2 O2 sensors.....one before and one after the cat. converter. If you have an OBD I/II diagnostic tool, it will tell you which one the ECU is complaining about. If you're lucky, you should be able to just remove the fouled sensor and clean it really well....with something like ABS brake cleaner....they're safe to use on an "electronic" components. Give the sensor a good cleaning and allow it to dry thoroughly, then re-install.

The check engine light and/or the "codes" will not just go away. You will need an OBD I/II diagnostic tool to clear the codes. If you don't have one, most ECU's will "reset" if they are disconnected from the battery for 10 minutes.....a poor man's "reset".

As for the tach.....it really depends on what type it is. Most new tachs have a sensor on the crankshaft and send the info back to the ECU and then it's electronically displayed to the driver. But it might just be a "cable" driven off the crankshaft. If it's a cable style, the cable just could be rusted/plugged/corroded. If it's electronic.....which I be it is.....check for the obvious.....blown fuses, lose connections to the ECU and the pick-up sensor at the crankshaft and connections behind the dash.

Since you've already taken the car to a shop, who knows what they removed, cleaned, inspected etc. They just might have forgotten to re-assemble the connections for the tach. These are just guys who turn a wrench for a living. They make mistakes too.

Sorry. That's all I got. Good luck!!!

P.S. Water in any vehicle sucks!

 

I have reset the code once already and they came back it has all new o2's and if has 3 of them :frown: ask me how I know? well I'm leaning to the ecu since it was under water. and the tach is the electronic type for sure the tach is supplied off of the #5 pin of the ecu. the tach works sometimes sometimes it doesn't. now it's not working at all.

 

With all new 02 sensors and no broken/corroded wires, I would agree that it's the ECU. Try the salvage yards. Even with totally wrecked car, the ECU should survive. Be a lot cheaper than buying a new ECU from the dealership.

 

see if technosquare (or another performance ecu supplier) makes an ecu for your car... two birds with one stone:biggrin:
aftermarket ecu's are generally much cheaper than new oem ones.
i would forgo the used ecu route. when trying to diagnose a problem, swapping out questionable parts for used parts that may or may not be in good running condition is only going to complicate matters.

 

The insurance company should be paying for a new one :thumbsup:

 

they will once we figure out what is wrong and I can get a total cost they will

 

new oem is $800 if I cange it it will be new!! no used ECU's for me.
jim wolf makes one but it is for the manual only I have an auto car. it will work but it will cause the check engine light to light up. although I just saw a 5speed maxima in the paper for $3900 so if it is totaled I could just part out mine and put everything on the 5-speed car.............then fix mine and let my 16 year old girl drive the old one sans the supercharger of course

 

well I talked the dealer into talking a look at it...I hope the don't freak out because of the blower......

 

+1:thumbsup:

 

i think theyre gonna try to get out of working on it.... a blower is a good excuse...

 

You said the O2's were new...do you mean new SINCE the flood? Assuming they were underwater too...this will kill 'em everytime.

 

Buttonhook: By way of explanation for my question above: As I recall the ECU is in the right kick panel or beneath the passenger seat so, yes, it's likely that there is water damage to it yet it indicates a DTC for Oxy Sensor which is likely an accurate indication if the exhaust was submerged. Don't give up yet.

 

ECU is behind the radio on the floor and it was about 2 inches under the water during the flood.

Now the dealer and the insurance company is giving my crap over the "mechanical modifications" they are not wanting to cover it!!!!!!!!! The dealer told them I had a modified ECU because of the Supercharger they didn't even check it....It does not have any modified electronics on the car. Whats funny is everything that has been done could have been purchased through a nissan dealer in the mid to late 90's????? it's all STILLEN equipment like Rouse is for a ford mustang!!!

 

How right you are!!!!

 

yep the code tells you what is wrong - check tach or dash fuses?? fix what code says as stated here. change oil water in there?add slick 50 of course, fuel filter change that? air filter? injector cleaning? flooded engine all fluids need replaced what about sparkplug wires? distributor...coil, etc...?? good luck..............

 

to bad modern car are not really that simple. I'm sure that the ECU is causing all of this.
also water never got in the motor and the engine was not started while still in the water. I used slick 50 once but I couldn't handle the extra horsepower so I drained it out, but I'm thinking there still might be some in there........because it's still fast that is if you think 12 sec 1/4's are fast for a 4 door front wheel drive family car

BTW this is what they are freaking out about



Popped the hood and said OH NO this is not stock he must have F'ed it up!


Then they said look he's added gauges to the cluster he must have F'ed that up too!


you guys can see how low it sets in doesn't take a whole lot of water to get to it!
btw in that last one you can almost see the dragon in the distance :biggrin:

 

I would bet dollars to donuts that you DO have a modified ECU. There's no way you're boosting a 3.0 V-6 without some sort of modified computer programming (to control fuel flow, knocking, etc.). However, I am pretty sure that the ECU is the source of your woes.

If Stillen is still around, I'd track them down and figure out what modifications were made to the factory ECU. Once you have that nailed down, I'd get a stock ECU (for the right year, engine, and transmission), and have it modified in the same way.

The insurance company should not be giving you te runaround like they are, especially if the car came from the Nissan dealership with those goodies installed.