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2000 Nissan Xterra

Question: after 15minutes rpm needles goes erratic

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jean-francois, 3.3L V6, Knife River, MN, November 30, 2009, 18:25
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 Rookie

after 15 minutes of driving engin rpm NEEDLE goes up and down really fast engine startes missing and feels like timming is retarded so much that the catylitic converters turn red hot engine stalls and wont start . engine turns but wont start feels like no spark or gas dose not smell when trying to start. i wait 4 houres and it starts right up again like everything was ok but 15 minutes later there she goes again .. any help would be appreciated called the dealer and said it was the m.a.f i am not sure i orderd it anywais .. thanks for any help

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  • Answer #1

    patrick mannion from Greg Solow's Engine Room, November 30, 2009, 19:01
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     Master

    Your Xterra has On Board Diagnostics level 2 (OBD2). The car has inbuilt diagnostic capabilities that should have flagged a problem and brought on the Service Engine Soon Light (on other cars known as a Check Engine or MIL light). If the service engine soon light is on (and a drivability problem serious enough to make the catalytic converter glow red should have made this light come on) attach a scan tool to the diagnostic connector and have the codes stored recorded. If the air flow meter is giving a problem and I have seen a lot of the Nissan MAF sensors go bad it causes fuel starvation and sets a LEAN MISFIRE code. Prior to just replacing parts I would have the on board computer in your XTerra scanned for trouble codes and pending trouble codes.

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  • Answer #2

    backyard tech November 30, 2009, 21:15
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     Master

    You DO NOT have to buy the MAF from the dealer. I agree with Pat, unless you have a deep wallet, get it scanned for free at Autozone. Make sure you get the codes retrive when they scan it. DO NOT let them sell you a part, ask what the codes are. Example P0000 something. Feels like is a whole lot different than if you don't have spark, don't have fuel. You need to know these for fact. Just a thoght you could even have a plugged CATYLITIC converter. Of course this is all speculation. From what I have seen online the consensus is a bad DISTRIBUTOR.

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