The car is a 93 Nissan Maxima SE with ~170000mi.
It feels like the cylinders aren't all firing all the time. This is most noticeable around 2-3k rpm. Pulling cables at idle doesn't do anything, so I haven't pinned it down to one cylinder.

The fuel filter is new, but the injectors probably need to be cleaned and the plugs are probably pretty old. I will take care of that first, but I think the coils might need to be replaced too.

Is brand going to make a difference with ignition coils? Here are the options I have found so far:

autopartswarehouse, etc:
unknown brand - $90-95 each

advanceautoparts:
GP Sorenson: ~$75 each
Borg Warner: $76 each
Niehoff: $93 each
Beck/Arnley: $57 each - maybe, they only list one of the two types (different coil per cyl. bank)

Napa:
May have some nameless brand for $83-87, but the website isn't listing the right type of coil for the right engine (I have the VE30DE, a DOHC with has 6 coils).

Autozone:
Beck Arnley: $73 each

Should I just go for the cheapest coils I can find if they need to be replaced, or is one of these brands noticeable better than the others? Are there any other brands/sources I should look at? I do plan for this car to last a few more years.

Thanks, & sorry for the long post.

3/7/2006 1:00:55 AM

just get the cheapest. i think i would further diagnose the problem before spending the money though.

3/7/2006 1:04:40 AM

^What Ivan said. No need to spend money needlessly. First thing that's the absolute cheapest: why haven't you replaced the plugs yet?

I don't replace components like coils unless I know pretty damn well that they are shot.

What condition are the plug boots in? What I would like to know is this: can you just get the replacement boots for those coils?

In my experience, given plug boots are in good condition and spark plugs are okay, a coil will either work or it won't.

3/7/2006 1:13:14 AM

I've only been driving this thing for about a month and a half. I'll take a good look at it and probably replace the plugs this weekend. I haven't seen boots listed anywhere, but I'll look in to that too. Thanks.

3/7/2006 1:22:34 AM

Quote :

"just get the cheapest. i think i would further diagnose the problem before spending the money though."

3/7/2006 1:54:18 AM

would looking at the plugs tell you whether they're getting enough spark?

3/7/2006 2:03:01 AM

There's probably a test for the coils listed in the shop manual.

Also check all of your grounds.

Has this been going on for a while? If not could you have some bad gas?

3/7/2006 6:15:54 AM

an aftermarket coil will be cheaper if you can rig one up for the stock ignition system

MSD blaster 3's going for around $35 online IIRC (summit racing) and it's one of the more expensive ones out of Holley, Mallory, etc

3/7/2006 10:00:48 AM

^^^not directly, unless you've got a plug that's completely fouled. if you find one or more plugs with a sinificantly darker/sooty electrode, it's possible there's a spark related issue there but not for sure.
^^yep, i'm sure there's a simple impedence test
^iirc, those motors have individual coil packs on each plug.

3/7/2006 11:14:14 AM

prolly gonna be plugs/wires. Dont skimp on the wires

3/7/2006 4:33:12 PM

They are individual coil packs for this motor.

3/7/2006 6:24:20 PM

Quote :

"Has this been going on for a while?"

Yes. I was warned about it when I took the car on December 30th. I've noticed it off and on since then, but it took me a few weeks to really get a feel for this motor. I've put ~3500 miles on it since then, and gone through a dozen or so tanks of gas from different brands in different cities. Although I haven't noticed it consistently, gas does not seem to be a factor.

Also, it does seem to be more of a problem when the engine is cold. I forgot to mention that.

Quote :

"could you have some bad gas?"

I try to avoid Taco Bell, but on occasion...

Quote :

"Dont skimp on the wires"

I learned that the hard way with my Altima. That car had one coil though, a distributor, and wires between the distributor and the plugs. This car has 6 coils, one directly over each spark plug, and these are controlled over wires carrying (I'm assuming) much lower current coming from a control module. I am not at all familiar with this system though, so what typically needs to be replaced (other than plugs)?

Quote :

"MSD blaster 3's going for..."

Recommended aftermarket systems seemed to be about as expensive as replacing all coils with OEM equivalent, and the couple I saw required replacing the 6 coils with one expensive unit (I think they were all capacitive discharge, not really coils). I don't really have time to learn how to ghetto rig something cooler, but thanks for the suggestion. I will think about it.

I was looking in the Haynes manual for a similar engine in a newer model (Nissan didn't sell enough 92 or 93 SEs for Haynes to write about the VE30DE ever), and those engines aparently have a knock sensor that can tell it to retard the timing. I'll look in to checking that out if checking/replacing plugs and checking coils doesn't turn up anything. I think I have access to a shop manual in Charlotte.

Anyway, I'll look at the plugs this weekend and go from there. Thanks for the help, guys.

3/7/2006 11:56:09 PM

hey man napa belkin wires or find the good NGK blue wires. best wires ive ever used.

3/8/2006 12:05:21 AM

Uhhh...Joel...the car doesn't have wires.

Though the NGK and the Belkin wires are very nice damn wires.

3/8/2006 12:10:19 AM

what car

3/8/2006 12:13:26 AM

93 Maxima SE

I'll keep that in mind though, I'm sure I'll be buying wires again someday.

[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 12:20 AM. Reason : =]

3/8/2006 12:19:35 AM

that car most certianly has wires.

3/8/2006 12:23:23 AM

There are lots of wires, but each of the six ignition coils is sitting directly on top of a spark plug. Do the wires in between the coils and the control module need to be replaced periodically?

This is a somewhat rare setup for this car. Most maximas from that generation had a single overhead cam and a distributor. This is a DOHC with electronic ignition.

3/8/2006 12:33:28 AM

most everthing in the past 25 years has an electronic ignition.

DOHC huh. ive never seen a maxima older than 95 with coil on plug setup. why did they do that.

3/8/2006 12:40:49 AM

I guess they didn't think the spoiler was enough to make the "SE" worth more money.

I'm still trying to figure out how it works, so I don't really know why chose this. The head made a big difference though, ~30hp over the GXEs. I believe they stuck with the coil on plug setup from 95 on, so there must have been some advantage.


What does electronic ignition mean, if it's not replacing the rotor and points distributor with a solid state control module? My '96 altima still had a distributor with a live rotor and 4 contacts around it. I'm trying to learn...

[Edited on March 8, 2006 at 12:50 AM. Reason : ?]

3/8/2006 12:47:25 AM

Quote :

"Maximas with the VE30DE and VQ30DE engines use a distributorless ignition system that is controlled by the Engine Control Module (ECM). The ECM receives a signal from the crankshaft sensor, and processes the signal based on inputs from other various engine sensors. Then the ECM sends signals to each of the individual coils in the proper firing order. This system is more efficient than a distributor, and has less moving parts. The high voltage coils are directly attached to each spark plug, allowing a higher energy spark within the cylinder. A high energy spark means a faster, more thorough burning of the air/fuel mixture, which produces more power and less "

Follow the link to autozone repair guides. Here you will find some good troubleshooting for your system.
http://www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?ForwardPage=/az/cds/en_us/0900823d/80/1f/47/bd/0900823d801f47bd.jsp

3/8/2006 6:24:13 AM