So my 2000 Nissan Maxima hates cold starts on cold days Basically, if it's cold outside, the car will shake while idling and eventually stall. After the engine warms up the problem goes away. It's pretty annoying and embarrassing when you sit at a stoplight and feel like you're in a Shake Weight . I took it to a Nissan dealership this past February and they said it was possibly a crack in the intake manifold and quoted a fix of ~$1100 . I left it alone and once the weather warmed up, it was fine. Well now it's getting cold again and the problem is back

Based on some forums, cleaning the EGR Valve Tube of carbon buildup seems to be the best/cheapest bet. I might be able to do it myself with a step-by-step how-to, but would rather just get it done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Any suggestions on places in Raleigh or people who could clean the EGR Valve tube for reasonable $?

[Edited on December 7, 2010 at 1:16 PM. Reason : Please and thank you]

12/7/2010 1:16:12 PM

ntlb

12/7/2010 9:08:33 PM

I have a totally different car and I'm going off topic, but you considered the idle air controller or checked for a vacuum leak? I have cleaned the egr passages in my engine. It did nothing for the idle, but it did fix the poor gas mileage issues I had been experiencing. Have you gone to auto zone and had your codes checked? If your car has been shaking that badly, it should hopefully store a code, such as po420 egr flow insufficient or a misfire code, but not always.

12/11/2010 1:38:21 AM

sounds like a coil going bad

12/13/2010 12:26:21 PM

fixed. I rediagnosed it to be a crack in the intake plenum gasket. Bought one online for $3. Got it replaced for $45. A lot better than replacing the intake at the dealership for $1200.

1/6/2011 12:46:53 AM