A little back story. I purchased the car from a friend and knew up front that there was a minor oil leak, and some things needed to be replaced (brakes and axles) and it was in bad need of maintenance. I've since had all of those things replaced and had a complete diagnostic and vehicle inspection done, I had a complete tune-up, all of the filters changed, the fluids changed or topped off, and a couple other minor replacements. During the inspection the only thing noted was the minor oil leak and my check engine light was on because of the o2 sensor. The mechanic verbally told me that other than what I was in to have replaced, the car was in great shape and there was no other issues.
Prior to getting this work done I noticed that the car would hesitate when accelerating occasionally. Mostly this would happen when taking off from a complete stop or at a very low speed. It only did this until I was at a higher speed (say on an interstate or highway) and then the problem would stop (usually once I reached 40 mph). I was told by the mechanic that the car was in dire need of a tune-up and that problem would clear up after that was taken care of. It did. After my tune-up I didn't have any issue with the car hesitating during acceleration.
Now (2 months after the work was completed) I've started having major issues with it idling very rough, it seems to flutter and hesitate as if it's going to die but then pulls itself back up. I've had it stall once while I was at a stoplight with the air on. It started right up again afterward. For the first week or so this was happening it seemed to be connected to the usage of my AC... in fact this problem started the first time I turned my AC on for the season. After I would get settled at a higher speed (just like with the hesitation during acceleration) the problem would go away and not occur again until the car had been parked and cooled down (If I started it right back up it wouldn't have the issue). However, the next week or so the problem has progressed to doing it whether I have the AC on or not, it no longer matters how long I've driven it it still flutters and misses when idling, now it's hesitating again at full stops and at low speeds when accelerating. It always seems like it's going to die, but it doesn't. Further more, I've pulled into a parking lot and sat with my foot on the brake with it in drive for extended periods of time and it just flutters, misses, or almost stalls, but never dies. It's worse in reverse, but still doesn't die, and it's less noticeable in neutral but is still obviously fluttering. In park it doesn't seem to miss as much, but does continue to flutter. I'm taking it back to the mechanic later in the week and am having the o2 sensor replaced but would like some idea of what could be causing my idle/acceleration issue. I seem to have better luck when I can give them a direction to go in.
To summarize:
1995 Nissan Altima GXE Automatic Transmission
Was hesitating during acceleration and at low speeds
Had a complete engine tune-up that seemed to correct that issue
2 months later began to have issues while the car was idling or at very low speeds that seemed to be connected to the AC usage.
Has progressed to idling rough, fluttering, and missing with or without the AC at stops and low speeds and is now hesitating during acceleration again.
Please help!Any idea what%26039;s causing my 1995 Nissan Altima to idle round and miss when stopped or at low speeds?
Congratulations on getting your nissan fettled up. I have been doing the same with my primera, but I'm not familiar with your model so this information mainly applies to UK models.
I assume you've had the spark plugs out for inspection to eliminate this as a cause (they are usually OK but it's the first place to start).
I believe problems of this type with UK nissans are usually down to a faulty airflow meter (often called MAF).
This device measures the amount of air entering the engine so that the computer can calculate the correct amount of fuel.
When it wears out it gives the computer incorrect information leading to running problems.
This is a fairly expensive part and you must get an original one (yours may be a Bosch but check) not a copy from eBay or elsewhere.
It should be possible to get an exchange unit much cheaper online or via the componenet manufacturer if you are persistent and spend some time searching.
You get a factory refurbished part plus some of your money back later when you send in your old unit.
You need to get the numbers off the unit on your car in order to ensure that you get the right part.
It is situated in the air intake after the air filter but before the throttle and has an electrical connector plugged into it.
The MAF sensor usually comes complete with its housing.
It is unlikely that the O2 sensor itself is faulty but the O2 engine code is often triggered by the faulty airflow meter.
However, if the voltages of the O2 sensor have been checked and found to be incorrect rather than merely relying on the engine check code then it would be OK to change it and it is not as expensive.
Another common problem is when a coil breaks down and as these are relatively inexpensive I recommend carrying a spare in the car.
I think that this is less likely as it usually causes jerky progress when the car is under load e.g. accelerating.
Before replacing any parts check that there are no air leaks via split or loose hoses or bad electrical connections around the air intake and throttle as these can cause these symptoms.
There are additionally many other potential causes but the MAF is by far the most common.
Additionally, ask for further information from a nissan owners forum.
Good luck.
