2004 Frontier thread

[Cusser]

Still having a stalling issue when idling, drove it down 100 miles today, was perfectly fine until the first red light after 95 miles and then it stalled, would've had no clue there was something wrong. So I dropped the truck at the shop (stalled 2 or 3 times idling on the way there; I swapped MAF sensors with my 1998 Frontier did not affect things at all. '98 still runs fine, 2004 still has stalling while idling.

Before the 100-mile trip yesterday, I did change spark plugs (looked like rich mixture to me, may be a clue), and added a can of Berryman B-12 Chemtool fuel injector cleaner to the gas tank. No change, and one cannot tell that anything is malfunctioning while actually driving. Did get a P0172 service engine code, too much gasoline detected in exhaust.


I should hear something from the shop today, will post. not going to throw parts at it !!!

[89'HBV6]

Running rich, correct? Not enuf airflow? What air filter RU running? Last changed?

What about resetting the ECU? Is there any (short term) change (good), that maybe reverts back to where it is now?

[Cusser]

I did hear from the shop Friday afternoon. They believe that they found a couple of issues, said I could pick up the truck and drive it several days, and bring back on Monday if it still acted up, or I could leave it at the shop and they could drive it more on Monday. The shop owner preferred that I leave the truck there, so I did that.


Going from our phone conversation, he said some wiring issue in the cabin compartment going to the ECU so the EGR circuit wasn't getting electrical power, and I think a rich running condition due to a bad oxygen sender (I never had an O2 sender check engine code). I'll update further next week when I pick up the truck.

[Cusser]

OK, truck runs fine now, so that's good, and I'm happy. Here's the report: There was no electrical power to the EGR sensor; one pin in the ECU connector was bent slightly and not making good contact with the ECU. Also, they replaced a bad oxygen sensor (Denso 234-3113).

I cannot remember if I even TRIED to access the ECU back in Jan. 2014 when I installed the Rostra aftermarket cruise control (I may have tried such on this truck, or maybe on the 1998 Frontier, cannot remember). In any event, "if" that bent pin in the harness was due to ME, that would've been 7 years ago and the stalling just started recently, so being OK for 7 years doesn't sound like it was due to anything I did.

Anyway: finding the harness pin bent is way above my pay grade. Obviously, I am capable of replacing an oxygen sender, but from the Service Engine Codes, I wasn't directed to a bad oxygen sender. So I'm satisfied with what shop did, and I no longer have the P0406 EGR temperature sender and P0462 Low fuel sensor codes.

[Cusser]

Originally Posted by Cusser

OK, truck runs fine now, so that's good, and I'm happy.

Yesterday I drove the 2004 Frontier 100 miles to its "home". Truck ran well, however I discovered that the Rostra aftermarket cruise control I'd installed 7 years ago wouldn't engage. At first, while driving there, thought maybe the shop had done "something", but then I remembered that a couple of days after picking up the truck at the shop I'd cut some cable ties I'd used to secure the cruise control wires under the dash, so I could route the wires away from the clutch pedal and avoid the wires being bent every time I pushed down the clutch pedal.

So using The Cuss' Rule #1 that bad stuff is almost always related to "what was just done" and Occam's Razor which pretty much states that the most obvious thing is likely the reason, I investigated. The cruise control wiring harness has two fuses (4 and 10 amp) and these were fine. Troubleshooting diagnosis as per the manual requires one person to look at the module in the engine compartment for the diagnosis light, while the other presses buttons in a spelled-out manner, and I was alone. So I again crawled under the dash and found two small green wires of the CC harness that didn't connect to anything. Well, I hadn't pulled a wire out of a connector as I'd thought, I'd accidentally cut the green wire when I cut the cable ties a week before (no metal strands showing, like would've been present had the wire been pulled a lot to break it). So I connected those thin green wires together, went for test drive, and all fixed !!!

[alabama_lowlife]

Yeah, at work anytime there is a new, unusual issue where there is normally no issue we look to see who has been working in that area recently.