Car stalls after driving for awhile heavy smoking

Asked by Dustin Sep 26, 2016 at 02:56 PM about the 1996 Nissan Maxima GLE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 96 Nissan Maxima 3.0 liter v6 with
the vq30de engine. Recently got it running
after replacing a bad alternated with a
frozen pulley. Parts I've replaced this year
are the cam and crankshaft position
sensors, knock sensor and harness,
starter, alternator, battery and connectors,
several vacuum hoses and a few radiator
hoses, air filter, intake manifold gasket,
valve cover gaskets,and the neutral safety
switch. Cel is on but haven't gotten car far
enough to get codes run yet. Was running
fine after new alternator installed but
before I could get to a shop to run the
codes it began stalling repeatedly on the
the highway and smoking heavily (smells
almost like a burning belt or oil) started up
quickly after several stalls but then shut off
completely. Battery still reads 12.3 volts
but wouldnot  crank and headlights
wouldn't come on. Going back today to
see if it cranks while cooled but unsure
why it's smoking suddenly. It comes from
the engine bay and under the car but not
the tailpipe. No squealing from the belts
but smells just like the belt did when it tore
off from the stick pulley. Any ideas on what
I should look at next?

1 Answer

59,095

Stop throwing parts at it and just get it looked at by a professional.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

1996 Nissan Maxima

Review another car

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Jorge Vazquez
    Reputation
    3,630
  • #2
    rtriel
    Reputation
    1,370
  • #3
    tahiti
    Reputation
    1,050
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Nissan Altima
1,286 Great Deals out of 37,506 listings starting at $752
Used Honda Accord
1,486 Great Deals out of 29,735 listings starting at $450
Used Toyota Camry
1,976 Great Deals out of 33,182 listings starting at $300
Used Nissan Sentra
748 Great Deals out of 40,444 listings starting at $550
Used Honda Civic
1,325 Great Deals out of 30,034 listings starting at $1,000
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
2,481 Great Deals out of 51,331 listings starting at $950
Used Chevrolet Impala
252 Great Deals out of 4,058 listings starting at $300
Used Chevrolet Malibu
1,009 Great Deals out of 19,497 listings starting at $700
Used Ford Mustang
887 Great Deals out of 22,331 listings starting at $1,000
Used Toyota Avalon
190 Great Deals out of 2,178 listings starting at $750

Used Cars for Sale

2023 Nissan Maxima For Sale
26 Great Deals out of 550 listings starting at $22,998
2022 Nissan Maxima For Sale
15 Great Deals out of 208 listings starting at $16,995
2021 Nissan Maxima For Sale
25 Great Deals out of 489 listings starting at $15,095
2020 Nissan Maxima For Sale
24 Great Deals out of 309 listings starting at $12,999
2019 Nissan Maxima For Sale
14 Great Deals out of 210 listings starting at $12,000

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.