87" engine troubles

[Bob]

I'm not sure whether my car is just getting old or there is something wrong
with the engine.
1. Recently, my car has been hard to start, I usually have to try twice to
get it to start, it gets worse when it's colder out. When it finally does
start, it runs rough until I rev it, it usually emits a small puff of dark
smoke when I rev it. When the car is warmed up a little, it runs fine no
longer emits smoke.
2. Although, if I run the car for a while, it may begin to lose power and if
I shut it off after I ran it for a hour, and try to restart it a few minutes
later, it runs rough again, puffs dark smoke, and sometimes clunks out on
me, which I have to rev it real bad in order to keep it running. I had all
the injectors replaced when it had that recall a couple years ago and I also
had the timing belt replaced a half a year ago.

My dad says it's probably the Air Regulator again, but I wanted to make
sure. It's an 87' Maxima, Canadian Version. I also replied to a post about
a 87' maxima problems, that list's all my troubles.

Thanks for your help,
Bob

P.S. I'm also selling an engine same as the one above, I have it posted, it
runs better than the one in my car!

[Larry Saunders]

I have an 87 Max and I've had similar troubles. I found the fuel pressure
regulator was broken internally. There is a vacuum hose that goes from the
top of the fuel pressure regulator to a small control unit (sorry I don't
know what this control unit is called) mounted on the passenger side fender.
Evidently, the rubber diaphragm in the fuel pressure regulator was broken
and leaked gasoline through the vacuum hose to that control unit and it was
leaking gasoline. By the way, the fuel pressure regulator was replaced by
Nissan a few years ago when they did the same fuel injector recall. I think
they put a poor replacement fuel regulator in. Another problem with a car
of our vintage is the vacuum hoses tend to crack and leak which causes rough
idle, poor start and low power. There is a little vacuum pump behind the
driver side headlight. If that is on almost continuously, you have a vacuum
leak. It is amazing the difference in performance when you replace a 50
cent leaking vacuum hose.

If you do replace the fuel pressure regulator, make sure you release the
fuel pressure before you do any work on it. You release fuel pressure by
taking out the fuse for the fuel pump, and then start the motor and let it
run until it stops. It doesn't run long without fuel pressure.

Good luck!

Larry

Bob <bgil...@lsol.net> wrote in message news:7ujjrj$g...@news.dx.net...