2019 Nissan Kicks Rough Idling

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Kentoski

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Hello everyone,

To start this off, I don't really know too much about cars, so forgive my naivety. For the past couple of weeks, my 2019 Nissan Kicks (57k miles) has been experiencing some rough idling. It started off with an engine light that came on alongside the rough idling. The code that I got for the engine light was P0101, which when I looked it up it had to do with my Mass Air Flow Sensor not performing as well.

I was considering replacing the sensor, but I decided to just purchase a Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner for it and that was able to get rid of the engine light. Unfortunately, the rough idling was still there, so I decided to dig deeper and replace the air filter that was close to the Mass Air Flow sensor (It was incredibly dirty). Unfortunately, the rough idling was still there.

After digging a bit more, I found out that rough idling can be caused by some of the following reasons (and possibly more that I missed).
  • Vacuum leak
  • Dirty/Clogged fuel injectors
  • Bad Spark plugs
  • Throttle Body
  • Mass Air Flow Sensor
Since I already cleaned the sensor, I want to go to the item closest/easiest which is the throttle body. After a bit of research on the throttle body, I found out that it is an electric one and I should be careful when handling one of these since you should not manually attempt to open the butterfly that is in the throttle body. I read online that for some vehicles you can put your car on the ignition mode without turning it on, and then press the gas pedal to open the butterfly.

So off I go, I purchased a throttle body cleaner to attempt to clean it, when I went ahead and put the car on ignition mode and had someone press the gas pedal, the butterfly wouldn't open. I still cleaned the visible portion of the throttle body, but the rough idling is still there so I believe I need to do more cleaning, but I do not know how to clean it if I can't open the butterfly. My question to you guys is how can I clean the entire throttle body if I can't get the butterfly to open?

Also, am I incorrect to think it is the throttle body that is causing the issue? Do you think it is something else?

Any input is appreciated!
 
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Since you stated that you aren't all that knowledgeable about cars I think taking it to a reputable shop may actually be the more economical route. Throwing parts at it without any proper diagnosis is likely to not only leave the problem unresolved but also cost you more money in the long run.
 
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Take it in. There's a service bulletin addressing this issue and apparently it requires a relearn of the idle air control valve using the Nissan tool. Look up this service bulletin and do some reading and see if it's something you might consider complying with:

1692012401668.png
 
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Kentoski said:
Hello everyone,

To start this off, I don't really know too much about cars, so forgive my naivety. For the past couple of weeks, my 2019 Nissan Kicks (57k miles) has been experiencing some rough idling. It started off with an engine light that came on alongside the rough idling. The code that I got for the engine light was P0101, which when I looked it up it had to do with my Mass Air Flow Sensor not performing as well.

I was considering replacing the sensor, but I decided to just purchase a Mass Air Flow Sensor cleaner for it and that was able to get rid of the engine light. Unfortunately, the rough idling was still there, so I decided to dig deeper and replace the air filter that was close to the Mass Air Flow sensor (It was incredibly dirty). Unfortunately, the rough idling was still there.

After digging a bit more, I found out that rough idling can be caused by some of the following reasons (and possibly more that I missed).
  • Vacuum leak
  • Dirty/Clogged fuel injectors
  • Bad Spark plugs
  • Throttle Body
  • Mass Air Flow Sensor
Since I already cleaned the sensor, I want to go to the item closest/easiest which is the throttle body. After a bit of research on the throttle body, I found out that it is an electric one and I should be careful when handling one of these since you should not manually attempt to open the butterfly that is in the throttle body. I read online that for some vehicles you can put your car on the ignition mode without turning it on, and then press the gas pedal to open the butterfly.

So off I go, I purchased a throttle body cleaner to attempt to clean it, when I went ahead and put the car on ignition mode and had someone press the gas pedal, the butterfly wouldn't open. I still cleaned the visible portion of the throttle body, but the rough idling is still there so I believe I need to do more cleaning, but I do not know how to clean it if I can't open the butterfly. My question to you guys is how can I clean the entire throttle body if I can't get the butterfly to open?

Also, am I incorrect to think it is the throttle body that is causing the issue? Do you think it is something else?

Any input is appreciated!
Click to expand...
Do you always use top tier fuel?

If not. You should always use it.
Try a bottle of techron in 1/2 tank of gas
 
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Not my personal experience but a lot on here have cured a rough idle with a bottle techron concentrate and 93 oct shell gas and give it a some full throttle pulls closer to the end of the tank to get the injectors going hard.
 
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My 2014 Rogue factory air cleaner was over oiled at the factory and it spoiled the MAF. I removed the maf and gave it a good couple rinses with CRC MAF cleaner. Then I found a low efficiency STP air filter and after a week of driving everything was back to working pretty good.

But I think @FowVay has you pointed in EXACTLY the right direction in message #5. Maybe read the TSB and see if it something you could attempt. I am sure they wont automatically "fix it for free" - although you may well be withing the 5/60 of your powertrain coverage and emissions coverage on a 2019 that usually includes engine management.

- Ken
 
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FowVay said:
Take it in. There's a service bulletin addressing this issue and apparently it requires a relearn of the idle air control valve using the Nissan tool. Look up this service bulletin and do some reading and see if it's something you might consider complying with:

View attachment 172735
Click to expand...
Is there any site that can offer this service bulletin for free or for a cheap price? Because I found it on nissan-techinfo.com but its pretty expensive.
 
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FordBroncoVWJeta said:
I highly doubt your throttle body would need to be cleaned after only 57K miles. Don't mess with it too much. Spark plugs are due on your car at 105K miles. I doubt fuel injectors are dirty/worn.

Start small and easy. I'd replace the MAF sensor. Sometimes cleaning them doesn't help. I'd suggest a Hitachi, looks like its the OEM one. It's also a good brand of MAF sensors.
Click to expand...
Just out of curiosity, are you suggesting to change the MAF sensor because mine might be faulty and it can provide an error code that will lead to the root cause of the rough idling?
 
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ARCOgraphite said:
My 2014 Rogue factory air cleaner was over oiled at the factory and it spoiled the MAF. I removed the maf and gave it a good couple rinses with CRC MAF cleaner. Then I found a low efficiency STP air filter and after a week of driving everything was back to working pretty good.

But I think @FowVay has you pointed in EXACTLY the right direction in message #5. Maybe read the TSB and see if it something you could attempt. I am sure they wont automatically "fix it for free" - although you may well be withing the 5/60 of your powertrain coverage and emissions coverage on a 2019 that usually includes engine management.

- Ken
Click to expand...
Do you know where I can get the TSB for either free or for a cheap price because the sites that offer these documents cost a lot.
 
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fisher83 said:
Since you stated that you aren't all that knowledgeable about cars I think taking it to a reputable shop may actually be the more economical route. Throwing parts at it without any proper diagnosis is likely to not only leave the problem unresolved but also cost you more money in the long run.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I am thinking on probably doing this.
 
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Kentoski said:
Thank you so much for this! Can I also assume that service manuals can be found here?
Click to expand...
No. If you want a service manual you'll probably have to buy one. Some times you can find free copies that someone has downloaded but you'll have to search the internet for them.
 
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