How to Replace the Ignition Coils on a 2000 Nissan Maxima

Removal and Replacement

• Remove the negative battery cable from the battery before beginning any work.

• Locate the rear three ignition coils on the engine and remove the coil harnesses by pushing on the green tab to release them. The harnesses are the wires that attach and supply power to the coils. Lay each harness next to the coil it was paired with. If you put them back on the wrong coil your engine will not run.

• Remove the cover from the top of the engine that has "Nissan 3000 V6" painted on it. This cover is held on by four bolts. Two bolts are located on either side of the word Nissan, one is next to the black oil fill cap and the final bolt is below that. Use an Allen wrench to remove these bolts. Under this cover you will find the front three ignition coils.

• Remove the coil harnesses from the front three coils, once again placing the harness next to the coil from which it was removed.

• Remove all six ignition coils by unscrewing a single 10 mm bolt from each and sliding the coil off of the spark plug. The rear coils will be slightly more difficult to reach because of the of the wires and hoses in the way. Set the old ignition coils out of the way so you don't confuse them with the new ones.

• Install the new coils. The shorter coils go on the rear spark plugs, and the longer coils go on the front plugs, which are deeper in the engine. They go on the same way that the old ones came off. The 10 mm bolt that holds on the ignition coil should not be super tight. Slightly more than finger tight will be sufficient to hold these on. Too much force can break the plastic encasing the ignition coils.

• Plug the coil harnesses back into the ignition coils. Be certain that the coils go back on the same cylinder. When they are pushed on, you will feel a small click as the clip secures them in place. You don't want these to fall off while you are driving.

• Reinstall the cover on the top of the engine and reconnect the negative battery cable.