Q: I have a 98 Nissan Maxima that won't start, it will crank, has fire and fuel,

The fact that the carb cleaner causes the engine to "run" means the air fuel ratio is off, probably lean. Is the fuel old or contaminated? If so, drain the tank, replace the fuel filter and clean the fuel system. You may have partially blocked injectors or even faulty (electrically) injectors. On a car of this age, even once you get it running, best practice is to remove all the injectors from the fuel rail and send them out to a lab such as Mr. Injector for service. Injectors are cleaned ultrasonically, and the tiny injector filter baskets have to be removed from each injector and replaced. Fuel injectors have practically microscopic pores, including that in the individual injector filter baskets. Once the injectors are gummed up, they must be removed from the vehicle because they cannot be properly cleaned on the car. The fuel filter should be replaced, too. Other causes of hard starting are a faulty engine coolant temperature switch (sensor), worn spark plugs, inadequate fuel delivery or pressure (e.g., clogged fuel filter), malfunctioning idle air control valve, poor engine compression, and so forth. You can identify the specific cause of the issue that you are writing in about by requesting a hard starting diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this resolved for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.