Hi everyone, thanks for reading this thread.

I have a 93 Maxima GXE Auto... Recently my car had problem starting (cranks for a long time before starting)... I had too many things to do and needed that car so I ignored it... one day the car just died. I had it towed to Sears thinking it was just a battery problem (all those cranking).. but Sears told me alternator was bad too.. cost a lot but I replaced both the battery and the alternator.

STILL, the car has a hard time starting cold. If the car has been started within a few hours, it starts up right away everytime. But if its cold... it will take a long time to start (cranks and cranks). The strange thing is this: If I start the ignition and let it crank a few times and turn it off, the second time I turn the ignition it will start up right away.

Since I'm not too mechanically inclined, I took it to a mechanic and he replaced the distributor cap and rotor (?)... the problem is still there... Sadly, the problem never replicates at the mechanic because I have to drive my car there and cannot leave the car overnight for a cold start test.

Sorry for the long thread, but any idea where I or a mechanic can start to check for problems?

P.S. Mechanic also checked spark plugs; they are fine.

THANK YOU!

 

The strange thing is this: If I start the ignition and let it crank a few times and turn it off, the second time I turn the ignition it will start up right away.


It sounds like a fuel problem...you may want to do a fuel pressure test and make sure you have the proper amount of pressure.
Also, pull a few of the spark plugs and check their condition. If they are fouled, that could cause hard starting. Check the oil, and smell the oil on the end of the dipstick, if it smells like fuel, you may have a injector(s) leaking.

 

- Clean the idle IACV circuit, might be a air/seal leak there, bypass flap jammed:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/748507/4

- Cracked ctrl hoses? Replace.

- Your plug wirings are bad even new; however some ngk sootbags contain a real wire. Swap to ngk (with wire) or build electric conductors u self to replace the resistors:
http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/748507/12

- New Bosch "spark" plugs? - throw away! Anyways, never 'check' old spark plugs, visual inspection never is enough - replace.

 

As somebody that has experienced the same problem (not as bad as seconds worth of cranking though - maybe just 2 seconds at most when cold) I am convinced its the fuel pump.

I drove around with a fuel pressure gage connected after the filter for days, and could see very low pressure every time on startup after the car has been sitting a long time or even just overnight.

The pump is a "positive displacement type" pump - IE - a fixed amount of fuel gets delivered per rotation/stroke - IF THE PUMP IS IN GOOD CONDITION

A worn pump starts showing very small "internal leaks" between the suction and outlet side - now as long as the pump is running and delivering more fuel than what your motor needs, the fuel pressure regulator takes care of things. If the pump is allowed to stand for a long time that "internal leak" causes the fuel lines to effectively drain back to the tank - when you now try and start the motor in that condition the pump must first fill the lines before any pressure can be generated at the fuel pressure regulator

 

Quite possibly a bad pump.

But I dont buy the explanation to this specifically given fault type. If pump is worn, its worn always and will not heal itself ---> Always positive displacement type pump, always with very small internal leaks - be i summer or winter, highway, byway, ditch, parked or not overnightt or under night...

So there has to be smtg happening (with the possibly faulty pump) which is worse off when COLD. That smtg could be batt battery =low voltage, plus oxidized connectors.


Quote:
"But if its cold... it will take a long time to start (cranks and cranks). The strange thing is this: If I start the ignition and let it crank a few times and turn it off, the second time I turn the ignition it will start up right away."

 

That why I said
The ever present "leak" is so small that it needs time to really manufest its influence..............

 

What u say is all ok, nothing wrong there, quite possibly his pump is worn, and thats a 'good' point u made. And -bleuiko- has a problem, and we try to help/figure out.

After smtg [Cold=battery ? voltage level drops], problems arise. --->Change pump, will never notice THAT problem again, but later other batt related... . Change battery, will not notice THAT problem, but later other fuel related...

-bleuiko- Clean your Groundings: http://www.cardomain.com/memberpage/748507/1