Hey how are you guys doing? I am new here
and i have had my 94 Maxima for about 3 years and
I have never had any problem with it. Yesterday my
wife went to start it and it started fine then after
about 20 seconds it shut of and has not start since. I
have checked the fuel and it is fine, but i have no idea
what it is. Can you guys please help? I just changed the
the timing belt last month and the water pump and all the
belts. My car has 175,000 miles on it. I will turn over but it
will not start. Please let me know what you guys think. TIA

 

have you tried jumping the car? could be a battery/alternator problem

 

No i have not but the battery in car is brand new. It sound like it wants to start but i think that i might not be getting any spark. Thanks for your help,if you have any other ideas please let me know.

 

i'm agreeing battery...even if the battery in the car is new, you may have left one little light on and not realized it. but try the starter dealyo... do you live in cold weather?? cause i know my engine gives me serious trouble when it hits the 50's (sorry, i know that's not cold to a lot of you all, but that's freezing for me) beyond that i don't know what to say other than i hope you know a nice, fair mechanic

 

THAT IS A GOOD POSSIBLITY....

ONE TIME I WAS DRIVING MY GIRL FRIENDS STEP FATHERS CUTLASS AND THE CAR WAS ALREADY F* UP BUT IT JUST CUT OFF ME WHEN I WAS DRIVING... 1:00 HOUR LATER A FAM FRIEND CAME BY AND JUST NOTICED THAT THE CABLE WIRE WAS LOOSE JUST A TAD.. SO IT TURNED REALLY QUICK...LOL THATS IT..
TO THE POINT... CHECK TO MAKE SURE YOUR GETTING ENOUGH JUICE TO START THE CAR.. YEAH IT WOULD TURN.. BUT NOT ENOUGHT TO TURN IT ON...
BTW IS YOURS A MANUAL OR AUTO TRANNIE... TRY TO JUMP OR PUSH START THE CAR IF YOU CAN...

 

This is not likely a battery issue. Speaking from damn cold Minnesota, your car will either not turn over,or slowly do so, when the battery is down. Keep looking. Does she have gas? Donald Montzs fuel pump went out on a similar car with high miles, same senerio. Pull plugs, ground it and see if you have spark. I am no mechanic and just know basic stuff. How about checking the computer for codes?? Good luck.

Dan

 

Please dont type in all caps.

Baby2000 like Dan said it doesnt sound like a battery. check the fuel pump and the fuse. thats all i can think of.

 

Hey thanks guys for all fo your help, but i positive it is not the batterry. I think i will check the spark today and see if i am getting any spark. If Iam not getting any spark what do you guys think the problem is?

 

it wouldn't surprise me if the timing belt broke again.
for all the cranking you've done already, it can't hurt anything more to try and find out if the cams are actually turning..

only problem is I don't know how to do that on that engine. on my engine (SE and GXE have different engines), I can simply pull the oil filler cap and look inside the valve cover to see the cams turning. I don't think you can see it because of the way the fill hole is on the GXE engines.

But if it ran for 20 seconds, then died, it's either:
1. out of gas (you HAVE checked this, right? )
2. ignition system/coil died. usually won't jsut die while the car is running though.
3. timing belt snapped. ALWAYS breaks while the engine is running.
4. Fuel pump died. it's possible that the fuel pump isn't working.. turn all accessories off (radio, heater, etc), and the ignition switch to "on" (not start!) and you should hear the fuel pump run for about 5 seconds after you turn the switch on on. it's just sound like a small motor.

As Dan said, you can remove a plug and check for a spark there to make sure your ignition is working. problem is that if the timing belt broke, you won't get ignition spark either. the distributor is run off a gear on the camshaft, and if your timing belt is broken, the camshaft won't turn.
HEY! there's your way to check... remove the distributor cap from the distrib, and crank the engine over. if you can see it spinning, your timing belt is intact- then you have to worry about fuel and spark.

good luck!

 

More on fuel problems: There is a "sock" filter over the fuel pump & pickup in the gas tank, it could be clogged. The fuel filter can also be be dirty/clogged. The right way to check it is with a fuel pressure guage. If you don't have one handy, loosen a clamp on the fuel filter and wiggle a hose loose. Even with the engine off there should be enough pressure in the system to cause fuel to squirt out. With a fuel hose off you could have someone turn the ignition to the ON (but not Start) position to make sure gas is coming out of the filter.

 

Okay guys i have tried everything. I took off the distributor and when i crank it, the rotor moves so the timing belt is okay. I went and took the hose off the furl filter and i cranked it and fuel started squirting out of the filter. I need to check and see if i got any spark and then i will let you guys know. If it is that i am not getting any spark, how much is a ignition coil.

 

Man, Matt know's his stuff!

BTW, do NOT try to push start an automatic car.

How about these possibilies (if it's getting spark):

1) Timing belt slipped enough notches to prevent engine starting/running

2) Injectors aren't firing. Is there a common circuit/fuse for all the injector solenoids?

3) Check all the connections and wires?

Just more shots in the dark. If anyone wants to discount any of these, please do.

 

Hey guys after looking at the all day i decided to take to a shop. I took it and with in two hours my car was running. Last time i took my car to get a tune up they forgot to put the 3 bolts on the distributor cap, they only put 2 and that was the problem. Man i feel stupid, it cost me $135, but i guess that is not bad i was thinking i would have to $130 for the diganosis and plus the parts that were messed up.

 

How long ago was it that you had the car tuned up?
The shop who forgot the 3rd bolt should be held responsible for the new costs of fixing what they screwed up.
Contact them and talk to the manager about it, and see what you can do.
If you have to, get the new shop on the phone also, and have them talk to the old shop and verify that it was because of the guys who did the tune-up that the $130 was required.

(also, $130 for a diagnostic is REALLY overpriced!) should be half that price!

 

sorry.. didnt realize all caps...

 

They F***ked up and you still had to pay... how the hell did you get it to the shop, Tow? Mean while you take it for a tune up and they made bigger mistakes while in the process.. Not to gig on shops, but sometimes they fix one problem and creat another.. And customers still have to pay the price.. make sure things are in writing and that make sure they tell you what they did to the car to resolve certain problems you have with cars.....NOW I AM MAD.. dont know way...just tight.,..