Hey folks,

My check engine/ecm light is on. When its damp, sometimes the car sputters for the first minute or so of driving. It has only happened a couple of times or so. Tonight it was raining. I started it up fine and drove away ok.. 30 sec or so later one of my belts start sqweelin like a **** and I began to lose power but it surged back up... kinda feels like the engine is starving for air. Tranny shifted funny but i think that was more cuz if the erratic rpms from the engine... Any idea.. O2 sensor maybe???

 

With those kind of symptoms be sure to check your alternator. Pulley noise is probably actually bad bearings in the alternator. Alternators go bad quite frequently on 4th gens. A year ago I had what I thought was pulley noise and poor performance in the rain (it would just die) and it turned out to be the alternator.

 

hmmm... interesting. yeah there is a chirp in the belt most mornings

 

my car always acts up in heavy moisture, if its nice and cool it runs great but, if rain gets on my cool air intake filter my enjoyment is usually cut short by sluggish reaction, etc.. may just be me but it always happens!

 

It's not just you, I can vouche.

 

I had same problems, my belts would cry in the rain. Swapped out my main acc belt and I've been golden since, ALT still kicks hard.

 

check power steering level. check for leaks in that area.
then get a voltmeter and get the EngOFF voltage and the EngON voltage. and report back to us.

 

mine does tha same thing. i just took my alternator off and brought it to get load tested. It came out flawlessly 14.3 well almost flawless haha. I had the exact same symptoms as you but unfortunaltly when i went to put the belt back on the tensioner bolt snapped. i will be getting mine in from nissan either later today or tommorow and i will let you know how that works out. if that doesnt fix it then its definetly the alternator. 200 bux from advance auto parts

 

Definately let me know if thats it! Im hoping this car doesnt turn into a money pit

 

yea u and me both. things will work out for the best tho

 

Same thing used to happen to me on the rare occasion that I got stuck in the rain. I think the intake was pulling in water and the moister was collecting on the MAF hotwire. That would throw off the reading to the ECU and sometimes it would stall out and have a lot of trouble restarting.

 

yea i have taken my CAI out im sick of being paranoid about sucking in water so we will see when i get this bolt

 

no CAI for me