so last week i was having some starting issues on my max. i drove it home from work @ about 6pm with no problems. At about 9 or 10 i tried to go out and my car wouldnt start, it just kept cranking. ide try to start it for about 5 seconds and then let it sit for 5 minutes. after about the 4th time of doing this it started and was fine untill yesterday when the same thing happened except i couldnt get it to start.

If i pour starting fluid into the TB it fires right up but then it dies. Also, i thought mayb i gas guage was off so i went and filled a 2.5gal jug. poured the gas in and it fired right up.

i went out this morning to replace the drive belt, started right up 3 times in a row. Now its been sitting all day and i tried again and nothing. It sputtered once but that was it out of 5 attempts.

i dont smell any gas after starting it.

I thought it might be the tps because my car occasionally dies when coming to a stop (5spd) but it fired right up when i put the starting fluid in there.

i know there is a bunch of threads on stuff like this and im looking through them right now as well. im just trying to get the most info i can.

its a 99 maxima 5spd with 175k mi.

 

When is the last time you changed the fuel filter?

 

its been a little while. ive got one in the garage. im gonna try that after dinner.

 

replaced the fuel filter.. that wasnt it. any other ideas? im getting pressure from the fuel pump but i dont have any real way of testing if its the right pressure.

 

Yea, that was the next thing I was going to suggest, the fuel pump.

But it could be a number of things including: injectors/injector wiring, fuel pressure regulator, or the fuel pump. I believe autozone rents fuel pressure gauges if you wanna test it.

 

Get a 100psi t-fitting fuel guage at harbor freight tools for only $20. With the key on you should read 43psi, with it idling you should get 34psi.

 

what does it mean though if you do smell gas after starting it up jw?

 

I smell gas for a short time after starting mine up, but only on a cold start I think.

 

I got the car running this morning on the first try today. My brother has been checking it every few hours and he said it starts right up every time. I'm gonna get a pressure gauge on my way home from work and try that. It's so strange that its intermittant like this.

 

so i get my car back. starts right up, drive it about 5 miles on back roads. i come home, try to start it and it instantly dies and then wont start. wait about 10 minutes fires right up twice back to back.

 

No check engine lights? Does it only do it when it is warm(the no starts)?

The engine coolant temperature sensor can cause a no start when it is hot

 

it happens regardless of temp. it sat for 8 hours yesterday after being ran for about 2 minutes and wouldn't start. came out this morning and it fired right up. i drove it around the corner and back home. my brother checked it every few hours and it fired right up each time. i took the car out for a 5 minutes drive or so on some back roads and got it nice and hot. when i got home i turned the car off and tried to start it right back and nothing. then 10 minutes later it started no problem.

 

Get a Digital Multimeter and measure injector pulse width/duty cycle while cranking the engine.

 

what kind of readouts should i be getting? also, shouldnt i be throwing some codes? the only code i ever have is P0160 for an o2 sensor.

 

just an update.. car has been running fine since yesterday. cleaned the cps cause it was easy to get to but it seemed ok. i filled my car w/ 93 and threw some "fuel system cleaner" in there.

 

Camshaft position sensor (side of the motor) controls fuel delivery timing.
Crank position sensor POS (looks at the flywheel) control ignition timing.
Carnk position sensor REF (looks at the crank pully) sets TDC for each cylinder.

A no start condition can be caused by these bad boys not working correctly.

 

would those things throw codes?

 

They should throw codes. But I have yet to get one.

 

Bad ground causing voltage drop while cranking. Messes with sensors. Search the no start threads.

 

so the car was fine for a week till yesterday. I started it up, drove to work (about a 20 min drive all highway) @ 8am and then i went to go get lunch at 2 and it started and instantly died twice and then just cranking.

Checked the codes from the ecu and im getting 1401 1405 and 0315. the 1401 points to the egr temp sensor and nobody seems to know what the 1405 and the 0315 is o2 sensor which ive had.

i let the car sit for another 2 hours and i went to go start it one more time before i called aaa and it started perfect however, i noticed the security light was on. once i got home i started up twice in a row fine and the light was gone.

Im wondering if this is an ignition/immobilizer issue with my key or something. my key is kind of old and busted.

I was reading through some posts and i saw something about turning the car to "acc" and waiting 5 seconds and then off for 5 seconds twice to reset the system or something.

its just very hard to diagnose this when its so randomly intermittent.

 

First, your codes.

You say 1401, 1405, and 0315. Assuming OBD-II P-codes, there is indeed a P1401 for EGR temp sensor, but there are no such codes as P1405 or P0315. You say 0315 is for your O2, closest is P0135.

Assuming ECU codes, there is no 1401, there is no 1405, but there is an 0315 for a downstream O2. There is an 0514 and an 0114 if you're getting them backwards, which are EGR and fuel system codes, respectively.

So, are you checking with an OBD-II code reader (in which case you have to put P before code or you will get confusing responses) or by the flashing CEL?



If the security light is staying on then it could very well be an intermittent immobilizer issue, though generally speaking once the immobilizer acts up, it's dead for good. When it's acting up, see if you can't pull the front fuel rail up a bit to see if it's getting fuel (or use a noid light if you have one), you're just looking for fuel delivery.

If it is a NATS problem, you'll need a CONSULT-II to pull the codes and see what is coming up; I have yet to see an aftermarket scantool that will read NATS codes, and this is the one system on the car that doesn't have built in diagnostics capability for troubleshooting without a scanner (like the SRS, ABS, ECU, IVMS).

Even for an intermittent issue, it should still have codes in memory, and that will give you a starting point. The procedure you're mentioning is for bringing it out of lock mode. Do you have any other chipped keys on the keyring you use? Have you tried using a secondary key to see if it starts more reliably?

Also, you should fill in your profile as to what year your car is, easier to find it there than having to search for it in your post.

 

i got a new key on sunday and its been ok since then.. keeping my fingers crossed.

the codes i got were by the flashing CEL.

 

Keep us updated thats a hell of a story

 

Well here's the latest news. Got stuck at my girlfriends house today. Drove there at like 11 and I just went to go start it like half an hr ago and nothing nothing and then started and instantly died and then nothing again. Im about 2 seconds from driving this car off a bridge. I'm out now but when I get back there ill try some more. One thing I'm starting to notice is that this always happens after highway driving. Almost all the times its happens has been when I've driven for more than 20 min on the highway going 75+ . I was gonna try that turning it on and off thing but I had an an appointment so I didn't have time to fuss with it.

 

u check immobilizer and ignition switch?

 

That sounds a lot like a problem I had with my old Saab. It never actually died on me, but at random times it would crank but refuse to fire. I finally traced it to a bad connection at the fuel pump. Saab used cheap wiggly spade connectors, and one of them moved enough so that it would occasionally cut the circuit. Not long after I fixed it Saab came out with a recall for it. If the Max had a similar problem I'd think it would be common knowledge by now. But maybe a former owner replaced the fuel pump and didn't get the connectors back on tight.

 

What should I be checking?

 

It never dies on me either except occasionally when coming to a stop or something but I don't know if that's related at all. It's something with the immobilzer because that light came on. After it wouldn't start.

 

Have you read the other "cranks, but no start" threads? Its almost always either grounds, or ignition switch 50/50.

"Almost all the times its happens has been when I've driven for more than 20 min on the highway going 75+."
Sounds like its something under the hood thats affected by engine temp or movement.

Research and follow advice already given. We cant solve your problems from our computer desks, but we can help guide you if youll do some legwork. CHECK YOUR GROUNDS. Have you had the tranny out recently (in the last year), or replaced the starter?

 

I'm not asking you guys to solve problems just keeping you posted. I'm crazy swamped with work so I haven't had much time to check things out. I've been under the hood a little and things look ok to me. that security light being on tells me its something with the immobilizer/ security system so I bought a new key but I guess that wasn't it.

 

There's much more involved with NATS diagnosis than just replacing the key. Take it to Nissan or someone with a CONSULT and have them read out the NATS codes.

 

Still wouldn't start this morning so I had it towed it to a dealer.

Let the bill start @ 127.50 for the diagnostic fee..

 

Sucks to be you, bring the vasoline. Everything you needed to diagnose and fix was here.

 

the only thing that sucks is your attitude.

I appreciate the help everyone has posed on here. I was directed from a senior member who has repeatedly proven his knowledge that a dealer was the best place to go for this kind of issue and while it may be a little more expensive i will at least know that its fixed.

While it may appear that i havent done my research, i can promise you that i have. I am extremely busy with work and other things so i dont have hours to sit on here or under the hood to play with every wire and ground, however, i have checked several things including the cam and crank sensors, replaced the fuel filter, ran a pressure test, and inspected and cleaned several grounds/connections.

The car wasnt starting yesterday or today so i had it towed and of course the car started right up there buy they did the diagnostic there any way.

I narrowed it down to being an issue with the security system and the dealer told me that the NATS codes they pulled showed there was a key malfunction, so perhaps the key is the true culprit here. They only charged me 100 for the key including programming and everything, and i intend to return the other key and get my money back.

When i get the car back tomorrow i will let you guys know whats going on. thanks again to those of you who have been helpful.

 

I hope they figure it out for you. I didn't mean to be an a$$, and I can understand being too busy to do it yourself. Hopefully it's one of the better dealerships, and they can fix it without spending too much of your money.

 

So all in all it cost me around $250 with tax and everything and so far so good. They said they took the car out and let it run for about 20 min and had no problems with it. They said there was no codes with the new key so I'm keeping my fingers crossed that i just had a jacked up key.

 

Jk. Got home and now the car won't start. The people at Nissan are going to get an earfull on Monday.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/search.php?searchid=1957354

For the $250 you spent you could have stayed home from work and fixed it yourself. You still havent answered if the trans or starter have recently been out of the car. I dont mean to sound like a broken record, but this is not a new issue to the org. Its your grounds (including engine/trans mating surface), or your ignition switch.

I've worked at a dealership, for the most part they are trained monkeys with tools and specs. They could not diagnose their way out of a paper bag.

 

I brought the car to the dealer because my security light came on while i was driving which tells me i am having some kind of security/electronic issue. dealers are basically the only people who have the capability of checking the NATS codes.

from what ive read, when the ignition switch goes the car wont even crank.

neither the starter nor transmission have been touched since i bought the car.

 

With the security once it triggers it'll never start until reset. The ignition contacts go to **** while the starter contacts are still good sometimes. Does the security light STAY on? Its supposed to blink while driving I think.