Hi guys,

I have a 95 Maxima. It's my beater so no work done on it whatsoever. It's normally well maintained, but I had not started it in a few weeks and it was sitting in my driveway.

Now when I try to start it, here's the sound it makes:



It's not the battery because I have a portable jump start that I used (and the battery is <6 months old) and all of the electronics work.

I am not a car guy at all so I don't know where to begin. Is the video helpful enough to determine what could be causing the problem? Or what are all of the possible issues? Could it just be the starter?

Any help would be massively appreciated. I am likely going to just sell the car cheap but I need to at least get it running.

 

any codes if you scan it? spark/fuel okay?

 

Thanks for the response. Fuel is fine. 3/4ths tank. Spark plugs replaced about 20K ago.

I don't know how to scan it; I don't have the tool - is it relatively cheap to buy?
Would something like this work to scan:

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/acc...ier=98816_0_0_

 

yeah you can get cheap scanners that will give you any codes. not spark as in spark plugs, spark out of the coil packs. weak spark will make it not start. same as low fuel pressure. could be a crank/cam position sensor code

 

you can make the SES light (check engine) to blink out a code, long blinks followed by short blinks. You don't have to buy anything. Watch the video on how to get the light to blink, then click on the link to go to a decoder program.

decode link - http://boredmder.com/ecucodes/index.php



bookmark this link - it is for a lot of how-to videos like the above:

youtube.com/view_play_list?p=51E3C3345DC2C64F

 

Dennis thank you!! I did what the video said, and the CEL just went away. After a few more attempts, my car started up! Thanks so much!

 

No. You can hear the starter trying to turn over the engine.
Fuel, air, or spark at least 1 of those.


^^better video than before.

 

Thank you for the helpful video.

Here's the status update. The car turns on, and it idles at 300-400 RPM which seems REALLY low. I let it run for about 20 min, and then took it out for a spin for a few blocks. It seems to drive normal, but the second I take my foot off of the accelerator, the RPM drops down to the 300-400 range.

I put it back in my driveway, and hit the accelerator in Park. Got it to about 5K RPM and then it dropped back down to 0 and the engine turned off; but it does turn back on. Also, when my foot is off the brake, it pulls forward but just BARELY.

What's this a symptom of?

 

Bad IACV? Idle is usually 650-750 depending on temp.

 

Good video, and a native Houstonian, how about that