I just bought an 02 SE with 36000 kms on it (~23000 miles).
When I start the car, I have to keep the ingition switch turned for a good second, otherwise the car won't catch and won't start up.

Also when idling there is a slight vibration coming from the engine bay. Almost as is it is idling a little low.

Are these normal for this kind of car? If not, what should I be looking for?

Thanks,
Reza

 

bad MAF?
dirty throttle body?

 

Sweet...another max owner from Ottawa!!!
I suspect a dirty throttle body too..got a quote from Tony Graham nissan for CDN$40 to clean it

 

even cheaper if you do it!!!!
it would only be like 8 of your crazy canadian dollars

 

Hahaha and the Canadian Dollar thing.

Actually I bought the car from Graham Nissan yesterday and am thinking of taking it there for them to do for free!

 

Normal crank time is 1-4 seconds? Maybe a little longer. Sometimes my 2k2 fires up literally as soon as i turn the key to start, other times i have to wait a couple of seconds. I think the PCM waits for a reference signal from the cam and crank sensors before firing. (some engines i know won't start until cyl. #1 is on TDC intake stroke)

Extended crank (10+ seconds with no start) is often symptomatic of fuel delivery issues or crank/cam position sensors. If the car has a long crank after sitting for awhile, suspect a fuel pump.

 

I think I'm idling low as well...feels like my car would stall if RPMs dropped any lower. I notice about 600-800 RPMs sitting at a stoplight. I'm sure it should be over 1000, so I'm taking it in ASAP under warranty. I'll keep you all posted.

 

Normal idle in D (auto trans.) should be i think 700-775rpm ? I forget what mine idles at. In neutral it idles a little bit higher. Over 1000 is way too fast.

 

Ahh. In that case it takes the normal amount of time for my car to fire up. It is just that all of my other cars have fired up immediately. And with the Maxi, sometimes it fires right away and sometimes it takes one or two seconds!

And I think my idle speed is ok, However there are times when there is a slight vibration as if the idle was a bit low.