I have a 5 speed 2000 Maxima with 167k. It is having issues starting any time of the day. It turns over and just cranks over oand over but not starting until many attempts. Sometimes i would need to hit the gas a little to give it a boost and it will start. Sometimes while its turning over ther will be a loud grind/clank sound and it will stop turning over. Never got a CEL during any of this.


Changed the battery first with no change. Got it to a firestone and they siad its throwing a O2 sensor code and fuel pump code but after a compression test of the fuel part all is well, so they thought nissan needed to reset the computer.


Took it to nissan and they said i had a bad fuel pump and O2 sensor. Replaced both and they said still a hard start and changed the mas flow sensor. Still did not start right so they wanted to change the Crank sensor but due to rust and other issues they were about to rape me on labor and "Other fees" so i took it back with the car just as broke as when i started and $1200 down. Got a mechanic to help me and now have changed both crank sensors and the throttle body sensor. Cleaned out the throttle body as well. Still not starting right and idle is a little worse. We took it to a shop of his friends and after trying to start it and driving it he thinks the IACV and flywheel need to be changed. He has several sensor codes showing but im not sure of the exact one. Since i know nothing about the codes i never noted the ones, he just said it was random sensor codes.

History of my car is i had the clutch replaced at about 120k and they "resurfaced" the flywheel at that time. Had the coils and plugs changed 1000 miles ago. Also all fuses are fine.


I just had it shipped to me in Hawaii after sitting at my parents for 1.5 years of only starting about once a month to keep the battery going and drive it around the block. Mechanic said the car sitting that long and now being driven often will cause hell on all the sensors in the car and they probably all need to be changed soon.


I have seen lots of posts on this issue on this forum but dont recall a solution that has worked for everyone, but also have not heard about the flywheel being changed and outcome. I have not added an extra ground wire yet, but i do plan on that as well.


Any ideas/thoughs/suggestions/recommendations/feedback?

 

Have you checked your Cam Sensor...the one on the passenger side of the engine? How long have you been having this problem? Has it been doing it since the time you had the tranny pulled for the clutch job? Does it sound like this

 

If the Cam and Crank sensor is the same thing, then yes, replaced that one and the other one (im only aware of 2 correct?).

This started when it arrived here in Hawaii about 15 days ago and got worse by the day. My dada said the battery needed a charge before i had it shipped out here but that was the only issue. He did say when he would start it sometimes it would take a second turn of the key, but nothing bad at all like im having now.

All was fine after the clutch was changed (at 167k miles today and clutch was done at 115k miles) but Nissan did tell me the Crank sensor that was down there had a broken bolt and it was not secured on there so we changed that one first. The mechanic was not able to get a bolt in place of the old one so he cold welded it in place.

It does not sound like the one on your video.

 

There are 2 crank sensors and 1 cam sensor. There is a crank sensor on the tranny, a crank sensor near the crank pulley on the passenger side just above the lower oil pan and the cam sensor is on the passenger side of the motor on the timing chain cover.

 

With that info, looks like i have changed one crank sensor (on the tranny) and the cam sensor.

 

Are you able to post a video? Hows your starter? The grind/clank sound you describe sounds like maybe the starter is shot. If the 3 sensors, fuel delivery, and battery are all good, thats the next place I'd look. Your air flow (ie air filter etc) is not completely blocked up from sitting is it? Like maybe a little critter got in there and made a nest?

 

Sorry, im new at the video thing so its a little,... upsidedown and forgot about a thing called "Lights" for the first half. But the sound should be perfect and noise it makes is the same every time.

http://s1311.beta.photobucket.com/us...axima.mp4.html

 

Yeah, you're definitely not having sensor/fuel/air problems since it does start. It cranks very strong too. I'm leaning toward an issue with your starter/flywheel. Have you replaced the starter since you've owned it? It sounds like something is binding up at a certain point and once it gets past that point, it fires. Like maybe a tooth is broken on the flywheel or the starter. I may be way off here, but now that you have the video up, someone will be able to help. You could always yank the starter out and make sure no teeth have broken off it...it's probably a long shot but may be worth your time.

 

I thought i had the starter replaced on it about 2.5 years ago but i can not find any paperwork on it so i have t oassume i did not. Ill call the dealership and double check. We are waiting on the IACV and "slightly" used flywheel and will check the starter while working on that. The guy here thought flywheel also so im glad someone else thinks its possible to be the flywheel also.

You think the extra ground and changing that final crank sensor i missed is a waste of time at this point?

 

Starter sounds really strong actually.

And I doubt if the flywheel was a problem that it would just now be showing itself 47k miles later.

If you sit in the car with the key 'on' for about 15 seconds before starting it, does it seem to have less trouble? Or does it take two to three times regardless?

I know you've said you replaced the fuel pump, but it just sounds like no fuel to me.

I assume the mechanics (or you) have checked spark while trying to start?

 

Okay, both crank sensors and the cam sensor have been changed. Added a ground wire also.

It does not start any better after leaving the key in the on position for 15-20 seconds before attempting to start it.

Yesterday when i did the video it was still warm and idle well, this morning with the car cold, after 4 attempts to start it, it finally stated and has a rough idle. Looks liek the idle gets better after its warm or driven for a while.

We have not actually tested the spark plugs with pulling one out and watching it spark. The coils and plugs were changed about 3k miles ago so have ASSUMED they are fine, but guess need to check anyway. IACV should be in on monday and gonna get a flywheel later today. The mechanic REALLY REALLY insist that the clunk sound is the flywheel. I dont know any better so im just going with it. Said hes getting a used one for $60 so not gonna kill me to change it just in case. Should i just change the starter also with the flywheel. I have seen lots of different opinions on starters and how they act/sound when going bad and the realation with the flywheel.

 

Last year, my car was doing the same thing. Scratching noise and all. Once it started, it ran fine with all the power that should have been there. One day, it stopped starting and would just crank and crank and crank. Very strongly btw. But, a starter can crank strongly and not be shooting out to spin the flywheel. Long story short, this ALL just so happened to happen in front of an Advance Auto.. Sucks that they closed 15 mins before that lol. But, the next morning i changed the starter, and all was well... Try it. Took a half an hour. That included removing the old and buying the new lol.

 

did you check your fuel injectors? If one or more of the injectors is leaking, it would flood that cylinder and would take a long time to start the car. Sometimes it can actually cause a backfire after a long crank and no start due to a large amount of fuel in that cylinder. With the mileage on the car, I would definitely check the injectors. Actually, I would just swap them out for good used ones since its somewhat of a pain to replace them.

Sounds like your problem is costing you more than the car is worth, no you have to fix it and drive it to get that money back, good luck.

 

Definitely sounds like a bad starter or flywheel. If you're going to change the flywheel go ahead and change the starter at the same time. Might want to try changing the starter first before you go through the trouble of replacing the flywheel. Something is making the starter kick out on its own. It's got to be one of the two.

 

i saw the video and this is my opinion. the starter is sounds like its turning over very strong but at the same "spot" it seems to get stuck sort of, could be inside the starter motor or the flywheel could be missing a tooth or two. start with the cheapest solution and get a new or used starter, then move on to the flywheel. one last thing!! when u replace the starter use a flashlight to look at the flywheel and try to spin it around with a screw driver to check all the teeth out

 

I say change out the starter too.

 

Okay, was able to just do some deep research on my repair history. SO while i was deployed, my wife was driving the car and was having that "grind" issue with starting it and when she took it to Nissan they did replace the starter (it was Feb of 2011 but only 1000 miles ago). She got it back from the dealeship and was fine for the 900ish miles she put on it and has gotten worse in the last 100ish miles. It was a OEM starter installed by Nissan. Would they not check the flywheel when the replaced it? Is that not a normal step or is that expecting too much? I have seen some people on this forum say they replaced the starter and all was well for 3 weeks then back to the same issue. Does this just confuse it all even more of help isolate the issue more? Still have the IACV and flywheel coming in a day or 2. Could a bad flywheel be screwing up the starter? Is that even possible? Ive also seen people say they happened to get a bad brand new starter, i assume i have a better chance of winning the lottery than that happening.

With all new sensors (crank and cam), one new O2 sensor, new Mass flow sensor, new fuel pump, cleaned out TB with new TBS, extra ground wire, new starter (1k miles old), new coils and plugs (3k miles old), new radiator fans (1k miles old) clutch replaced (120K miles) am i overlooking anything else?

The only factor i see is that it has been sitting in a driveway for almost 2 year with very minimal usage. Parents would start it to keep it going and my wife drove it some when i was deployed, but not a lot.

nsnrider, I have dropped some cash into but its been paid for since 2004 so i dont mind dropping some money into it now since its not given me any major problems until now. Its a great care otherwise and i just can let it go yet, but im getting close, trust me!

 

Sorry, i do plan on still testing the spark plugs, just need to do a little more research on the proper way of doing that.

 

Check your fuel pressure regulator and damper (or dampener, depending on what parts list you read.) If I understand the design and workings correctly, if the diaphragm is torn, gas is sucked through the leak and into the manifold and raw gas goes straight into the intake manifold which then makes it incredibly angry.

I dealt with this for 18 months until I learned about these two items. Pull the vacuum lines and see if gas comes out. If so, replace them. About $250 in parts.

 

I really like the idea of the fuel pressure regulator, too bad none or the parts stores here on the island have one so its on order. At this point, ive have the fuel pump changed so why not. I have had a fuel pressure test done and its fine, but can the regulator still be bad (or have that leak) with a normal pressure reading?

Tomorrow will be the flywheel and IACV so will post what its like after that, even though im very doubtful the flywheel will fix the starting issue. I do feel optomistic that the IACV will take care of the little idle issue it has when not moving.

This morning it started on the 1st crank with only having the key turned for under 3 seconds. Drove it to work and went out at lunch to start it and took about 6 crank attempts to get it to strart so there really is no pattern at all. I do notice that as long as im not attempting to crank it for too long, i do not get that clank sound (that sound in my video). If i had mssing teeth in my flywheel, wouldn't it make that sound every time those missing teeth come in contact with the starter?

Either way, after the flywheel, IACV and FPR are changed, ill be either very happy or will be advertising a 2000 Maxima for sale! Almost all new parts!

 

I hope you've decided to replace the starter as well as the flywheel. It really sounded like the starter was either misaligned or faulty and having trouble engaging the flywheel. The pinion gear on the starter only engages the flywheel when you're cranking. If it isn't lined up right or if it's screwed up you would be having the exact problem you've described.

 

Have you fixed your hard starting issue? What was the outcome? I know this is an old thread but I'm having a similar issue and I'm really interested in what you did to fix your issue.

 

Mike - When it finally does start, does it cough and sputter and miss at first until it burns off excess fuel?
If you're an old timer like me, it's as if you left the choke on for too long.

If this is what yours is doing, I'd be willing to bet it's the fuel pressure damper that I wrote about above.