markiezee68

Ive been trouble shooting a "crank but no start condition for 6 months.

I have a 2003 Maxima SE, 167k on the motor which i have owned since 2004. One night while driving in the rain it started to lose power and sputter, nursed it to my gf's house then had it flat bedded home...started it to get it close to the flatbed and then into the driveway....each time it started (2x) it seemed like it was loosing one of the 3 (air, gas or spark) and was continually harder to start each time until alas...it doesn't start at all. Its not throwing any codes. CAM sensors were a past problem. I have:

Replaced fuel pump and filter
Plenty of gas (pumped out and replaced when i did the fuel pump)
Verified 51 lbs of fuel pressure from under the seat
Verified spark
Good voltage on the battery (continuous charge from regulated solar panels)(Currently at 12.35 volts) per hrtbrk1
Sprayed fuel down the intake from a mist bottle
Verified all fuses are good.
Replaced both CAM sensors
Replaced crank sensor
tried second key (which has been in the safe since I bought it)
Pulled the MAF connection (per DennisMik)

I tried the following ECU reset several times but the CEL never flashes or goes away:

1. Turn ignition switch on and wait about 3 seconds.
Repeat the following steps (2a and 2b) procedures quickly five times within 5 seconds.
2a. Fully depress the accelerator pedal (HARD).
2b. Fully release the accelerator pedal.
3. Wait 7 seconds, fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for approx. 10 seconds until the CEL starts blinking. (here is where i think you can get a code from this.)
4. Fully release the accelerator pedal (while the CEL is still blinking)
5. Wait about 10 second.
6. Fully depress the accelerator pedal and keep it for more than 10 seconds.
7. Fully release the accelerator pedal (The CEL light will continue to blink).
8. Turn ignition switch to “OFF” position and now you can start the car. The CEL light should be gone.

It does not start if I slam the gas pedal all the way to the floor.

My neighbor (ASE mechanic) accessed the car with a Snap On Verdict scan tool and verified that it is sending a start code.

The security light on the dash flashes once approximately every 4-5 seconds which looks normal to me. We also verified fuel injector electrical pulsing but here is the catch with that. When cranking it pulses three times and then stops.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

unplug the MAF sensor and see if the engine will start. If it does, the MAF is bad.

markiezee68

I pulled the connection on the MAF sensor and still no start.... Thanx for the reply!....adding it to the list of things checked

hrtbrk1

This may sound silly and i know you said you have good voltage on the battery but how old is the battery? just because voltage is good doesn't mean it has enough juice to crank it.

cornholio

iTrader: (1)

op says it's cranking, but no start

markiezee68

Currently at 12.35 volts. I keep three 1.5 watt solar panels on a regulator. The battery is disconnected from the car while charging and maintaining the charge. The car cranks strong. I get a little bit as soon as it cranks but then nothing. Its not super fast as if the timing chain was snapped. Battery is about 18 months old. Cranks normal.....thanx for the reply and added to my list!

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

This reminds me of another problem these cars have. The Nissan starter is a gear reduction starter. The reduction gears are a planetary gear set and the lubrication dries up. This creates a binding in the gears which causes the engine to crank slower than it should. If the engine cranks too slow, the CKPS(POS) crankshaft sensor does not develop a timing signal to the ECU.

I can't remember if the pulse from the CKPS(POS) sensor needs to be more than .5 volt or more than 1 volt during cranking. But you need an oscilloscope to check it. If you can try another starter, that may be an easier way.

markiezee68

Thats an interesting twist. Could it cause the car to die while running?...I don't have a spare but I can get the starter tested and rule it out....Thanx!

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

5.5s will start, basically, regardless of cranking speed.

With 15w40 oil, below zero temps, and weak battery, a VQ35 will barely crank. It turns over as fast as a dead battery does right before the solenoid won't engage. It will STILL fire up near instantly after a couple revolutions.
I'm going to assume it cranks just fine in relation to that. My B15 cranks incredibly slow and it fires right up every time, too.

klobbersaurus

51psi for fuel pressure?
thats alot, spec is in the 35psi area

J-Rod

iTrader: (1)

Crankshaft Position Sensor.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

It doesn't sound logical but it does happen. It happened on my 97 and my 2000. A few years back in the 4th gen section, people would tell you to open up the starter and grease it.

If you take the starter to a regular auto parts store to have it tested, it will test good. The thing I noticed was that the sound of the starter on the test bench was LOUD.

But I can't imagine how a starter could be the cause of the engine dying when it is all ready running.

markiezee68

Already replaced.....

markiezee68

Could this be an immobilizer issue? The system is no longer recognizing the chips in the keys and shutting everything off. I have gas, compression, spark but only three pulses on the injectors.

maxiiiboy

Yes, NATS could definitely do it. The only other thing I can think about is the FPR (Fuel Pressure Regulator).

ugufru

Check your grounds. Check your positive starter cable harness. Clean all the terminals and connectors on the positive harness with a flat file and/or electrical contact cleaner spray.

Test your sensors with a multimeter before replacing. If your starter is drawing too much current due to resistive connections, it's likely to drain the power from your sensors, giving the computer bad readings, and then it makes bad decisions. Don't buy a new sensor unless you know it's bad. Sometimes new ones are defective. Test them too.

Read the org. There are soooo many reasons my Maxima doesn't start, but simply restoring the primary starter cable has lowered my no-start odds from 1/3 to 1/10.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

If the car is immobilized, the ECU cuts off the fuel, i.e., it doesn't fire the fuel injectors. Since you have gas, I don't think you are immobilized. Also, if you are immobilized, the red led in the clock will be on solid while you crank.

markiezee68

The end of an era.....my beloved 2003 Maxima going to its new owner...Never did figure out why it wouldn't start.....sad day

Will

iTrader: (2)

Oh, that's so sad to see, the white 5.5 is my favourite colour on this model.

The new owner is inheriting this mysterious issue.

Donkeypunch

It's probably something simple.
How much did u sell?

Abecelio

Could it have been the fuel pressure damper, or fuel pressure regulator allowing fuel through the vacuum

markiezee68

I don't own it anymore but a good friend of mine does. After an exhaustive search of the wiring diagram and lots of probing and testing it has been fixed!!!! Apparently there is a box within the wiring harness above the front bank of cylinders. My buddy described it as a condenser with an internal diode....don't ask me but he found that it was burnt....melted if you will. A replacement was found within 10 minutes at the local "you pull it" and it now purr's like a kitten.

PopularWithVertigo

Floating this because I've got a crank/no start issue.

Sprayed some starter fluid in the intake and it came to life for a few seconds before puttering out again. Read around and apparently a fuel pump failure is uncommon. Likewise, I hear the fuel pump humming when I turn the key.

I don't know if its relevant, but I live at the top of a damn steep hill, and it was when I started up it that the car lurched a little bit and slowly crapped out. A neighbor hauled it up to my house and it hasn't been able to turn over since.

maxiiiboy

Well, I should have a cheat sheet for this now famous "crank no start" problem, but here we go again, just out of my hand/head:
- It could be your crank sensor - in the event your battery is weak as does not crank fast enough,
- It could be your fuel deliver system (pump filters, injectors) - you covered the pump, but be aware of the other two,
- It could be your battery and/or starting subsystem wiring - does your car get at least 10.5V to the starter when cranking ???
- It could be NATS - is the red security light ON when you are cranking?
- It could be fuses, and the ENG CONT1 fuse in particular (guess how I know that .... ).
I am sure there is more but the above is a good list to start with.

krismax

iTrader: (15)

This happen to my 96 cranked but no start.Another starter and it started.

PopularWithVertigo

I've changed both the cam sensors in recent years, but never the crank. I'm gonna double check my fuses and relays. I am suspicious of the injectors (they've always been noisy).

The weathers finally nice enough so I'm hoping they'll let me take an early day at work so I can run thru this list.

PopularWithVertigo

Could it be a sensor if the car actually turned over for a few seconds after spraying the starter fluid in the intake? Because I don't know a lot about this stuff but it seems like its blockage or some other kind of mechanical problem rather than electrical.

EDIT: checked OBDII code, getting a P011
EDIT 2: Swapped crank sensor with new one. Now it hardly even cranks. Getting it towed to a shop.

5thgendriver

http://www.nissanmurano.org/forums/6...s/14514?page=1

maxiiiboy

You did not tell us what year your car is, but I'll assume it's 2000-2001 (3.0L). There was no need to swap the crank sensor; the car is telling you that it has a problem with the intake air temperature sensor, or with the associated circuitry/connectors/etc. See the FSM, pg. EC-183.

Get yourself a copy of the FSM (link in my signature) and an OBDII reader, if you don't have one (it's not expensive, like here ).

specauto

Went thru no crank thing on 2001 this weekend. Its been acting up some for a while, periodically not cranking cold. The Haynes manual stated MAFS? I suspected the crank sensor from Jeep experience. I also checked the resistance on the cam sensor, it showed bad. So... I go to Auto Zone, buy a MAFS, crank sensor and a cam sensor. Figured I would replace them one at a time and see what happened, even though places in this form state the MAFS will not keep it from cranking. Replaced all three. Nothing. Plenty of voltage, spins fast. Checked the fuel pump, couldn't hear anything but the manual states the ECM will shut off the fuel pump after 5 secs if there is no signal from the CPS. Checked the pump relay, power was going thru it correctly. Pulled the back seat and the cover to check voltage to the fuel pump at the assembly, the connector was loose. pushed it on (didnt look like it was supposed to) and volia...the damn thing cranked. What I have discovered is that many of the connectors on this thing have been damaged when people have taken them apart in the past. I didnt put a new connector on the fuel pump, I wrapped a tie strap around it and that seemed to do the trick. Weird stuff. And...I have a commercial account with the parts store so they took the stuff back. It was a good day.

PopularWithVertigo

2003 Maxima: At this point I've had a failed and replaced fuel pump three times in the last fourteen months. Most recently about two weeks ago the second one failed and I had one installed by Nissan technicians, with Nissan parts, at a Nissan dealership, at their suggestion.

Well tonight I'm sensing the early symptoms that started the last time around: its slow and churns to start, and if left to idle after about thirty seconds it will putter and stall out, and not turn over after without a fight. I live on a hill so I put it in neutral and redirected the front end of the car toward the incline and then it started. At the moment I'm hoping I was simply low on fuel because the gauge is tricky. Otherwise I'm trying to be preemptive:

What the hell else could be the problem? There's no way I could have a fuel pump fail three times in such a short time. There's currently no trouble codes and all the cam and crank sensors are within two years old. Is there another possibility or does my car just hate me?

maxiiiboy

Well, so your car is a 2003 - and you kept this important detail for yourself until now !!
You led me to believe that it's a 2000-2001, and that the OBDC code you got earlier was P0110. Wrong on both counts. (see my post #29 above).
Given that your car is a 2003, I suspect the code you got earlier was P0011 (IVT Control).
Please, CONFIRM or CORRECT.

Yes, don't replace the fuel pump; I am pretty sure it's not the source of your problems.
If the code was indeed P0011, the fault is in your IVT subsystem (see the FSM, page EC-166).
The IVT uses inputs from the following sensors: Crankshaft (POS), Camshaft (PHASE), Engine Coolant Temperature (ECTS), and Vehicle Speed (VSS). I strongly suspect the ECTS is the source your problem.
However, you should prove this to yourself by following the diagnostic procedure on page EC-172.
The ECTS should cost you about $20 (see here: https://www.rockauto.com/en/catalog/...+/+sensor,4748 )

PopularWithVertigo

How definitive is this test? I think I have a suspect MAF sensor and I'm on the fence about ordering one outright. (2003 Maxima 3.5)

PopularWithVertigo

Long time no see. Thank you for your suggestions and sorry for not stating my year (still 2003 Max 3.5L). Here I am again with the same problems. Crank no start, no longer throwing the IVT code or any codes for that matter, all new cam and crank sensors and fuel pump w/ assembly via dealership techs. Ran fine a few months, then driving home on X-Mas Eve it stalled out and wouldn't start again until I had it [expensively] towed home where it cranked in the driveway with a some reluctance. Tow driver said the alarm system chirped all the way home and suggested an anti-theft system issue but when I crank the red light on the dash does not hold red, so I don't think its NATS, but I'm obviously no expert. Seems to start and maintain fuel delivery on a flat surface w/ hot or cold crank but a few minutes on an incline it gives up and dies, despite a half tank of gas. I'm curious about another poster referring to a test of the MAF where you disconnect it and it still starts, indicating a bad sensor... because that was the case when I tried it. Thoughts?

Sin0666

​​​​Okay, I unplugged the MAFs an it did start. Plug it back in, nothing. Just cranks an cranks.
The Mass air flow sensor has been replaced an so has the throttle body.
But not the air volume sensor? ( the screen cylinder tube the mass air flow sensor sits in)