Intermittent and is at its worst when the car has been sitting overnight, which this is an example of, just trying to get grasp on what it might be, replaced plugs, maf, and air filter. Also battery and alternator are reading good. Second crank I'll hold the key in the start position and it eventually catches and idles normally. Any help is appreciated thanks!

 

I had a similar problem with mine but I had a lot of other complications as well your starter sounds a bit weak but its not your problem.check for vacuum leaks I had several, is the car throwing any codes,this could be a throttle position sensor problem the wiper inside it has probably failed or it could have moved slightly out of alignment next it could be idle air control valve is dirty if hasn't done it already it will likely start erratic idling. the IACV can clog with carbon deposits and so can the throttle body I would start by cleaning throttle body with carb cleaner. If that doesnt work google a video on testing a nissan tps and get the workshop manual for your car to get exact voltage measurements it helps to have a scan tool to check for codes. If all is ok move on to IACV (AVOID MESSING WITH SENSORS TOO MUCH) there likely wont be any codes but find one that reads fuel trims.. . keeping the throttle body clean is very important for idling issues on these cars I also found that a mod suggested whereby you disconnect the coolant lines and bypass the iacv caused mayhem on mine and made diagnosis a nightmare so don't do it the throttle body has a wax pellet inside it that relies on heat to melt it and forces the throttle body to seal. let me know how you get on and we will try other things then, dont just throw parts at it i did and it cost me a fortune that didn't fix the car it was all down to correct diagnosis techniques educate yourself and save $$$.

 

Yep, no codes, and I have looked at the fuel trim, 3 of them read on the positive side, anywhere from 4 to 12ish, and I've been thinking about cleaning the tb/iac, anything gaskets I need or anything specific, the scanner shows the iac reading solid Temps. The only times I've ever had erratic idling is when the outside temperature drops low making me think possible vacuum leak, but I don't know seems very hard to pinpoint what's happening. Thanks for the help!

 

I ended up replacing the intake manifold gaskets but check your booster hose or any of the air hoses around the manifold first especially your PCV valve hose and check the valve itself get a squirty bottle and fill it with water and spray anywhere there is any sound of air leaking and see if engine note refines your definitely running a little bit lean but not enough to cause a code but same kind of numbers I had when I had the multiple vacuum leaks on mine.check your g/s on your maf to make sure its not over or under reporting you should have about 2.4g/s at idle if its low check for a dead bug or dirt maybe clean with maf cleaner.

 

Will check for leaks! And I cleaned the MAF and the air box last weekend when I changed the air filter, so it definitely isn't that, no dead bugs to be found haha

 

Not so bad, there is a small gasket between the IACV and the throttle body which dries up and cracks you could pull the throttle body and replace it but don't do it unless you have a replacement gasket I think they sell them on rock auto, while your at it you could clean the IACV.

 

I saw on a video there was a little metal plate in the Tb and they put a new one in, is this reusable or would I have to get a new one? Thanks!

 

you don't need to disassemble the throttle body completely just separate the IACV from the the throttle body and clean all the ports and internal surfaces with carb cleaner.

 

So I shouldn't deep clean the throttle body?

 

you only need to remove the throttle body to separate it from the IACV, you can clean it on the car what you are trying to achieve is firstly to make sure the butterfly valve seats correctly and no carbon deposits are causing an obstruction. Idont know what you saw on you tube. be careful where you get your info I and may others all over the world recommend scanner danner for videos the guy is a really good teacher .

 

It was an Astral Autos video, but I used brake cleaner to look for vacuum leaks and couldn't find a thing. Will probably try to clean the tb and the iacv next.

 

What?? No Scotty Kilmer recommendations???

 

Yes, clean the TB - it's easy once you have things apart, and it's a safe thing to do on our cars (on 3.0L, but not on 3.5L).
Also, if I were you I would replace the IACV. The document about ECU Failures (link in my signature, below) explains why.

 

Just posting this to help someone out. I have a 2000 SE maxima and it had an intermittent issue where it would not start sometimes. I thought it might have been because of cold weather, or maybe I neeeded sparks, or maybe I have a low fuel pressure or injector issue and so on. I checked everything and even took it to my mechanic who could not recreate the issue i was having. I checked the starter and the starter would crank but the engine would not actually start. Other times the car would start right up like nothing was wrong with it, There were no drivability issues whatsoever. Sometimes if the car would not start I could eventually get it to after 2 or 3 tries. The issue got worse with time and it would not start as often, taking 5 plus attempts and just today it would not start at all. The issue ended up being the plastic air cleaner, the bottom connector and the plastic tube leading to the air filter box was completely disconnected. Some how all of my retainer clamps had fallen off and were missing whoever worked on my car last failed to put them back on. There were 3 separate plastic parts that should all be connected by a clamp or some type of retainer. As a result the engine could not suck in enough air to ignite the fuel and start the engine. Anyways I realigned the plastic tubes and the car starts with no issue.

 

Any idea what kind of clamps? Oddly enough the problem has seemingly gone away, only thing I did was drain the transmission fluid and clip in the black air intake that was loose. But yeah none of the parts you've brough up seem to be held together by anything.

 

Any idea what kind of clamps? Oddly enough the problem has seemingly gone away, only thing I did was drain the transmission fluid/fill and clip in the black air intake thingy that was loose. But yeah none of the parts you've brought up seem to be held together by anything.

 

It may not come with any clamps that is a mistake on my part, i must have misinterpreted the nissan engine diagram. i do think some type of clamp will prevent the issue from reoccurring. if you look Inside of the plastic pieces between the lower resonator and air filter box, it it looks as if it had some type of rubber ring inside that helps keep the pieces from separating or misaligning. on mine it looks like it has dried out and faded away, so the plastic pieces come apart very easily. There are plastic tabs that should "click" into each other on some pieces but mine come apart easily. I have to put it back together by hand every now and then just to start the car.

 

Maybe FPR. Prime the pump several times and see if it starts normal after sitting overnight.

 

Update: the problem ended up being corrosion on the electrical connections, the battery could not effectively nor consistently supply enough electrical charge to start the engine. It may be your ground wire or connection from battery to starter. Got it rewired and the issue is officially gone.
If youv'e been troubleshooting and could not locate the issue after replacing and testing multiple parts this may be the case for you. my car is 20years old and just came out of a midwest winter.