My 88 Maxmima has about 184k miles on it. Engine has been running fine. But last night I started the car, it was a bit rough, missed at times. I let it warm up for a few minutes and it was fine. I drove it to the store, went in and picked up some food (~10 mins). When I came out, I could not start the car. The engine kept cranking, but would not start. It was cold and dark, so I left the car there and somebody gave me a ride home. This morning I went back to check, and the car started on first try. But when after driving it for a while I parked it, turned off the engine, and turned it back on, it would not start. Finally I had to tried pumping hard on the gas pedal to get it started. Once running, I drove it home okay.
Hmm, I'm really worried. I can't afford to bring it to a mechanic, plus I like to work on cars if I can. But I don't know where the problem is. Could be air/fuel/ECU/ignition? How to diagnose? Any help appreciated. Thanks.

 

sounds like you coil may be going out. One thing I do is use starting fluid to find out if it is a fuel or spark problem....when spraying the fluid in if it starts then it was a fuel problem.....if it still does not start with the fluid then its a spark problem....so you could start there. Also make sure the wire on your coil is stuck on there nice and tight, I some times have issues with mine poping off. Good luck.

-Carson

 

Also make sure your battery cables are correctly connected. If you have bought some from autozone or a local parts store they can take a dump after awhile. But I agree with cardana about the coil. Start there.

 

sorry to bring back a dead thread but i can't start my own for some reason..i was wondering if I use the Starter spray where do I spray it into?and could someone tell me where the fuel pump is?i'm having starting problems and was thinking it might be the fuel pump and will probably look for one at the junkyard to see if it'll help out my situation. Oh yeah does anyone know what a common cause of battery draining is on these cars? When I leave the car with its terminals plugged in over the weekend and then try to start it on a monday it'll be dead.

 

1. use starting fluid in the throttle body. you'll have to take off the plastic ductwork. open the throttle by hand, squirt the ether in there for a few seconds, then put the ductwork back together. you can also remove the spark plugs and squirt a little in each cylinder.

2. the fuel pump is under the back seat. take out the bottom part of the back seat and you'll see a metal plate with a wiring harness going to it. you'll have to take apart some other stuff for the back seat, and then take that plate off, and the fuel pump comes right out.

 

Definately try checking basic things (fuel, spark, compression). That is a good path to get you going.

S

 

Thanks for the reply...I'm basically done with this car. There always seems to be a problem every few months since i owned the car. First was a "overheated" problem where the temp guage showed close to H just after 20 minutes of driving(maybe thermastat?)..then the leaking power steering..then the battery dying if left sitting over the weekend..now it's a starting problem(basically everything i've seen on these boards). It's started on various occasions but with a little coaxing..had to step on the accelerator before it stayed running but with a bad stutter and huge amounts of gas smell in the air..then it would steady and i'd drive home..with that i'm not sure if it was spark or fuel..I mean if it was spark then it wouldn't stay running long enough for me to get home..and if it was fuel then there wouldn't be such a powerful smell of gas in the air. I changed the fuel filter so i know it can't be that.

 

has your car had the fuel injector recall done? A leaky injector would cause hard starts and the smell of gas in the engine bay. Just call 1 800 NISSAN 1 , give them your VIN and they will tell you if the recall has been done on your car. I would check there since it would be free to you if that is your problem

 

Here is my two cents....maybe the Air Regulator ??? I had very similar simptoms...
See the "stickie" that tell how to modify one....

 

Starter,MAF,ECU

I replaced all those and my car still did the same thing. I think the huge amounts of black smoke stopped after I bought a factory O2 sensor.

 

Have you tried to pull and error codes from the computer ??? I am not familiar with a 88 Max......I have a blinkling light sytem on my ECU under the passenger seat...

How do you do the diagostics?

 

you've got 2 LEDs on the computer you've gotta watch for. in some nissans it can be done by counting the number of times the check engine light flashes but that doesn't apply to us. anyway, get to the ECU under the passengers seat. you can either unscrew it, take the seat out, or watch in a very uncomfortable position. best way is to take out the seat IMO. then turn the ignition ON. there's a little setscrew. if the self-diagnosis was never done, there'll be a foil seal over the screw. anyway, turn that screw clockwise. both LEDs will blink simultaneously. first once, for mode 1, then twice for mode 2, then three times for mode 3. you want mode 3. once they blink three times, turn the screw back the whole way. then codes flash. first on one LED, then on the next. I think green goes first, then red. the code will be a 2-digit number, the first digit being the number of times the first LED blinked, and the second digit being how many times the other LED flashed. code 55 (five green, five red) means normal. anything else is a trouble code that you can look up in a haynes or FSM or one of us can do it for you.

 

Could the fuel filter be clogged? Like the car is not getting enough fuel to start? Its just an idea.

 

Im having exACtly the same problem with my 87. you described it perfectly, except i havent noticed a fuel smell...
I am getting a new fuel filter right now, so hopefully that will do it, but I am also trying to get Nissan to do my injector recall. if you have it figured out by now, I would love to know what helped.

 

fuel filter didnt do it, but I am getting a code 44 from my ECU. that code isnt in my haynes manual, anyone know where I can find out what it means?

 

code 44 or 55 is the all is ducky code.

S

 

yeah i found that out. actually she is running like a champ after the filter, so all is well for now anyways.