i'm curretly having problem starting my car in the morning or when ever i leave the car for over a period of 4 or more hrs. it wont start till after 4 to 5 times and now i see smoke coming out of the exhust after it start. before it usually take 2 trys and ill start but now i don't know what the problem is. i have a 97 maxima se w/auto. any help would be great thanks.

 

could be ur starter...if you turn the key..and it sounds like its trying but cant start up..or it makes no noise at all..it prolly is...happened to me..twice..

 

You say "it wont start till after 4 to 5 times ...". What does that mean? 4 to 5 times of what? 4 times of turning the key and hearing nothing? 4 times of turning the key and hearing Rrr-Rrr-Rrr, but no Vroom? A precise description of symptoms is essential. Help us to help you!

 

ok the problem is, when i turn the key the first time it'll start and go vroom but than the rpm drop. but sometime on the second try the car will start by going vroom, drop a little, vroom, than to normal rpm. but lately it wont go vroom after the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th try you'll hear the car trying to start but it won't start. but when it due start you'll smell and see white smoke from the exhust not alot though. i just change the fuel filter thinking it might be that but it was still the same.

 

and you dont have a check engine light on ? sounds weird , well if no check engine light then i guess you can take a faulty MAF sensor off the list.

What id like to think is that either your car is running to rich or lean, something is up with your fuel system, but who cares what i think. , incidentally your RPM's are suppossed to go higher than norm and then come down to norm after like 30 seconds( when you first turn on your car )

 

Thank you for the clarification.

Perhaps the fuel rail lost its residual pressure during the idle period. Next time you have a similar period of disuse, try this experiment. Turn the ignition key to ON, wait 15 seconds, then turn the key to START. This brief delay gives the fuel pump some time to build normal pressure. If your car starts readily and runs well after this brief delay, that will confirm this fuel pressure hypothesis.

Possible causes loss of residual fuel system pressure include
- an external leak anywhere in the fuel loop
- a leaky check valve
- a bad fuel pressure regulator
- one or more fuel injectors which sticks open

 

You may want to test your Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor. This is easy enough, requiring only an ohmmeter.

On the 4th Generation Maxima engine the Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor is located in the water outlet tube close to the engine end of the upper radiator hose. There are two sensors in that area. The one nearest the hose is for the dashboard temperature gauge. The ECTS, the one you're interested in, is right next to the the gauge sending unit. There is a good picture of these sensors in the Haynes manual on page 3-7.

With the engine cold, disconnect the ECTS and measure its resistance.
Reconnect the ECTS, start the engine, run it until fully warmed up. Stop
the engine, and repeat the resistance measurement. The "warm" reading
should be a much lower value than the "cold" reading.

The Chilton Maxima shop manual gives these specs:
Engine coolant temperature 68F, ECTS resistance 2.1 - 2.9 Kohms
Engine coolant temperature 194F, ECTS resistance 0.24 - 0.26 Kohms
(Roughly a factor of ten difference.)

 

it's probably low fuel pressure. put a fuel pressure gauge after the fuel filter and see what it shoots up to. I don't the specs on the Max, but it's probably around 43 psi as you crank and it should fall to 36 psi at idle. If the FP is below 30 you'll have starting problems.

 

I know I am sort of new to this forum, but I was having the same problem with my 96 SE. I was not running 91 octane or higher and on the cold days it would do the same thing. Start and die right out even with a puff of smoke. Since I switched to 93 from 89 octane the problem has gone away and is running much smoother than before. I may be way off, but it seemed to work for me.

 

Good idea. This is a standard diagnostic test. You will find instructions and a diagram or picture in Chilton (page 5-3) and Haynes (page 4-3,4).

Bleed the fuel rail pressure by pulling the fuel pump fuse and making several attempts to start the engine (it won't start). Install a T-fitting with a pressure gauge in the flexible rubber fuel line just downstream of the fuel filter. Install the fuel pump fuse. Start the engine. You should see the pressure maintain a stable 34 psi. After turning the engine off the fuel system should hold pressure for a long time, 24 hours or longer. If the residual pressure bleeds off in only one or two hours that is a sign of a problem... bad fuel pump check valve, injectors with an internal leak, bad fuel pressure regulator, or an external fuel leak.

 

thanks guys i'm going to try these test this weekend and see whats wrong. hey i don't have a manual, i went to the dealer and try to get one but they didn't have any. i post another thread after these test. thanks again.

 

I find it easier to let the car sit overnight when replacing a fuel filter or if any fuel lines need to be removed. I just take off the gas cap just in case. I still wear safety eyewear for precautionary reasons but I've never had any fuel squirt out... just a trickle.

 

Daniel, no dissrespect intended but I thought the fuel pump stayed on for only 1 second after turning ignition switch on. Even the FSM states "fuel pressure pulsation should be felt on the fuel feed hose for 1 second after ignition switch is turned on". I,m asking because maybe there is more to the 15 second test that I am aware of. Thanks.

 

I'll have to read up on this. I may have it wrong. Thanks for the pointer.

 

The '99 Maxima factory service manual says this: The ECM activates the fuel pump for a few seconds after the ignition switch is turned ON to improve engine startup.

The FSM doesn't quantify what is meant by "a few". To further research the problem I checked my own car. I had an assistant turn the ignition ON (but not crank the engine) while I lay on the ground listening to the fuel pump. On my car the pump runs 3-4 seconds after the key is turned to ON. However, it does this each and every time the key is turned to ON.

Now 3-4 seconds is plenty of time under normal conditions. However, if the fuel pump is weak, or the check valve is leaky, or the initial fuel rail pressure is zero, it might not be enough. Therefore, I will amend my advice as follows...

Next time you have a similar period of disuse, try this experiment. Turn the ignition key to ON, wait 5 seconds, turn the key to OFF. Repeat this ON/5/OFF sequence twice more, and then turn the key to START. This sequence gives the fuel pump enough time to build normal fuel rail pressure. If your car starts readily and runs well after this brief delay, that will confirm this fuel pressure hypothesis.