Trouble starting

alanmc

Hi, I've just had a strange experience starting my car. It's a 2004 Nissan 350Z.

Turned the key, it fired up but died immediately. Then went to start again. The starter was cranking, but the engine wasn't catching. I could smell fuel so it was getting fuel. Sounded like it wasn't getting a spark.

After a few tries, it eventually fired up and seemed to struggle for a few seconds. Sounded very rough for a few seconds, but then smoothed out.

After that, it was running fine. I've started it up a few times since and it starts first kick, no problem. No roughness either.

I plugged in my (rather cheap) OBDII and there are no codes being thrown. The CEL isn't on either.

This happened last winter during the big snow as well, but I attributed this to the extreme cold. Since then (up until this evening), I've had no problem starting.

Do you guys know any other things I can check? Could a Cam/Crank Position Sensor cause this sort of problem? Would they throw OBDII codes?

Al.

Nissan doctor

alanmc wrote: »

Hi, I've just had a strange experience starting my car. It's a 2004 Nissan 350Z.

Turned the key, it fired up but died immediately. Then went to start again. The starter was cranking, but the engine wasn't catching. I could smell fuel so it was getting fuel. Sounded like it wasn't getting a spark.

After a few tries, it eventually fired up and seemed to struggle for a few seconds. Sounded very rough for a few seconds, but then smoothed out.

After that, it was running fine. I've started it up a few times since and it starts first kick, no problem. No roughness either.

I plugged in my (rather cheap) OBDII and there are no codes being thrown. The CEL isn't on either.

This happened last winter during the big snow as well, but I attributed this to the extreme cold. Since then (up until this evening), I've had no problem starting.

Do you guys know any other things I can check? Could a Cam/Crank Position Sensor cause this sort of problem? Would they throw OBDII codes?

Al.

Can your scanner only read engine faults or can it read the security system too? May be a fault with the key/immobiliser.

alanmc

Nissan doctor wrote: »

Can your scanner only read engine faults or can it read the security system too? May be a fault with the key/immobiliser.

Not the security system, no. Just the generic engine fault codes.

I'd agree with you. But when the engine did finally fire up, it struggled. I thought the immobiliser would be like an on/off switch. It either works or it doesn't.

ianobrien

What it sounds like is that the car flooded on restart. On a few Nissans we had, if you started the car and turned it off after a few seconds, on restart it would flood. I got so used to it, I could find the fuel pump fuse in the dark.

It happened in Micra's, an Almera and a Primera we had.

alanmc

ianobrien wrote: »

What it sounds like is that the car flooded on restart. On a few Nissans we had, if you started the car and turned it off after a few seconds, on restart it would flood. I got so used to it, I could find the fuel pump fuse in the dark.

It happened in Micra's, an Almera and a Primera we had.

I think I did flood it trying to restart it. But I think that was a symptom of the problem rather than the root cause itself.

The problem manifested itself by the car cutting out after running for a second or two. Then when I tried ti restart, it wouldn't. It was at this point and over the next few retries that I think I flooded it. I could definitely smell fuel after a few tries to start it.

ianobrien

alanmc wrote: »

I think I did flood it trying to restart it. But I think that was a symptom of the problem rather than the root cause itself.

The problem manifested itself by the car cutting out after running for a second or two. Then when I tried ti restart, it wouldn't. It was at this point and over the next few retries that I think I flooded it. I could definitely smell fuel after a few tries to start it.

That sounds like what happened to us all the time on restart. If I pulled the plugs out, dried them off, turned the engin over with no plugs in to dry out the cylinders, it would start clean when the plugs were put back it. If I just pulled the fuel pump fuse, the engine would run in three cylinders for a few seconds until it cleared.

It happened to us on 4 different Nissans, of different types and mileages so we just put it down to the start cycle being interrupted by stopping the engine at "just" the wrong time.

Spunj

Hard to say on such little info, but the first thing I would look at is the air flow meters.

Having no codes kinda excludes them but dirt or a failing wire across the MAF or further upstream points to a fuel/air mix problem.

I have a car that does this in Autumn/Winter but I deal with it by leaving it running a few minutes before setting off and when I am going, clutching in and when it conks out, letting my speed restart her. After that it works fine.

Before that I could conk out on a junction and turn and turn till I eventually got some combustion.

alanmc

ianobrien wrote: »

That sounds like what happened to us all the time on restart. If I pulled the plugs out, dried them off, turned the engin over with no plugs in to dry out the cylinders, it would start clean when the plugs were put back it. If I just pulled the fuel pump fuse, the engine would run in three cylinders for a few seconds until it cleared.

It happened to us on 4 different Nissans, of different types and mileages so we just put it down to the start cycle being interrupted by stopping the engine at "just" the wrong time.

I think you may have something there ian. When I think back, I had moved the car forward abot 10 feet on the drive to get my Gixxer out. Then when I came back the car wouldn't start. Started everytime today though.

Cheers for all the replies lads.

Wheelnut

Yes, Ian is right. It's just simple flooding and there's no need to get any more complicated than that. It seems to be a problem for some Nissans. It used to be possible to clear flooding by holding the accelerater pedal to the floor (don't pump it) while working the starter. I don't know if this still works with the drive-by-wire systems and airflow meters.

ianobrien

Wheelnut wrote: »

I don't know if this still works with the drive-by-wire systems and airflow meters.

It doesn't. I've tried it!

It works with the older stuff alright.