01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
So my car starts and runs perfect BUT if you drive it sometimes it does. a few weeks ago it died in an intersection I had it towed and by the time I got it home it started. Few days later I started it and drive to work and all the way back home before it again died at an intersection. I have stopped driving it but can someone help with this. No one can figure out why it happens and it has no CEL or codes when scanned. please help with any ideas
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centralcoaster33
- Posts: 2634
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:41 am
- Car: 1997 Nissan 240SX #5
- Location: Central Coast, CA
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
Welcome to NICO Club!
Tell us exactly what happens when the car dies. Temp gauge rises, power flickers, engine sputters a bit or just dies, etc. Also, what happens when you try to start it right after it died. Like if it turns over ("cranks") but won't fire, or fires, but won't run, etc.
Off the top of my head, you have an electrical problem at a critical point and it's loosing the connection, therefor shutting off your engine. Something get's wiggled on the tow home and all is fine when you try again later. That would explain why you aren't getting codes, because the ECU has no power and therefor can't store the codes. Another thought is heat causing a cut out and it won't start until cooled, but I'm not leaning towards that as much.
Check the battery and all your ground connections. Here is a link to the FSM for help with diagnoses:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Altima/2001/
Maybe look into the stuff in the EC chapter, starting at page EC-91. There's a chart there and stuff to look at for a hard start/ no start/ restart condition.
Tell us exactly what happens when the car dies. Temp gauge rises, power flickers, engine sputters a bit or just dies, etc. Also, what happens when you try to start it right after it died. Like if it turns over ("cranks") but won't fire, or fires, but won't run, etc.
Off the top of my head, you have an electrical problem at a critical point and it's loosing the connection, therefor shutting off your engine. Something get's wiggled on the tow home and all is fine when you try again later. That would explain why you aren't getting codes, because the ECU has no power and therefor can't store the codes. Another thought is heat causing a cut out and it won't start until cooled, but I'm not leaning towards that as much.
Check the battery and all your ground connections. Here is a link to the FSM for help with diagnoses:
http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Altima/2001/
Maybe look into the stuff in the EC chapter, starting at page EC-91. There's a chart there and stuff to look at for a hard start/ no start/ restart condition.
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
Hello centralcoaster33,
Ok so each time it happened the everything is working fine except you feel the car jerk or lose power and it just dies. The radio and everything still works fine. Right after it dies if you try to start it, it will crank but not fire. If you wait maybe 10 minutes it will crank, fire, rough idle and die, it will not stay running. The last time it happened it didn't get towed it got pushed because I was almost home. If it sits overnight it starts back up and runs like nothing every happened. The first time it happened was just a little sputter and If I pushed the gas the car wouldn't really move, then it ran normal and I parked it. Then I drove it for 2 days it was normal and sputter and shut down. I got it towed, two days later I decided to drive it again I got to work and on the way home it sputtered and died. Every single time after sitting it starts and runs like a brand new car. Even the first time with a 4 hour wait the lights and radio or nothing ever died those things work fine
Ok so each time it happened the everything is working fine except you feel the car jerk or lose power and it just dies. The radio and everything still works fine. Right after it dies if you try to start it, it will crank but not fire. If you wait maybe 10 minutes it will crank, fire, rough idle and die, it will not stay running. The last time it happened it didn't get towed it got pushed because I was almost home. If it sits overnight it starts back up and runs like nothing every happened. The first time it happened was just a little sputter and If I pushed the gas the car wouldn't really move, then it ran normal and I parked it. Then I drove it for 2 days it was normal and sputter and shut down. I got it towed, two days later I decided to drive it again I got to work and on the way home it sputtered and died. Every single time after sitting it starts and runs like a brand new car. Even the first time with a 4 hour wait the lights and radio or nothing ever died those things work fine
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centralcoaster33
- Posts: 2634
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:41 am
- Car: 1997 Nissan 240SX #5
- Location: Central Coast, CA
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
How far can you get before the car dies? I'm thinking that your camshaft position sensor is overheating and failing. That is a part of the distributor assembly which I find isn't super expensive for this car and might even be available at your local parts shop. If you have access to used parts to swap and try, I'd test another distributor. Otherwise, there's ways to diagnose it all and that's in the FSM I sent over. I looked at the EC chapter for codes P0335 and P0340. I don't think the crankshaft position sensor causes a shutdown though, so I moved onto the camshaft position sensor. The distributor also has a coil pack in there and that could be the issue, again pointing back to the same assembly. All of this just affects the engine, not the other stuff like radio, so it kind of makes sense to me. I would look at getting a scanner and seeing if you had codes right after a shut-down. I'm still surprised by no codes.
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
The distance depends. I had a mechanic familiar wiTh Nissans tell me to try changing the distributor so when I get a chance I think I will go with that. My neighbor also a mechanic, pulled the plug on the crankshaft sensor after it shut down one night and it continued to run. He was sure that was the problem but realized it wasnt
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centralcoaster33
- Posts: 2634
- Joined: Tue Apr 05, 2005 10:41 am
- Car: 1997 Nissan 240SX #5
- Location: Central Coast, CA
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
Well, those both kind of corroborates my thoughts... and mine theirs! Look into getting a new distributor assembly. Please keep us posted for future issues and others to benefit.
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
I will give the distributor a try and keep you posted! Thank you
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
I would be looking very close at the fuel pump; OP describes perfectly how an old pump can act. Find pump and then listen to the noise it makes when key turned on, then when it stalls listen again, you may not hear it, then pump not working. There are codes for it but they don't always post. Even more likely if the local fuel is ethanol laced.
Re: 01 altima gxe BIPOLAR
Ok guys so here’s the verdict I started the car the other day and finally a CEL. I had it towed to a shop and they said I need a new distributor and the crank sensor is failing so it was both things. Problem is they want $840 to fix it!!! Which seems outrageous to me I’m getting it towed back home. Any takes on a issue with getting aftermarket parts??