1996 Nissan Maxima Starting ISSUES

[dead2day]

I have a 1996 Nissan Maxima SE 3.0L V6 5-speed.
I have just recently replaced the spark plugs and it fired up right away first try. over the course of an hour it became harder and harder to get it to start and now it will not start at all, turns over but will not start.

Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Dead2day

[tigersharkdude]

did you gap your plugs? did you plug the coil packs back up? I would look around at stuff you messed with when you changed the plugs as the culprit. It could easily be something else, but if you touch something, and then your car wont start, look at what you touched

[loystock]

Maybe you have a weakened battery after multiple start attempts. Make sure the connections are clean and tight and that the voltage is > 12.5 VDC with engine off. Otherwise, there is not enough juice in the battery to reach combustion speed. Try a jump start and once the engine is running, check the alternator charging voltage is > 13.8 VDC spec is 14.1-14.7 VDC). Also check and clean the main engine harness ground points (2 ea) near the intake manifold close to cylinder #2.

[dead2day]

Okay, first of all thank you for the prompt reply's;
Second, I had a temporary breakthrough, I pulled the #3 plug out and placed it in the coil pack against a bolt then had my wife turn the car over, it started, sputtered to a start, ran for a second and shocked the hell out of me all at the same time. After that i replaced the plug and it started right up, i had her shut it off and restart it several times to ensure it was working. I drove it to Autozone to pick up some new coil packs and back home, where after i had shut it off it refused to start yet again. I did everything mentioned in my Haynes repair manual as far as spark plug removal and installation. One thing i did remove temporarily is some sort of component near the last coil pack (top, far right)
i will try and upload an image of what i am talking about. I removed it to better access the spark plug directly underneath, and as soon as i replaced it i put this unknown component back together. Im officially stumped on this issue.

dead2day

[coupe240sxguy]

that is ur iacv or idle air control valve. plug the plug in make sure it clicks... if for what ever reason u removed it replace the gasket... this thing sounds like the symptoms that u are giving... check it out. it may be a simple fix...

welcome to nico

[loystock]

That's the Evap Canister Purge Control Solenoid Valve. It's used to connect/disconnect the intake vacuum to the Eva Canister Purge Control Valve.

Another possibility of your starting issue is with fuel delivery (fuel pump and filter) and leakdown (fuel pressure regulator and rail-injectors).

[coupe240sxguy]

not to familiar with maximas... sorry

[NutriaforBreakfast]

Maybe the throttle postion sensor is not working?

[dead2day]

So, I finally figured it out guys.

I have been having issues with my belts being shredded after only a few months of being installed. Come to find out that my harmonic balancer was shot. The belt track on it was sliding back on the rubber underneath it and shredding my belts. This was one issue I spent 200 bucks on and replaced the balancer; but my car still would not start. What was happening was the back of the pulley was wearing a hole in the crankshaft position sensor and shorting it out. once i spent 60 bucks on that tiny part she fired perfectly every time. YAY!




I want to thank ya'll for helping me through this nightmare. I will definatly be back upon the next issue. Thanks again.

Cody (dead2day)

[loystock]

Great job! You're one of the few members who reply back as to how they fixed the problem. Drop by anytime you need us.

[adqda]

is this relevant to my 1996 i30 infiniti ?

i found out that the Harmonic Balancer did the exact same thing, the large grooved pulley that turns the AC and Generator slid over the PS belt.. but BOTH belts partially broke a short distance from my house

I stopped the car immediately 'cause i felt the power steering go away and immediately thought that the water pump would stop working thinking that it was connected to the PS belt like it was in a Tercel i owned a couple of years ago, but its not .eitherways , i removed both broken belts and tried to start the car to get it to my garage and it didnt start

I was unaware that the Harmonic Balancer was made from 2 pulleys joined by rubber (should it be one solid metal piece or is the OEM 2 pulleys in 1 with rubber in between) eitherways .. I moved the larger pulley to its original position and haven't placed the new belts yet..

obviously Ill replace the crankshaft pulley and the belts but the car wont start ..

and I actually have a doubt as to whether the crankshaft pulley and harmonic balancer are the same thing or two different things..

AND .. is there a crankshaft seal that I should replace to prevent oil leakage? just to take advantage of the fact that the balancer is going to be replaced..