2006 M45 Hard Start

[cnick760]

Greetings All Nico Members!

I have gotten oodles of invaluable information from this forum over the years and it's one of the reason I have held on to my m45 as long as I have. They are great cars, with a couple of quirks but probably about the fastest thing you can comfortably put two car seats in the back of!

The problem I am having is a hard start issue that come about in kind of an odd way. The engine cranks, but sounds like a low battery, and then it sputters a bit and starts. The car runs fine once its started and there are no electronics issues so I'm pretty sure it's not the battery. From memory, the car engine light came on and I read the code with Torque and I think it was a misfire code (I say think because I cleared it and that phone has since croaked!) and some posts directed me to check the gas cap and/or it was the winter blend of fuel.

A few weeks/month later I stated getting the SES/SLIP/VDC lights on leading me to believe it was the camshaft sensor (because I had replaced the crankshaft sensor about 1 1/2 year ago). I took the car into a previously trusted mechanic (under duress from the wife, btw) who replaced the brakes (they needed it) and an oil change and was supposed to check the car out. The car came back slow to start so instead of telling him that I saw on the NICO forum that he probably needed to replace the camshaft sensor, I just did it myself.

Now here is the interesting part, I think the car started up without issue when I first replaced the camshaft sensor. I also just replaced the crankshaft sensor again a few days ago with no improvement.

The camshaft sensor was an aftermarket Beck/Arnley so is it a possibility it went bad after a few days? My other thought was that I needed to replace the IVT sensors as well but they are $80 each vs the $20 on the cam/crank sensors, so I'd like to get a reasonable idea if I am headed down the right track on that one.

Thanks to all!

[The00Dustin]

Looks like a duck, walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck... replace your battery.

Once the car is started, the alternator provides power, and a weak battery means the alternator has to work harder (causing more stress/wear). You can get the battery and alternator tested at places like AutoZone, but if the battery is anywhere near 3 years or older, it's almost certainly going. I've only heard of one battery lasting much longer than this in 8.5 years on this forum.

[Larz]

I've come to the realization that whenever anything hinky happens, the first place to look is the battery. I make sure the cables are tight on the terminals and then have the battery tested at the local auto shop. On the two Ms I have owned, 3-4 have had a hinky thing happen and every time it happened, it was battery related.

[cnick760]

Ya know..that was the first thing I thought too!

These cars do eat batteries up pretty quick and my first thought was that the mechanic left the car ignition in the on position...certainly couldn't have been my wife...

I actually just put a new battery in (bosch from pep boys) back in 2015...and come to think of it, it was a replacement for a previous one that had failed...I'll head over there tomorrow!

Thank you gentlemen!

[cnick760]

And..Nicoclub strikes again..it was indeed the duck!!

Battery tested bad cell and got it replaced...I made a mistake and the Infiniti battery was dated Oct 2011..they did give me some $$ credit for a pro-rated warranty..

Thanks again gents!

[MOWellsinVA]

Yup; these cars demand a lot of juice from the battery, and they don't seem to hold up past three years.

Recently, I had a scary incident at night, on the highway, in a pouring rainstorm, when I stupidly ran out of gas. Waiting for the roadside assistance guy to bring me gas, I had the flashers on, of course, and the interior lights on, when the lights started to go dim, really fast! Soon, everything died. I called for police assistance and a kind County cop parked behind me with his blue lines gets flashing to warn off traffic from running into me. Replaced that three-year old battery the next day.