I could not find a similar situation as mine in this forum; so, I throw this out there for your seasoned input. I have a 2011 Nissan Rogue that suddenly would not start one morning after working totally fine the evening before. Thinking it was a battery issue, I recharged the battery; it still would not start. My OBD2 reader revealed a P0101 code (MAF sensor performance issue). I finally was able to jump it, but it drove in "limp mode." My mechanic friend and I cleaned both the MAF sensor and the throttle body; both were quite dirty. The car ran fine that evening, but would not start again the next morning, even though the battery is fully charging and the alternator is fine. It was fairly cold outside both mornings—below 40 degrees. The car started when it became warmer; so, I put the car in the shop. The car had "stage fright" and would not malfunction there (though, the P0101 code remained)! So, at home I cleaned the MAF sensor again and put a new air filter in it; the old one was quite dirty. I changed out the spark plugs (two of them did not look real great) and made sure the PCV valve was working properly. There was a very small crack in the rubber boot (snorkel) going from the air filter to the throttle body; so, I took that off and repaired it with some gasket sealer. I could not find any other hose cracks or vacuum leaks; though, I could have missed one. I reset the MAF sensor, did a Pedal Release Position relearn, a Throttle Valve Closed Position relearn, and an Air Intake Volume relearn. The car ran great for a few days. However, it would not start again on successive cold mornings (about 32 degrees outside) until it became warmer in the day. I drove it down the road; but it was initially still sluggish—not in limp mode like before, but acting like it might go into that at times. The engine light came back on and the MAF sensor codes (P0101 and P0101 pending) came back on. I put it back in the shop and they did the following: 1) replaced the MAF sensor with an aftermarket sensor; 2) replaced coolant temperature sensor (has normal readings); 3) switched out the IPDM module from another 2011 Rogue to see if that was the problem (not the problem); 4) checked the crankshaft sensor; (normal); 5) made sure the injector fuse and relay were working (normal); 6) checked the wiring to the fuel injectors. It was discovered that there was no injector pulse at the injectors—both before and after the MAF sensor was replaced and the IPDM was switched out. Both of these original parts were, therefore, put back in the engine. But, they could not determine why fuel will not fire through the injectors and start the car only when it is cold. They are thinking it could be a short somewhere in the wiring harness. $450 later and it still does not work! Conclusion: the car continues to show a P0101 code and there is no injector pulse when it is cold. The car will often start up after a few or many more cranks; sometimes it will not start until it is warm. When it starts, it sometimes initially drives in limp mode, requiring it to be turned off, restarted, and driven for about 10 minutes or so. Once the car warms up it typically drives fine for the day, sometimes with the engine light coming back on (P0101) and sometimes not. It usually will not start again on a subsequent cold day. Any ideas, gentlemen?

One more thing: the mechanic also determined that the fuel pressure during start up was also normal.

Your no-start condition is probably from a bad cam sensor (CMP). Nissan ECM's pretty much universally get spark timing from the crank sensor (CKP) and injector timing from the CMP. The ECM's also aren't very good at detecting a "lying" CKP or CMP, only a flatlined one. So it isn't unusual for a dying sensor to cause a no-start with no relevant codes, because the sensor is working half-a$$ but isn't dead yet. The ECM gets confused and starts firing things at the wrong time.

The P0101 is a different matter, it can't cause a no-start and it isn't from a bad MAF. AutoZone and O'Reilly make a $gazillion every year selling people MAF's they don't need because of the DTC description, but it's actually a catchall code for anything wrong in the induction that the ECM can't figure out. The most common causes on a QR25 (probably in order) are small vacuum leaks (particularly cracked intake boots), a dirty Throttle Body, a bad PCV Valve or leak in the PCV plumbing, or a bad A/F (front O2) sensor. Make sure that repair you made to the boot is holding and that there aren't any other cracks. Boot leaks are particularly insidious because they tend to open and close as the engine rocks in the mounts on accel and decel, making the MAF reading squirrely and confusing the ECM.

Thanks, VStar. I decided to go ahead and put the car into a local shop that two friends recommended that miraculously came up with an opening to squeeze me in. I gave the head mechanic the link to this thread which describes the problem and your commentary. He confirmed a failing CMP could very well be the underlying issue and said his mechanics would test for that from the start. I will let you know what comes from it. Thanks for your seasoned insights.

After being in the shop for an entire week, my local mechanic was not able to figure out the problem. Thankfully, he did not charge me anything for their analysis. The mechanic observed that the battery was smaller than its holding compartment; so, even though the other battery was only 1 ½ years old, I went ahead and replaced it, as I had noticed a lower level of distilled water in the cells and what appeared to be some spillage from it. Our family needed two cars last weekend; so, I had to take the Rogue out of the shop. It has been driving fine all week until today.

The car started right up this morning with an outside temperature of 65 degrees. But, the temperature has been steadily dropping ever since then. About 30 minutes ago, my wife came to a stop sign, and the car totally went into "limp mode" when she tried to turn; the temperature had dropped 15 degrees down to 50. That is totally dangerous and is one of the first times we have ever lost power like this when actually driving.

Undoubtedly, the issue with our car is related to the cold weather. The OBD2 reader is still showing P0101 (MAF sensor) and P0300 (cylinder misfire) codes. I am going to take it back in the shop Monday; but, next week the temps are going back up to highs in the mid-60's and on to low-80's by this weekend. Like the week in the shop; the car will likely not act up with these higher temperatures. Does anyone have any clue as to why colder temperature would stop the fuel injectors from firing, causing the car to go into limp mode?

I said back at the top that a P0101 won't disable the car and your most likely culprits (yes, often temperature related) are the CMP and CKP, in that order. Change them. If that doesn't help, then start exploring mystery stuff.

Change the camshaft sensor.
I changed my daughters 2009 Rogue just a month ago.
It is right there on top of the engine. You have to remove the air intake to access it.
15-20 minutes to change.=, nothing to lose. I believe it was about $80.

Rockhoundrob wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 07, 2023 4:10 pm

Change the camshaft sensor.
I changed my daughters 2009 Rogue just a month ago.
It is right there on top of the engine. You have to remove the air intake to access it.
15-20 minutes to change.=, nothing to lose. I believe it was about $80.

+1

OK. I will give changing the camshaft sensor a try and see what comes of it.

I changed out the CMP and it did not change anything. I still have a P0300 misfire code and the P0101 MAF code. Following the CMP replacement, the car still did not start the other day when it was quite cold in the morning and only finally did after a number of attempts as it became warmer in the day. It did act a little sluggish of couple of times at stops (for only a second or so) when I drove it around for about 15 minutes after installing the new CMP. I also called a third local mechanic. After this guy relayed all of the info I gave him to his boss, he told me it is likely a bad ECM. It seems like a drastic (expensive) step to replace this at this point. Any thoughts as to which direction I should proceed now?

Oh, and I saw a number of 2nd-hand OEM ECMs for this particulate model on eBay for as low as $32 and as high as $265. This is way below the cost of a new ECM (OEM) bought at the dealer or elsewhere online--$850 to $1,250! Do you guys have any hesitations about buying an ECM from someone with a good reputation on eBay, especially if the car it was pulled from was totaled without the engine compartment suffering damage in any way? Thanks.

I'd try a CKP first. Nothing wrong with a used ECM as long as the Hitachi part number matches, but be aware that it isn't plug-and-play. It may not have the right program, will definitely need the keys re-registered, and should have the VIN programmed and an IAVL/CTPL performed after installation.

So, my local mechanic basically ruled out a bad CKP, but still could not find the problem. Another highly recommended mechanic told us we should just take the car to the local Nissan dealership and pay for them to troubleshoot the problem as they have more specific experience with Nissans and better diagnostic tools. We did that, and their mechanic (who has seen issues like this before) believed the problem resides in the ECM, as all the sensors, fuel injectors, and everything else that seems under consideration is controlled by it. Nissan said their mechanic confirmed this by taking the ECM out and placing it into a freezer for an hour and then reinstalling it in the engine. It totally would not work. Thus, in reduplicating the temperature issue and isolating it to the stand alone ECM unit, Nissan says that replacing it will definitely solve the problem.

Does this sound reasonable to you guys? The Nissan service department seems pretty confident that this will work (at the tune of $1,600 for parts and labor in addition to the diagnostic cost of $150!). Of course, I will go the used route, if I replace it, as I have found two ECMs with the exact same part # for well below $200 each on eBay.

I've seen broken solder joints in ECU's cause temperature-related issues like that in the past, so yes, it's a very reasonable hypothesis. The freezer test is a good one and pretty conclusive.

Vis a used ECM, be aware that it may have the same Hitachi part number but be programmed with completely different firmware. So it won't be plug-and-play, it will definitely need the keys re-registered, the VIN changed, and an IAVL/CTPL, and may also need a firmware reflash.

Thanks, VStar, for confirming the freezer test; two of the mechanics that were working on the car had not thought of this before. The Nissan dealership service shop gave me the Nissan part number I need for my Rogue (237101VK0B) and told me they can reprogram a 2nd hand ECM with this part number--even if its VIN is still associated with another vehicle. So, I have found one for a little over $100 on eBay that has this exact part number on a sticker on the actual part. I am not sure what you mean by the Hitachi part number. Is that different from the Nissan part number above? Or, am I correct to assume that, if they both have this exact Nissan part number, they are compatible?

One last question remains regarding this whole matter: the eBay seller uploaded pictures of the car from which they they pulled this ECM. Another picture shows the VIN on the sticker on the actual part. I put this VIN in the system on a website (below) that sells OEM Nissan parts. The description that comes up is exactly the same in every respect as the one that comes up when I enter the VIN on my car. It indicates that the same part works for both vehicles. But, the seller lists in the description of the ECM he is selling that it was pulled from a 2.5L, 4-cyl. 2011 Nissan Rogue with FWD (assumed to be "front-wheel drive"), even though the description associated with the VIN (on the website below) says his car is a "rear-wheel drive" vehicle; mine is rear-wheel drive. If everything else is compatible between the ECMs, would this slight difference in the drive train (FWD vs. RWD) make the ECM he is selling incompatible with my car? I could not find this answer anywhere else online. If this 2nd hand ECM does not end up working when the Nissan mechanic installs it, I will still have to pay almost $300 for labor and programming costs there and do so the second time around when I purchase the more expensive new part from them. I am trying to make sure I get this purchase right from the beginning.

Thanks for your timely assistance. I am hoping to buy the part and get it shipped as soon as possible, so that I will not incur any charges for the Nissan dealership to hold my vehicle while I await this 2nd-hand part.

https://www.nissanpartsdeal.com/page_pr ... rol_module

Nissan ECM's almost never have a Nissan p/n on the outside. This is a pic from a Nissan ECM being sold on eBay with that same p/n, 23710-1VK0B:

The MEC112-051 is the Hitachi p/n, and it's usually the only identification on the outside of a Nissan ECM. The actual function is determined by the firmware it's programmed with, and that can only be determined by a scanner upload. There will also be a parts catalog number assigned to it by Nissan, and that's what 23710-1VK0B is. If the one you're looking at on eBay has that p/n on the outside, it will be a second, separate sticker and somewhat unusual. It still won't tell you what firmware it needs to be programmed with, and since the VIN shows a discrepancy with your drive type, the used unit almost certainly has the wrong firmware. What the dealership will do is treat the used unit as if it's new and blank, so they can overwrite the existing firmware with the correct type pulled from the Nissan FAST database.

With more research I learned that the 2011 Rogue only comes in either front or all-wheel drive. And, Carfax VIN checks on the seller's car and my car indicate they are both FWDs. I am not sure what is up with the other (erroneous) website that lists them both as RWD cars. So, apart from the Hitachi/Nissan part number issue, I can see no reason why this eBay ECM would not be compatible.

There's no real issue as long as the Hitachi number matches. The reprogramming will take care of everything else. If the Hitachi number is a mismatch, that's probably trouble.