2012 Rogue - engine misses

[Tempest8008]

I live in Canada.
It has been VERY cold here for weeks...we're talking regularly -20C or more with the windchill.

Over the last few days we've noticed that the engine, ONLY WHEN COLD, will suffer a quick stutter soon after starting and running for a while. It seems to happen once, then goes away. Just a quick loss of power for a second, then it comes right back.

There are no engine codes.
No warning lights.
Nothing to indicate any serious problem.

But, it's -20C.
I have kids, and my wife is now worried that her car is going to die on her with no notice leaving her stranded in deepest, darkest, coldest Ontario at an inopportune moment. At which point in time she will be attacked by wolves.

We suspect it might just be some water in the gas, but if that was the case the engine being warm wouldn't really make a difference, and it would happen all the time.

Does anyone have any guesses as to what it could be, and/or some troubleshooting steps we could use to try to determine the cause of the blip?

Thanks for your help,

- Daniel

[gobblerman]

Mass air flow sensor (MAF)? They'll act up when really cold though usually would through a code. I do know when they fail the engine will often stall then catch itself or sometimes stall altogether. I have had success just cleaning the wires of the sensor but with special cleaner. I have had similar issues with an idle air control valve. Cleaning that solved the problem as well. These ideas are not based on experience with Nissan motors, just other cars I've had.

[Tempest8008]

Thanks for the reply, Gobblerman.

I was guessing airflow or fuel, but if it were the MAF or IAC valve I'd expect the car to throw up a code.

So here's a Nissan-specific question: Will the computer have a log of this loss of power if no code is in play?

I can get a OBD2 reader, but with no code displayed will there be anything there to read?

[gobblerman]

I'm with you on the MAF sensor, though I know with a mitsubishi I had, the IAC would not trough a code. Before you buy a OBD2 reader, check out the cheap ($12) bluetooth readers on Ebay that speak to your smartphone. You can get an app called Torque (Android, Apple has another version). This will read your codes but better yet you can observe all your sensors and their values. Air flow, O2 values, Catalyst temperatures, fuel flow rates, ect. I've used mine on Toyotas, mazdas, chevys, fords, so im guessing it would work with Nissan, I have yet to try it. The Torque app is free, though I bought the Torque Pro App for $5. So much more info then a standard scan tool and your only out under $20.

[TrevorK]

My Rogue does not stutter, and it experiences much colder weather than yours (northern Alberta). Your behaviour is definitely not normal.

Since you are a 2012, are you within the warranty period still to talk to the dealer? If not, you'll have to try logging the data when the weather is cold enough to make it happen, so it may be difficult to troubleshoot. As someone mentioned, you may need something more than a code reader - you need something to provide you real time reading of your engine sensors and such. This is why a simple OBD2 code reader might not be the best investment, but rather one of those bluetooth modules like the other poster suggested.

The downside is, by the time the code reader comes I assume your cold weather will have disappeared.