2012 Versa startimg problem in hot weather/hazard light not working

The Nissan Versa Tech Discussion forum is the place to discuss Versa performance modifications and maintenance.
jamesm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:45 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Versa

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I have two problems with the 2012 Versa. The first one I found out yesterday and apparently it has been doing it for a while, was that in the cold weather it would start normally, but in hot weather the Versa would take a few seconds to finally start, so it'll crank for some seconds, then finally turn on. After getting it started, I shut it off and waited for a few seconds and turn it back on, it started out fine. Also, it'll start fine in the morning because it is cooler than in noon, so if the car is left for a long time (8+ hrs) in a hot day and try to start it, it'll crank for a few second before starting. Prior to finding out about this problem I had already replaced all 4 coils, spark plugs, air filter, cabin filter, and the battery.

The second problem I have is the hazard lights. I got in the car, press the hazard switch, but it won't come on, no clicking, no arrows on dash, even went out of the car to check and there still wasn't no lights flashing. I tried the turn signals and both work fine. I tried locating the fuse, but none of the box has the name for the hazard lights.


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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8450
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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The first thing I'd try is an IAVL procedure. If the car has never had one in 10 years, then the MAF could be reading low just from old age. An under-indicating MAF can make a warm engine too lean to start. If that doesn't help, the next most likely culprit would be your crank sensor.

The hazards and turn signals run off shared internal relay circuits inside the BCM. The BCM simply drives both circuits at once when the hazards are on. So if the turn signals work, the only possible culprits are the Hazard Switch, switch wiring, or a blown switch input to the BCM. You can see the setup here on page EXL-35:
https://www.nicoclub.com/service-manual ... %2FEXL.pdf

jamesm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:45 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Versa

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Thanks I'll give those a try. I also found more information. The problem started in 2018 and how it started was when my wife and her family went to visit her cousin. It is a 1-2hrs drive and they took her car. When they were coming back home she put gas in the car first and her dad is the one that was driving the car. Their first stop coming back was her parents house. While driving back her dad said that her car is running on electricity. I do not know what he means by that and she does not either. They got to get parents house and she stayed there a bit and when she finally was ready to come back home she started her car but it would not start. They changed the battery and my wife told me that the battery terminals had corrosions on them, but they cleaned it off when they change the battery. Since then it has been acting up like that. When I had to change the battery the second time, I also cleaned off the corrosions, but I put on anti corrosion preventative along with the anti corrosion washers and I been doing visual check on the connection whenever I work on her car and have not seen corrosion since I put those on. I don't know if this information will make a change or not with the problem she has on her car.

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VStar650CL
Technical Expert
Posts: 8450
Joined: Thu Nov 12, 2020 1:25 pm
Car: 2013 Nissan Altima 2.5 SL
2004 Nissan Altima 2.5 S

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You might just have crappy cables or the plating could be shot on the hot lug. People think the OE lugs are expensive but they aren't, you can get one for under $15 at the dealer. Since it's a Versa, one thing you should check immediately is the connection between the ground cable and the transmission housing. For some reason, some genius in Nissan Engineering decided to use a powder-coated bracket for the ground attachment on the Versa instead of an anodized or cad-plated part. As a result, when they corrode a little bit they can start making intermittent contact or causing high resistance. That can cause the goofiest behavior imaginable, especially from the ECM and TCM. If yours looks even a little ugly, take the bracket loose and file or wire-wheel the paint off the contact areas. Even if it doesn't look ugly, "tweak" both bolts to make sure they're making contact.

jamesm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:45 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Versa

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I agree with how stupid Nissan engineers design their vehicle and every time i need to work on the versa I hated it but no screws was loose when i check the ground cable and i even sand/clean down the bolts, the body paint, and the lugs but it didn't work. I'm planning to replace the terminals along with the whole ground cable (connecting from battery to transmission) because when i took the cable out to sand/clean i saw some small spots of corrosions on the wire where the lug is.

jamesm
Posts: 7
Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2017 5:45 pm
Car: 2012 Nissan Versa

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Did the IAVL, change ground cable, change MAF and crank sensor and even did IAVL after changing sensors, but still hard start. Any suggestions?

2019Versafan
Posts: 79
Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2019 10:37 am
Car: 2019 Versa S

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How many miles are on your Versa? Have the spark plugs ever been changed? If the spark plugs haven't been changed, I would change them. Also, check the condition of the old spark plugs. That might also shed light on the problem. I would also check all of the engine wring connections for dirt build up or corrosion. Check all of the engine wiring to make sure that none of the wiring is cracked or frayed in any way. Maybe the soark plug wiring might also need to be changed since your car is now 10 years old.


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