97 Pathfinder Hesitation and hard start

[Chrisbalkissoon]

I know this is long to read but your help would be greatly appreciated Okay I really am at a loss I don't know what to do anymore and I'm hoping someone can help basically my pathfinder got into an accident about 3 months ago it has been sitting for around that long and I have been fixing it up luckily I didn't hit the engine in the accident the only thing I had to replace was the radiator and ac condenser and new bumpers and fenders but basically I thought one day why not change out my fuel filter since the one under the car looks really old and I'm having crappy gas mileage before I changed this the car started up fine no problems and no hesitation while driving so here's what I did I disconnected the fuel pump fuse and disconnected the fuel pump relay under the hood and started the car to relive the pressure so I replaced the fuel filter and plugged back in the relay and the fuse and tried to start the car and it kept cranking but would not start read online that it could be the fuel pump and i went and ordered a new one in the mean time I took out my old one the very next day and just had the car sit there with the gas tank open for like 4 days until the new pump came in and after installing the new pump I went to start the car and for some reason it took a little longer than usual to start up but it started up and it seemed okay now i had ordered a mass air flow adapter to add on a cone filter instead of the big air box and resonator so I put that on and I took it for a drive the next day and while accelerating the car just like lost power it didn't shut off but for some reason the steering wheel locked up and it started slowing down on its own and then booted right back up over the next couple days it just got worse I would come outside in the morning and try and start the car on a cold start and it would crank for a whole minute before it would start and then another time I took it for a drive and the same thing happened it lost power but this time all the lights on the dash came on the abs the air bag basically every light so I just shut off the car and started it back and the second time it started up and I was down the road from my house so I just drove it home and parked it up I was disappointed I'm basically stuck I tried fuel cleaner additive to try and see if that helps but nothing I don't know what to do I tried putting back the old air box but nothing still having the problem please someone help me point me in the right direction with a brand new fuel pump and fuel filter I don't know what it can be

[Rockwood]

You may have put too much oil on your cone filter ( I assume it's the oil type, and now your MAF has oil on it, so clean your MAF. Look for oil on it.

Seems silly, but make sure you have the fuel filter installed correctly. If its backwards, it can cause problems. Videos on you tube will show you how it should look.

Start using periods in your sentences.

[Chrisbalkissoon]

still stuck

[Chrisbalkissoon]

You may have put too much oil on your cone filter ( I assume it's the oil type, and now your MAF has oil on it, so clean your MAF. Look for oil on it.

Seems silly, but make sure you have the fuel filter installed correctly. If its backwards, it can cause problems. Videos on you tube will show you how it should look.

Start using periods in your sentences.

There's no oil involved it's just a regular comes air filter purchased off of eBay it's kinda like a K&N cone air filter

[Rockwood]

Ok, I would go back and check your work to be sure you haven't left a hose loose on the intake or done something that creates a vacuum leak. That will cause hard starting and engine stalls.

Then, if you are cranking and getting a no start, shoot some starting fluid in the intake. If it starts right up that means spark should be ok, and you need to think fuel problem. It will only run for a second or two on starting fluid alone. You can do some short squirts of starting fluid to keep it running for a few seconds.

It seems all your problems appeared with the new fuel filter. They are cheap, so try a new one from the local parts store.

If you are still having problems, you probably need to test fuel pump pressure. Sometimes new parts are no bad out of the box.

It's just a guess from the other side of the internet of course, but this seems like a fuel problem, so the starting fluid should help confirm spark is ok.

[Chrisbalkissoon]

Ok, I would go back and check your work to be sure you haven't left a hose loose on the intake or done something that creates a vacuum leak. That will cause hard starting and engine stalls.

Then, if you are cranking and getting a no start, shoot some starting fluid in the intake. If it starts right up that means spark should be ok, and you need to think fuel problem. It will only run for a second or two on starting fluid alone. You can do some short squirts of starting fluid to keep it running for a few seconds.

It seems all your problems appeared with the new fuel filter. They are cheap, so try a new one from the local parts store.

If you are still having problems, you probably need to test fuel pump pressure. Sometimes new parts are no bad out of the box.

It's just a guess from the other side of the internet of course, but this seems like a fuel problem, so the starting fluid should help confirm spark is ok.

Well I only have problems starting when it's a cold start after I start it then it's good with starting basically when the engine is warm it's starts right up but when it's cold it cranks for a long time and my only thing is that the factory air box has a hose at the top of it but there wasn't no where to add that on to the cone air filter so I just left it there it's a small hose not sure what it's for but I don't think that could cause the problem cause even if I plug the hose with like a screw it still messes up so im not sure what the problem is