I live in Denver and I have had a problem starting my pathfinder when im in the mountains at high elevation. I will turn the key, no clicking happens and the engine tries to start up but it won't turn over. After being stuck in the mountains and talking to AAA and an Explorer owner, they both said the solution seemed to be to hold the gas pedal down while cranking the car for about 20seconds and it starts up. This has been a fix for the past two years but now at the lower elevation of 5,200 feet in Denver it is starting to happen down here. It seems to only happen in the winter and doesn't happen all the time. I have called various dealerships and no one has a guess besides new plugs, which my plugs are new my coil packs weren't replaced but i was told they were in fine shape. I am thinking i might be losing pressure in a hose or maybe i should step my gas up from 85 octane even though it should be ok since im usually driving above 5,000 ft??
any suggestions at all would be great...im stuck here and no one seems be able to help..thanks!
steve.
98 pathfinder trouble starting at elevation
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coloradopathy
- Posts: 4
- Joined: Mon Oct 29, 2007 6:15 am
- Car: 2000 Nissan Pathfinder LE R50
Re: 98 pathfinder trouble starting at elevation (pisti)
Steve,
I had the same exact problem in my 97' Qx4 and really got pissed after having to spend the night up at Keystone b/c it wouldn't start.
At first I thought maybe I had water in the tank, so i got me some of that heet but it really didnt help much.
Finally, I took it to the dealer who told me that the mix ratio between the fuel and oxygen needed to be re-adjusted. They did that for me, and I never had a problem again, although I was scared enough that I always started the vehicle at high altitudes fully depressing the gas pedal.
Anyhow, I dont think they charged me a penny for it, so I would take it in.
I had the same exact problem in my 97' Qx4 and really got pissed after having to spend the night up at Keystone b/c it wouldn't start.
At first I thought maybe I had water in the tank, so i got me some of that heet but it really didnt help much.
Finally, I took it to the dealer who told me that the mix ratio between the fuel and oxygen needed to be re-adjusted. They did that for me, and I never had a problem again, although I was scared enough that I always started the vehicle at high altitudes fully depressing the gas pedal.
Anyhow, I dont think they charged me a penny for it, so I would take it in.
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CakeDaddy
- Posts: 1107
- Joined: Tue Mar 21, 2006 6:58 am
- Car: Y34,Pathfinder SE, Mercedes CLK500AMG Sport Pkg & A Fleet of Premium Avis Rental Cars
Re: 98 pathfinder trouble starting at elevation (pisti)
Me and some friends got stuck in Taos NM with the same exact issue. We drove up from Albuquerque. Some old local fella suggest we disconnect the battery cable for 10 minutes and reconnect it. It worked, but you may have a different issue. I just thought I'd share that.pisti wrote:I live in Denver and I have had a problem starting my pathfinder when im in the mountains at high elevation. I will turn the key, no clicking happens and the engine tries to start up but it won't turn over. After being stuck in the mountains and talking to AAA and an Explorer owner, they both said the solution seemed to be to hold the gas pedal down while cranking the car for about 20seconds and it starts up. This has been a fix for the past two years but now at the lower elevation of 5,200 feet in Denver it is starting to happen down here. It seems to only happen in the winter and doesn't happen all the time. I have called various dealerships and no one has a guess besides new plugs, which my plugs are new my coil packs weren't replaced but i was told they were in fine shape. I am thinking i might be losing pressure in a hose or maybe i should step my gas up from 85 octane even though it should be ok since im usually driving above 5,000 ft??
any suggestions at all would be great...im stuck here and no one seems be able to help..thanks!
steve.
Starting a Nissan Pathfinder in the winter at higher elevation.
I have a 97 Pathfinder and live in Boulder, Colorado. Have had this issue several times over the years. Always at higher elevations. Always in the winter. Here's what the local Nissan and AAA have recommended, and it has worked for me:
(1) If you can remember before starting the car after a day of skiing, hold the pedal to the floor for a second then start the car. Slowly release the pedal as the car starts up. If you forget to do this after your vehicle has been sitting for some time at 7,500+ elevation in the winter, this is when you're gonna get yourself in trouble.
(2) If the first step doesn't work, find the Fuel Pump fuse and pull it out. In my car, this fuse is located behind the change drawer to the left of the steering wheel. FYI: You do have to physically remove your change tray to access the fuses. Find the Fuel Pump fuse. Pull it. Then try step (1) again. This has worked for me three out of three times now. Once the car has started, put the fuse and change tray back in.
Best of luck!
(1) If you can remember before starting the car after a day of skiing, hold the pedal to the floor for a second then start the car. Slowly release the pedal as the car starts up. If you forget to do this after your vehicle has been sitting for some time at 7,500+ elevation in the winter, this is when you're gonna get yourself in trouble.
(2) If the first step doesn't work, find the Fuel Pump fuse and pull it out. In my car, this fuse is located behind the change drawer to the left of the steering wheel. FYI: You do have to physically remove your change tray to access the fuses. Find the Fuel Pump fuse. Pull it. Then try step (1) again. This has worked for me three out of three times now. Once the car has started, put the fuse and change tray back in.
Best of luck!
Re: 98 pathfinder trouble starting at elevation (pisti)
my 96 dosethe same thing . if u give it gas on start up your fine , but if u let it die u have to hold the pedal down and after 15-20 secs of cranking it will start. its almost like the injector is bleeding down and flooding out the motor? its wierd but ive learnd to deal. i would love to cure the problem tho.
Re: 98 pathfinder trouble starting at elevation
I know this thread has been dead for a while but I found this thread to be extremely helpful after having experiencing this incident first hand today. ( I live in Denver as well.)
I had the exact same issue. A few days ago i went skiing in Loveland Ski Resort, CO and after a day of skiing went back to my car and it wouldnt start. I was stuck there for about 3 hours in freezing temperatures with no where to go. A miracle happened and I was finally able to start my car after 3 hours of sitting in the 10-20 degree weather. Drove home okay and started up fine in Denver. Couple days later I decide to try my luck in the mountains again. Went skiing for the day and then was trying to go home. Started the car for about 2 secs and it died. After that I was able to crank it but was not able to turn the motor.(did not hold down the gas pedal). Tried again by pumping the gas pedal and flooded the motor. After talking to a mechanic who happened to be skiing in the area, he told me to unplug the fuel pump fuse because the motor may have been flooded from trying to start it. I did that it, and it worked for about 5 secs. Plug the fuse back in and it wouldnt start. So I went back and unplugged it and started the engine about 2-5 times with the fuse unplugged. Plugged the fuse back in and waited for 5 minutes and started it. Next time I get back from a day of skiing Im going to try and hold down the pedal before I start it and see if i have better luck. Although having to remember to hold down the gas pedal before I turn the key is going to be hard. Definitely a pain in the A** if you forget to depress the pedal before a cold start in the mountains. Also I'll try to unplug the battery before I go skiing and plugging it back in when I get done and seeing if this will reset air fuel ratio so i dont have to keep depressing the pedal.
P.S my fuel pump fuse was next to the battery and pretty simple to remove and install.
I had the exact same issue. A few days ago i went skiing in Loveland Ski Resort, CO and after a day of skiing went back to my car and it wouldnt start. I was stuck there for about 3 hours in freezing temperatures with no where to go. A miracle happened and I was finally able to start my car after 3 hours of sitting in the 10-20 degree weather. Drove home okay and started up fine in Denver. Couple days later I decide to try my luck in the mountains again. Went skiing for the day and then was trying to go home. Started the car for about 2 secs and it died. After that I was able to crank it but was not able to turn the motor.(did not hold down the gas pedal). Tried again by pumping the gas pedal and flooded the motor. After talking to a mechanic who happened to be skiing in the area, he told me to unplug the fuel pump fuse because the motor may have been flooded from trying to start it. I did that it, and it worked for about 5 secs. Plug the fuse back in and it wouldnt start. So I went back and unplugged it and started the engine about 2-5 times with the fuse unplugged. Plugged the fuse back in and waited for 5 minutes and started it. Next time I get back from a day of skiing Im going to try and hold down the pedal before I start it and see if i have better luck. Although having to remember to hold down the gas pedal before I turn the key is going to be hard. Definitely a pain in the A** if you forget to depress the pedal before a cold start in the mountains. Also I'll try to unplug the battery before I go skiing and plugging it back in when I get done and seeing if this will reset air fuel ratio so i dont have to keep depressing the pedal.
P.S my fuel pump fuse was next to the battery and pretty simple to remove and install.