I own a 2003 Nissan Sentra SE-R about 114K miles, auto. The car starts fine if I haven't used it all day or if it's been off for a few hours. However when the car has been warmed up and driven for some time and I turn it off, it has trouble starting if I immediately try to turn it back on. It usually has a hard start that needs long cranking and wont start after first key turn. Sometimes I turn the key and I just get this high pitched screeching noise. Went to a mechanic and he suggested i need a new starter. $200 later and a new starter and its still doing the same damn thing. Any thoughts on what it could be?

It's an SE-R/Spec-V thing lol. Sometimes mine is worse when I use MD gas.

There is a fix for it, and Nissan actually has a TSB for it. You can buy the fuel canister rebuild kit from the dealer (200$ if I remember right). Go there and tell them you want the fuel pump kit that fixes the long crank issue. The kit replaces the faulty check valve in the canister that won't hold pressure.

You can also leave the key on for about 5 seconds before starting the car, that should help.

You don't have any codes do you? Because faulty cam/crank sensors can do the same thing.

06_blkout wrote:It's an SE-R/Spec-V thing lol. Sometimes mine is worse when I use MD gas.

There is a fix for it, and Nissan actually has a TSB for it. You can buy the fuel canister rebuild kit from the dealer (200$ if I remember right). Go there and tell them you want the fuel pump kit that fixes the long crank issue. The kit replaces the faulty check valve in the canister that won't hold pressure.

You can also leave the key on for about 5 seconds before starting the car, that should help.

You don't have any codes do you? Because faulty cam/crank sensors can do the same thing.

yeah i had the long crank problem for a minute. check engine light was on, cant remember the code but it had to do with the crankshaft position sensor. replaced it but every here and there i would still get the long crank. not as bad as before so im not complaining. never thought of doing the fuel canister thing but thanks for the info 06_blkout. I'll try that asap

I dont have any codes on it, I had my crankshaft position sensor replaced a couple years ago. Are you talking about the fuel pressure regulator kit? I'll prob try that as soon as I have enough money

Ok so I finally got around to buying a new fuel pump and I replaced the old one and this seems to have fixed the long crank issue. However sometimes I get this horrible high pitched grinding/screeching noise when I turned my key to start the car. The noise sounds like those high powered drills that nascar pit crew use to change tires on the racers when they pull in for a pit stop. I put a new starter into the car 3 months ago. Any idea what could be causing this? DIY or mechanic fix? Price ranges?

The gear on the starter could be worn and kinda slipping on your flywheel.

I had the starter replaced three months ago

I realize that. Often starters are replaced with remanufactured units (new brushes, contacts, etc), but the gear is often untouched.

Was the issue occurring prior to you replacing the starter?

Yes the noise was occurring before replaced the starter and it still happens now when I haven't started the car in a while. Also i changed my front brakes and rotors two days ago and just today Im hearing this strange clunking/whining noise when the car is moving and I'm not hitting the gas. It stops when I hit the brakes and its coming from the front driver wheel I believe. Any idea what it could be?

I'd check your lug nuts for sure. If they are tight, you'll probably want to jack the car up and rock things around to look for loose fasteners.

Any word about the starter gear?

Nope, sounds like either you have a loose connection that isn't giving the starter enough juice to pop the gear out, or you have a tooth missing on your flywheel.

Bros,

Looong time update but I finally bit the bullet and had the flywheel replaced! You guys were right! It was totally the flywheel that was causing the problem. I bought a brand new one direct from the nissan dealership. I ordered it online and picked it up the next day, it was about $65. The mechanic showed me my original flywheel when I picked the car up and it was not pretty. Starting issue is totally resolved now! Only took me 6 yrs of being embarrassed to start my car to finally get it fixed. Cheers

Haha thanks for following up and giving us the update!