HELP my J30 won't start

[DominickJ30]

Well I just went to start my J and it's pretty cold outside(sunday night it was about 5 degrees outside). It started fine and I drove to the gas station to fill up my tires. I then came home and shut the car down. So I go to start it a little later and it starts up but then rapidly the RPM drops to about 200 and my car sputters for a second and dies. Now it won't start. I just checked the battery and the started it working fine. The starter turns but the engine just will not fire up. I ohmed out all the plugs, injectors and coils. The Injectors read a steady 10.4-10.7 on all injectors. The plugs were 4.6-5 k ohms on all plugs. And the coils were all .8-1 ohm. I am replacing the spark plugs tommorow(since they have probably never been replaces and the car has 100000 miles now) Anyone think it might be the Ignition Control Module? I have read a few topics which suggest that the engine might be flooded, however I tried to start the car while depressing the accelerator padal fully and it did not budge. Sorry for the long post but any help will be much appreciated.

[DAEDALUS]

Flooded would have been my guess. When you say you ohmed the plugs, I assume you mean the plug wires? This is more likely a systemic problem. The car would still run if a single plug or wire or injector was bad. It could be the ICM. Spend a few minutes wiggling harness connections.

[DominickJ30]

No I ohmed the actual spark plugs. Should I check the wires too? Which harness would you suggest I wiggle?>

[DAEDALUS]

Ah, you mean you actually have the plugs out already! (Makes sense, since you don't have any plug wires upon further thought. ) Are they original? How do they look? Try wiggling the MAF harness and the harnesses going to and from the ignition modules. Check all the fuses. Also, do you hear the fuel pump priming when you turn the key?

[DominickJ30]

Yes they appear to be the original NGK plugs. They all look decent for being 16 years old. However one of them(number 2 cylinder) had some minor carbon build up on and around the threads. The connector to the ignition coil(number 2 cylinder) also seemed to be a little looser than all the others. All of the plugs smelled like fuel, are they supposed to? I did check the injector and fuel pump fuses. Tomorow I will replace the plugs and try to somehow clear the fuel pressure. Do you think the engine will start without the injector fuse in?

BTW thanks for all your help so far.
Modified by DominickJ30 at 12:19 AM 1/19/2005

[DAEDALUS]

It'll fire up briefly if it's flooded, but holding the gas pedal down should have done the same thing. The gasoline smell isn't alarming, but if they were wet with gas I'd say it was (still) flooded. Listening to the fuel pump was just to ensure it's working, though it may be bad regardless. Is the timing belt original? I thought the '93s had 60k belts?

[DominickJ30]

They do. I replaced it as soon as I got the car(88000) It looked like it was brand new but I did it just to be on the safe side.

[driverdriver]

If your getting a fair amount of yo-yoing on the RPM's your base idle may have to be adjusted for the weather. Most Infiniti dealers will do this for free or for a small charge. Also check your MAF.

[DominickJ30]

The car does not start at all.

[driverdriver]

Does it turn over? Do the headlights work?

[DominickJ30]

Yes the started and battery are fine. I just picked up some new plugs and I will put them in tonight. Ill let you guys know what's up from there.

Thanks for the help.

Are Autolite double platinum plugs acceptable to use on the J?
Modified by DominickJ30 at 11:03 AM 1/19/2005

[ScottJackson]

before you foul up the new plugs... stick one plug in a coil and hold the unit so that the end of the plug (ground strap) is touching something metal. Have a friend crank the motor over and see if it's sparking. If you don't have a friend and don't mind a jolt, you can stil an insulated wire up in the coil where the spark plug goes. Strip the wire a half inch or so on both ends before shoving the one end firmly up where the plug goes. Now with a light glove on (no glove if you really want to feel the juice) grasp the other end of wire with your left hand and with your right hand, crank the motor. I've done this to test for ignition when no one's around and haven't died, but if it harms/kills you, I'm not to be held responsible If you aren't getting spark or electrocuted, you have an ignition problem that needs addressing before the coils.

[metaverse3]

Scott Jackson gave the advice I was about type up.. Try the exact thing he recommended..extremely basic. Pull the relay box and check the ECCS relay..should be green in color. also check the fuel pump relay usually brown or orange... This is similar to an old school problem on nissan maxima's where the relay's get stuck closed on the ECCS/Fuel pump side and just crank/flood the engine. Check these out and post back with results..

[driverdriver]

You can test them using the auotlite plug, but I really recommend you get the OEM Nissan sparkplugs as a permanent solution. There are numerous threads on the board documenting all the problems created by non-OEM Nissan plugs.

[DominickJ30]

before you foul up the new plugs... stick one plug in a coil and hold the unit so that the end of the plug (ground strap) is touching something metal. Have a friend crank the motor over and see if it's sparking. If you don't have a friend and don't mind a jolt, you can stil an insulated wire up in the coil where the spark plug goes. Strip the wire a half inch or so on both ends before shoving the one end firmly up where the plug goes. Now with a light glove on (no glove if you really want to feel the juice) grasp the other end of wire with your left hand and with your right hand, crank the motor. I've done this to test for ignition when no one's around and haven't died, but if it harms/kills you, I'm not to be held responsible If you aren't getting spark or electrocuted, you have an ignition problem that needs addressing before the coils.

I did this, alone. I could see the engine from my seat. Ive checked all the coils for spark and they all work. However 2 of the 6 showed a weaker looking spark than the others. I ohmed the coils primary side, and it read .8-1 ohm on all(within specs) How do I check the secondary side of the coil? I am replacing the plugs anyway (100000 mile tune up).

Scott Jackson gave the advice I was about type up.. Try the exact thing he recommended..extremely basic. Pull the relay box and check the ECCS relay..should be green in color. also check the fuel pump relay usually brown or orange... This is similar to an old school problem on nissan maxima's where the relay's get stuck closed on the ECCS/Fuel pump side and just crank/flood the engine. Check these out and post back with results..

Where is the ECCS relay located , in the fuse box? Ive checked the injector and fuel pump fuse and they are not blown. I also listened for the fuel pump when I turned the key on, I can confirm it works.

You can test them using the auotlite plug, but I really recommend you get the OEM Nissan sparkplugs as a permanent solution. There are numerous threads on the board documenting all the problems created by non-OEM Nissan plugs.

I have decided to return the autolite and ordered plugs from my dealer(I am assuming they are NGK)
Modified by DominickJ30 at 8:58 PM 1/19/2005

[DominickJ30]

Where is the ECCS relay located , in the fuse box? Ive checked the injector and fuel pump fuse and they are not blown. I also listened for the fuel pump when I turned the key on, I can confirm it works.

I found it, looks like this will be the last thing I check if all else fails. I might have to take apart the whole dash to get to the relay.

[DominickJ30]

TRUIMPH> I finally got her started. It seems as if she was flooded. I changed the spark plugs anyway. They cost about 55 dollars from my dealer(not a bad deal IMO). I had to try it a couple times and had to hook up a bat charger to it but she fired up. I got her sitting in the garage warming up now waiting for a test drive. What I had to do was simply take out the fuel injector fuse and start the car. It started but then it died out. So I put the fuse back in and tada starts right up and keeps on goin. The alternator belt made a horrible squealing sound(possibly from sitting in the cold for 4 days). So anyway thanks to all those who helped me out, it is very much appreciated.

UPDATE: Car runs beautifully. Do you guys think I should change the oil since the engine was flooded. I pulled my dipstick and it smelled a bit like fuel...
Modified by DominickJ30 at 10:30 AM 1/20/2005

[ScottJackson]

probably should change the oil. If not, at least let it warm up fully and take it for a somewhat longer drive with some loading of the motor (acceleration or uphill) to burn out the fuel from the oil.

[Q451990]

I would change the oil ASAP. I'm sure there was some seepage past the rings into the crank case.

Heath

[DominickJ30]

I changed it right away. I figured that oil with fuel in it is defenitely not a good thing. The only thing that sucks is about 2 hours before the car flooded I just put in 4 quarts of MB1 synthetic and a brand new filter. oh well theres 20 bucks down the drain.