J30 stalls/floods on start up

[Mike Miller]

I've read about holding the petal to the floor while cranking, and that eventually works. However, does anyone know what causes this and is there anything I can do/fix to keep it from happening again. It only does it infrequently but a pain when it does. Car is a 93 with 50K miles on it. Same plugs! Any help will be appreciated.

[VimyJ]

You could be flooding the engine if you start the engine and run it only for some seconds (such as moving the car in the driveway). The flooding can occur when the motor is cold but not so much if the engine is still warm. 97.5 J's had a little tweak added to stop that idiosyncracy. Just run the car for a bit after a cold start before you switch it off and you shouldn't be troubled. Also, make sure you're not depressing the accelerator during your normal starts.

[VimyJ]

BTW, is it really your mom's car?

Reading your post again I see that you are coming up on your scheduled timing belt change. Do a search on that topic bearing in mind that your mom's car is ten years old. Plugs might be OK. They're good for 100k but age considerations do come into play.

[Mike Miller]

Thanks, don't know where the mom's car came from, it is my wife's. The stall/flood always happens when the car is cold. I do not touch the accelerator and the engine just dies on it's own, without being moved. The tweek you mentioned; do you know what it was and could I get it done on my 93 J30T? I plan to do belts, hoses, timing belt, bearing at 55K. Thanks for the help. We love the car and plan to keep it awhile. White with black interior and it still looks sharp. MIKE

[VimyJ]

Thanks, don't know where the mom's car came from, it is my wife's. The stall/flood always happens when the car is cold. I do not touch the accelerator and the engine just dies on it's own, without being moved. The tweek you mentioned; do you know what it was and could I get it done on my 93 J30T? I plan to do belts, hoses, timing belt, bearing at 55K. Thanks for the help. We love the car and plan to keep it awhile. White with black interior and it still looks sharp. MIKE

I'm just having a little fun with the "Drivng mom's car". It is related to the post counter. A few more posts and you'll have a shiny new set of hubcaps.

I don't think the "tweak" will help you. Your problem sounds like something else. Fuel filter perhaps? Hopefully, others will chime in now that this doesn't seem to be a "normal" problem.

I don't know if you need to replace any main bearings. Are you refering to something else perhaps? If you've been reading up on the related posts you know the VG30DE engine is a relatively common Nissan product so going to an Infiniti dealer isn't necessary. Independent shops can perform the time belt related service for less.

[Eswift]

hmmm...hate to say it, but one of the times i had fuel injector failures, it flooded like you said before the injector totally died.

you could check the resistance of your injectors to see if any are out of spec to rule this out...

[VimyJ]

I didn't want to be too pessimistic.

Please, don't be offended by the avatar. I am against certain actions presently occuring in the world and according to a precedent set by a moderator this is perrmissable use of the avatar I guess.

[Mike Miller]

Thanks to all. When I take it in I'll have the injectors checked. The bearing I was referring to is the tension<?> one that the timing belt goes around. I had a pathfinder that I replaced the timing belt on but left the tension bearing untouched so guess what failed. Thanks!

[VimyJ]

Thanks to all. When I take it in I'll have the injectors checked. The bearing I was referring to is the tension<?> one that the timing belt goes around. I had a pathfinder that I replaced the timing belt on but left the tension bearing untouched so guess what failed. Thanks!

Yep. Standard R&R of the idler pulley. Think about thermostat and water pump, too. It would seem, on the face of it, a bit early under "normal" circumstances but the age of the car is a factor and replacement can be done along with the other things. Cam seals are right there too. After 94, the timing belt life was increased to 105k with a kevlar reinforced belt. Your replacement will be the new type.

Do a search on transmission preventitve maintenance as well.

[Mike Miller]

Will do and thanks again! Mike

[Mike Miller]

One of my neighbors mentioned that this stall/flood problem could be related to the cold start valve. Does the J30 have one?

[VimyJ]

One of my neighbors mentioned that this stall/flood problem could be related to the cold start valve. Does the J30 have one?

I don't know about a cold start valve but as eswift mentioned the more likely culpirt is an injector. Do you have smoke from the exhaust upon start up?

A good fallback position for J30 owners is that the VG30DE is a well known Nissan engine so dealerships are handier than for Q owners for instance. This engine is also used in the pathfinder and 300ZX.

You can find good info about this motor on various 300ZX sites. Let us know how things go.

[Mike Miller]

A lot of smoke so I'll get the injectors checked. THANKS and I'll keep you posted!

[DAEDALUS]

If the injector is clogged in the open position, you won't be able to tell by doing a resistance check. Usually when the injectors fail the resistance check, they fail closed. As far as I know, the only way to check for leaks is to actually pull the fuel rail up out of the intake, pressurize the system, and look for anything dripping fuel.

[Mike Miller]

Got it and thanks!

[Q45tech]

Pressurized the rail and squeeze shut the return line.......look for pressure drops over time to check for leaks....easier than pulling rail out. Watch out as too a point the pressure can turn the fuel pump backwards if the pump check valve is not working ........should hold at least 20 psi after 15 -20 minutes.