Start-up issues

[TheClevelandSound]

Now that the weather is getting cold, i am being extra careful about my vehicle. But what took me by suprise two days ago was that my car wouldnt start. Im leaving a resturant. I put my keys in the ignition and turn em. The car putters and doesnt start. So i do i again and it starts.

Now everytime i turn on my car it only starts on the second time. Also, i have noticed my MPG is slightly getting lower too. I have an appointment with my dealer at 3:30 today. My step-dad thinks its the alternator and says that the parts in my Versa are prolly american made since the plant was in Mexico.

Any ideas that could be making this happen?

ThanksRK

[BBISHOPPCM]

There is a known issue with the fuel pump that causes your symptoms, but that doesn't explain the poor fuel mileage. This almost looks like a faulty sensor or leaky injector. I'm interested to hear what the diagnosis is! Is your engine light on by any chance?

[TheClevelandSound]

no lights are on at all, and once the car is running, it seems noraml. The MPG thing might just be my imagination. Whenever my gas goes down i get paraniod haha.

Ill keep u guys posted on whats goin down.

[Bubs daddy]

There are so many factors that affect gas mileage, the biggest being the way someone drives the car. Other factors include the many formulas for gasoline, weather, tire pressure, aftermarket modifications, elevation, highway/city and traffic, air conditioning, idling, etc.

[TheClevelandSound]

Yeah im at the dealership now and they said they are gonna put in another fuel gauge. Hopefully that helps.

And as for the MPG, they determined that it is the weather.

We just ahd our first big snow yesterday.

[kc5f]

Hopefully the new fuel (pump?) will fix the starting problem, as it has for others. Mine's still chugging along just fine with the original one.

And as for the drop in mileage, whether it's the weather, change in fuel formulation or just the way we drive when it's cold, there's something to it. I've tracked mileage faithfully over the last 500,000 miles in three cars and can always count on about a 2mpg drop in the winter, to be recovered the next spring.

[Ever Victorious]

Yeah im at the dealership now and they said they are gonna put in another fuel gauge. Hopefully that helps.

I hope they put in another fuel PUMP also, or your original problem won't be fixed.

[TheClevelandSound]

Problem was fixed. New eul pump and feul gauge are in. Works like new. They said the pump was leaking pressure...why would that be? Especially in a brand new vehicle.

[BillyBeaneBall]

Because the pump was faulty to begin with. If I remember correctly that is the exact problem with the fualty pumps...they leak pressure so they won't initially start but when you turn the key again sufficient pressure has built up from the previous attempt it starts normally.

[NewToVersa]

How common is this problem? Seem's most on 07's (75%) and 25% of 08's have it.

[Ever Victorious]

Common enough to have a TSB put out on it, but definitely not the majority.

I didn't have a faulty fuel pump on either V (at least so far... almost 10k on V-Squared now). If it were a REALLY common problem, I would have expected it on at least one of 'em.

[NewToVersa]

What is a TSB?

[alonsorules8]

It what mechanics call a Technical Service Bulletin

[BillyBeaneBall]

Basically it's an official "Houston, we have a problem" by the manufacturer and tells the mechanics how to test for, and deal with a problem...

[NewToVersa]

Then why havent we received a letter by the post? Dear customer go to your local dealer and have your fuel pump changed

[Ever Victorious]

Then why havent we received a letter by the post? Dear customer go to your local dealer and have your fuel pump changed

Letters are only sent to owners for RECALLS. A recall is where a known safety defect is found in a certain VIN range, and the company brings back ALL vehicles within that VIN range to replace a part, regardless of whether or not it has a problem. It also can occur when a non-safety related item fails on such a massive scale that the only prudent thing to do is issue a recall and replace all of the parts.

A TSB is issued if a non-safety related item has a number of failures, but there is no specific VIN range or the expected number of affected vehicles is going to be less than X, where X is the threshhold of units that makes a recall cost-effective.

While we have no official word as to why, the likely reason it has affected some people and not all is that Nissan probably got a batch or two of defective pumps from the pump manufacturer. If it had been a design defect, it would affect ALL Versas, and there would have been a recall, not a TSB. Ergo, in this case, you do not receive a notice. You may also never develop the problem because your V may have been made in a batch with a perfectly good fuel pump.

[cyberdeity]

Common enough to have a TSB put out on it, but definitely not the majority.

I didn't have a faulty fuel pump on either V (at least so far... almost 10k on V-Squared now). If it were a REALLY common problem, I would have expected it on at least one of 'em.

How do you know there was a TSB issued for this? I tried searching here and elsewhere, and I can't find any mention of that. Do you have a TSB number of some sort that I can reference when I take mine in to get the fuel pump replaced? I asked at my last oil change if they had had any Versa owners come in yet to get their fuel pump replaced, and the service manager had never heard of that problem before, and had not had any other customers complain about it either. So, I wanted to have the TSB# with me so that I have some more amunition when taking it in.

[Ever Victorious]

Huh, I could have sworn there was a TSB, but when I re-checked the thread, i was mistaken.

In any case, print out the following thread:

zer...age=1

That should be proof enough to your dealer that the problem exists, that it is more widespread than he thinks, and how it is resolved.