trying to figure this out

[jinjinweiwei]

i have a 95 240SX Zenki so KA enginehere are the problemssometimes the car won't start, you can hear the click but won't start. if I turn on the lights it will not start at all.

little shake around 1000rpm

here are the things I have done:Car won't start problem. I thought it might be the battery, so i bought a new one. the previous owner put a 24 series battery in, and the guy at store told me it should be 25 series because it has more power. I put it in and it seems to work just fine. But today it happened again, turned the lights off before start the car. the car goes "click" but doesnt start. tried a few times later, finally it started. and check engine light went on. the code was CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(circuit malfunction). here is the weird part: if you know the camshaft position sensor is built in the distributor for this 240SX, I already changed it from a junkyard paid 50$.

so here is what i think, maybe i have a short somewhere in my car, but i dont know how to check it (bare with me i am still new to tunning cars). a friend of mine says maybe the camshaft is out of place (don't know how is that possible i just didnt understand)

okay here is the second problem:

the car gets little shaky when it start to roll and rev around 1000rpm. once past 1000rpm the shake will go away.

here is what i have done: replaced spark plugs all 4 bought fuel injector cleanner.

here is what i think might be wrong: timming is off? or the clutch slipping (wild guess)? some say it might be the engine mount, but when it idles it sits there just fine and rev a little its still perfectly sits there.

thank you very much for your time to read this, and thanks for your help!

P.S. what magzine is good for begininer like me? I am subscribing importtunner next year, and i just want to know which ones you would recommand.

thanks again!

[jinjinweiwei]

uh... help? someone?

[Silvia007]

Have you checked the voltage at the battery when the car is on. Should be around 13.8 volts. Sounds like your alternator isn't working too well and your car is slowly draining your battery.

For your second problem, is your shifter shaking with your engine? I have a buddy with a bad driveshaft that as he starts out in first gear, it would shake rather violently and as it picks up speed, it would go away. Replaced driveshaft and no more.

[jinjinweiwei]

Have you checked the voltage at the battery when the car is on. Should be around 13.8 volts. Sounds like your alternator isn't working too well and your car is slowly draining your battery.

For your second problem, is your shifter shaking with your engine? I have a buddy with a bad driveshaft that as he starts out in first gear, it would shake rather violently and as it picks up speed, it would go away. Replaced driveshaft and no more.

the voltage is fine.

the shifter is not shaking at all, you just feel the car wiggles a little around 1000 rpm

[jinjinweiwei]

[emo_tactical9]

Have you had your starter checked out? Could be that. My car shakes when i first take off, but i think it's cause of the ****ty clutch i got. You never mentioned what trans your car has, but you said clutch so i'm guessing manual. It could be about 20 different things. And the title of your thread is probably why no one is reading it.I'm not trying to be an ***, it's constructive critisim.

[ShaunakaRichard]

From what you've described your battery is getting drawn on it constantly so your battery is going dead. Saying that the you can here the starter clicking, means low voltage or high resistance. Since you turn your lights on and your starter won't even click anymore, means its not getting enough juice. If it was a problem with the starter, it would repeat the same symptom regardless. If you have a tester take the positive lead off your battery, turn the tester onto ammeter setting, as in amps, put the red lead on the positive battery cable and the black lead on the positive battery post. If the tester reads anything with everything off in the car, then something is constantly drawing on the battery. So you'd have a short somewhere and its draining your battery so you don't have enough juice to turn the starter over, more technically to activate the solenoid on the starter.

[jinjinweiwei]

Have you had your starter checked out? Could be that. My car shakes when i first take off, but i think it's cause of the ****ty clutch i got. You never mentioned what trans your car has, but you said clutch so i'm guessing manual. It could be about 20 different things. And the title of your thread is probably why no one is reading it.I'm not trying to be an ***, it's constructive critisim.

oh sorry! my car is AT, but i was just making a wild guess with the clutch slipping. thank you for your information

[jinjinweiwei]

From what you've described your battery is getting drawn on it constantly so your battery is going dead. Saying that the you can here the starter clicking, means low voltage or high resistance. Since you turn your lights on and your starter won't even click anymore, means its not getting enough juice. If it was a problem with the starter, it would repeat the same symptom regardless. If you have a tester take the positive lead off your battery, turn the tester onto ammeter setting, as in amps, put the red lead on the positive battery cable and the black lead on the positive battery post. If the tester reads anything with everything off in the car, then something is constantly drawing on the battery. So you'd have a short somewhere and its draining your battery so you don't have enough juice to turn the starter over, more technically to activate the solenoid on the starter.

when i turn the head lights on the starter still clicks, and sometime it even starts with head light on. geez i think my car is getting a sense of humor on me

[jinjinweiwei]

morning bump.... !

[jinjinweiwei]

bump

[jinjinweiwei]

night bump

[jinjinweiwei]

something strange has happend.when the check engine light was off, i couldnt start the car with headlights on. but now, the check engine light is on i can start the car without any trouble even with the head lights on. but the little shake thing around 1000rpm is still there.

i just want to know what is going on. thanks!

[ShaunakaRichard]

Not exactly sure what the problem is now, but if you have an automatic transmission then that means you don't have a clutch. Wasn't sure if you picked up on that.

[dnlx5]

i would guess your starting problem and your check engine light are not related. as far as the starting issue mebe a wire is loose somwhere go through and tighten all the connections. also tighten the starter to its mount because that is how it is grounded. also i completly agree with ShaunakaRichard who had a good point about seeing if theres a constant draw on the battery.

As far as the check engine light and vibration issue i would guess that your getting a misfire. you didnt mention any power loss but i guess nobody really pays attention to 1000 rpm power. but mebe get new wires see if that helps. i think it might be possible that your camshaft position sensor (or the wiring leading up to it) was feeding bad signals to to the ecu and ( mebe there only kinda bad) and the ecu sends kinda bad signals (too much fuel too little fuell bad timing advance) at around 1000 rpm where a misfire is caused really just throwin that out there pleease post up when you find out what it was im curious

[jinjinweiwei]

Not exactly sure what the problem is now, but if you have an automatic transmission then that means you don't have a clutch. Wasn't sure if you picked up on that.

actually, i have no idea. but hey, thanks for the info, now i learned something new.

thanks again.

[jinjinweiwei]

i would guess your starting problem and your check engine light are not related. as far as the starting issue mebe a wire is loose somwhere go through and tighten all the connections. also tighten the starter to its mount because that is how it is grounded. also i completly agree with ShaunakaRichard who had a good point about seeing if theres a constant draw on the battery.

As far as the check engine light and vibration issue i would guess that your getting a misfire. you didnt mention any power loss but i guess nobody really pays attention to 1000 rpm power. but mebe get new wires see if that helps. i think it might be possible that your camshaft position sensor (or the wiring leading up to it) was feeding bad signals to to the ecu and ( mebe there only kinda bad) and the ecu sends kinda bad signals (too much fuel too little fuell bad timing advance) at around 1000 rpm where a misfire is caused really just throwin that out there pleease post up when you find out what it was im curious

i just replaced those when i replaced MAF, distributor and spark plugs. I think i might need a little help on locating the starter, i am clueless where it is. =/

about the power loss at 1k rpm. actually i do notice that. because when i have "cargo" I can feel the power loss. so what wires is it you are referring me to? and I wish to know if there is any way i can find out for sure that my car is misfiring?

thanks for sharing your preicous knowledge with me.

[jinjinweiwei]

bump!

[got chub]

if you alt. is not working right when you take off you positive terminal to you battery the car will either die or die a few mins later from no power being made.

do you know the history of you car? how many miles? when last time torque converter was replaced if ever? they do not need to be replaced that often but it could be worn out. I'm not sure if you can get flywheel chatter in an AT but manuals can

check you motor mounts they might be worn also. my car shakes like a old skol v8 when i start it but that's all.

any auto part store will have a tester for the plug wires, lights up every time it sparks

the more detailed you are the better we can help.

[jinjinweiwei]

if you alt. is not working right when you take off you positive terminal to you battery the car will either die or die a few mins later from no power being made.

do you know the history of you car? how many miles? when last time torque converter was replaced if ever? they do not need to be replaced that often but it could be worn out. I'm not sure if you can get flywheel chatter in an AT but manuals can

check you motor mounts they might be worn also. my car shakes like a old skol v8 when i start it but that's all.

any auto part store will have a tester for the plug wires, lights up every time it sparks

the more detailed you are the better we can help.

the car has a clean history I carfaxed it before i bought it. car has 130k+ miles. no clue about the torque converter. where it is located? what does it look like?the engine doesn't shake at all when it is idling.The plug wires are new.hope this will clearify

[jinjinweiwei]

I just checked my car is running on all 4 cyclinders(by unplugging the sprak plug wires), so that will elimniate the fuel injector problem right?

[dnlx5]

starter is below the intake manifold and a kinda back a lil

[jinjinweiwei]

^thanks! will try to find it tomorrow while fixing my bumper alignment.

[jinjinweiwei]

mmmmm i was thinking yesterday. could it be the distributor gone bad again? the spraking/firing is controlloed by the distributor, if the distributor has gone bad could it lead to irregular firing and power loss/ random small shake around 1000 rpm?

I replaced the distributor around june, bought a used one from junkyard...hope this helpsthanks!

[jinjinweiwei]

the shake happens after i drive for around 10-20 minutes... sometime it doesnt happen at all but other time you just feel the car is shaking a lil. the random pattern makes me think it might be something electrical. because mechainical problem will always be there and the pattern shouldnt change.

[jinjinweiwei]

bump!

[jinjinweiwei]

i put in better grade of gas and it seems running better. and shake become less noticeble, but still there...