Was hard to start, now won't start. i30 - 2001

[cheepnis05]

I read through a few of the current posts on this topic, and will be checking on a few of the items mentioned, but wanted to run my symptoms by you all who really know their stuff.

2001 i30, ~130k mi. new NGK plugs at 100k
I have replaced 3of the 6 ign coils over the past 6 years, this is not a bad coil.

The car very suddenly would 'catch' and a few cyls would fire, but not start, and on the third or fourth try, it would eventually start. It began turning over a bit more slowly, and began to take a few more attempts to start. I replaced the battery, which eventually died completely, with a 750 cca (was 600) and while that didn't alleviate the slow/hard start condition it gave me 'quicker' starts and enough reserve to eventually get it going.

Temperature doesn't seem to have much of an effect on the starting. Runs well after that, I still get ~22-24 mpg highway.

This morning it wouldn't start, I was turning it over for about a minute and it wouldn't go, I turned to the off position and noticed that my Headlights are remaining on. This is a brand new issue. Smelled a little bit like burning electrical, but there still seemed to be spark (a cyl or 2 would fire).

Based on the initial symptoms, and reading the other threads, my best guess on the intital issue would be fuel pump/filter. Any other suggestions?

Anyone have a clue on the headlight remaining with power after the shut-off? (Note I haven't had the 45 second post shut off accessory power for a long time, long story short Nissan dealer burned out the control module by running the sunroof power through it, burned out the diode, all that stuff is completely disconnected) Seems weird to me, I am at work now, and the car is at home... what else should I check?

[cheepnis05]

Quick question -would NATS on a 2001 infiniti allow the engine to turn over? Just wanted to rule that out.

[cheepnis05]

Well, I remembered the starter was under warranty (by looking at my old posts) and got a new one at AZ, rather than go tearing apart the back seat and messing with the fuel pump assembly...

The guy at AZ initially wasn't going to give me a new one, since it was spinning, but I described what was happening under load (also had $60 of oil and other supplies on the counter), he said it was probably 'weak' and gave me a new one under the warranty. Since the car was immobile I had cleaned my K&N air filter last night, and also the MAF while I was at it. Popped the starter in, and all seems to be well today.

I haven't seen much discussion about a 'weak' or 'slow' turning starter on any of the forums, so I wanted to ensure that this made it here for at least my experience with hard starting. Too many resources say 'if it turns over, it's not the starter', but if it seems slow, and you have verified voltage at the solenoid with the key in start position... it may very well be bad.

The headlight thing is a mystery, but I've had various electrical anomalies, so I'm not too worried. There is a chime with the door open, and the lights on, (which is also new) so I'm not all that concerned I'll leave them on after 8 years of not having to worry about it.

[maxiiiboy]

If the starter is turning slowly, then the possible causes are: a) Poor starter, b) Weak or corroded ground and power cables (battery <-> starter), or c) Weak battery. A good battery should have 12-12.5V with the engine off; the question is, is this voltage getting to the starter? When cranking, the voltage at starter should be in the 9-11V range (preferably 11V). You should be able to diagnose your problem by measuring these voltages.

[NutriaforBreakfast]

It might be time to look at the camshaft and crankshaft position sensors

[cheepnis05]

In this case it was indeed the starter. It's been fine ever since.

[flame]

May also want to look into the fuel pressure regulator and or moderator. I have the same gen as yours and had similar issues. I also had similar issues (slow spin) with my starter not long after and a replacement cured that as well. The easiest way to check the regulator is to pull the vacuum line off the top and check for moisture/fuel at the nipple.
Here's the regulator in the pic, the moderator is closer to the firewall down the vac line.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=htt ... MygnMCc4ZA