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1.8s starting problems

82K views 37 replies 20 participants last post by  breaddrink  
#1 ·
Hi!

I have a 2006 sentra 1.8s auto, and 1/7 time the engine have don't start... The engine still turn but its like there's no gas going to the engine. I've got it to the dealership and they said that it was the fuel pump that cause that.
so they change it.

Last weekend, it did it again...:mad: 3 times actually...

So I bring it back to the dealership once again and now every time they star it it works well but they didn't change anything on the second time because they said that everything was allright:confused:

Anyone could tell me what could it be? :)

thanks
 
#3 ·
Black is right. I've had the same problem since the day i got my 1.8... probably 1/10 starts it just cranks, sparks, and doesnt dump fuel...our fuel delivery system seems to be a crappy design. dealer was unable to duplicate the problem and insisted it was the fuel pump. two years later im still using the same fuel pump without issues. get into the habit of turning the key into the on position, let it beep three times and then start it. its such a habit i dont even realize im doing it anymore.
 
#4 ·
BrianRitchie said:
Black is right. I've had the same problem since the day i got my 1.8... probably 1/10 starts it just cranks, sparks, and doesnt dump fuel...our fuel delivery system seems to be a crappy design. dealer was unable to duplicate the problem and insisted it was the fuel pump. two years later im still using the same fuel pump without issues. get into the habit of turning the key into the on position, let it beep three times and then start it. its such a habit i dont even realize im doing it anymore.
I always go to the 4th ding after turning the key on, before starting it. But yeah, I am with you....my car has always been like that since I bought it brand new.
 
#5 ·
i had this problem with my 05 1.8SE. i got the fuel pump changed twice (under warranty) and they couldnt figured out the problem..and said it was the fuel pump yet again...my car is mine for now..and i hope it stays this way haha...
 
#6 ·
thanks!

Thanks guys! They even chek and change the gas pressure sensor and it didn't do anything! its the second time I've get to that dealer ship and nothing changed..... they were thinking that it was maybe my (distance remote starter) that was the cause of all that. Once I've found the switch and turn it of, after the third start, it crank but wont start twice! :mad: I guess I'll send it another time and the last one a the dealer and hope this time they will do everything this time to found whats not right!!

Thanks again guys! :)
 
#7 ·
Hi guys,

The problem is still there. After several weeks now, they changed the fuel kit pump, gas pressure regulator, ignition switch, and this thursday morning they will change the ecw.... I was wondering if it could be the engine coils that could cause all that? becasue they merly change everything and it still does not start each 1/5 times now....

ps: I'm still on waranty...
 
#8 ·
the fuel system is a crappy design from the factory, they can not fix it unless they re-engineer it. Just do as others say and everytime you go to start your car turn the key ON and wait 3-5 secs before starting it, thats the only fix.
 
#9 ·
I have a 2002 that I bought used three years ago, and only recently it's had problems starting. I searched these forums and found the solution of keeping the key in the ON position before starting, and that's worked well so far. So... I echo what these other guys are saying. I wait until the fuel gauge shows the correct fuel level, and then I start my car.
 
#10 ·
...

Hi guys,

from the last time, it still doesn't work well. the (intermitent) starting problem is still there. Here wath they changed:

- Gas Pump kit
- Gas pressure Regulator
- Ignition Switch

Now they are planning to change they ECW (conmputer of the car) because of the last diagnostic that got two things wrong: the ignition switch and the ecw... so after the ignition switch changed and the problem still continue, next step is the ecw.... I hope this time will be the good one :confused:
 
#11 ·
duqj said:
Hi guys,

from the last time, it still doesn't work well. the (intermitent) starting problem is still there. Here wath they changed:

- Gas Pump kit
- Gas pressure Regulator
- Ignition Switch

Now they are planning to change they ECW (conmputer of the car) because of the last diagnostic that got two things wrong: the ignition switch and the ecw... so after the ignition switch changed and the problem still continue, next step is the ecw.... I hope this time will be the good one :confused:
So just to clarify, when you turn your key to ON and wait 3-4 seconds and THEN start the car, it STILL only starts like 1/5 of the time?
 
#12 ·
duqj said:
Hi guys,

from the last time, it still doesn't work well. the (intermitent) starting problem is still there. Here wath they changed:

- Gas Pump kit
- Gas pressure Regulator
- Ignition Switch

Now they are planning to change they ECW (conmputer of the car) because of the last diagnostic that got two things wrong: the ignition switch and the ecw... so after the ignition switch changed and the problem still continue, next step is the ecw.... I hope this time will be the good one :confused:
honestly dude if your paying for all of these supposed "fixes" then you are getting screwed because there is no fix other then what we have been telling you to do.
 
#13 ·
Whether the problem has been suspected as fuel pump, leaking injector, leaking head gasket... this process has worked for me and has minimized the start/stall or start/stumble problems:

  • Turn the key on, wait until the chime stops sounding.
  • Floor the gas pedal as if to start a flooded engine.
  • Turn the key to the Start position and hold it there until the oil pressure light is no longer lit.
  • Let the gas pedal up while still holding the key in the Start position the engine should start without stalling or stumbling.
 
#24 ·
SOOOO glad I found this site! Right before Christmas my 2005 Sentra 1.8 S started having starting issues. I would have to try to crank it for several minutes before it would actually start. Finally I ended up running down the battery from trying to start it so much. After 3 weeks of not driving it, it miraculously started! I drove it to the mechanic's and he took a look at it. He said the thermostat needed to be replaced. He said since the thermostat wasnt working, the sensor wasnt picking up the fact that the engine was over heating and shutting down. So I got that fixed, thinking that was the solution to my problem. NOT! Next day, still would not start. Finally I got it to start, brought it back over to the mechanic's and left it. He was able to get it to start every single time! Got it home, then next morning, NOTHING! AGAIN! Once again I ran the battery down from trying to start it, since I had several people tell me that it sounded like it wasnt getting fuel. So after purchasing a charger, I decided to do some research on the problem, and ran into this site. I installed the battery back in the car this morning and primed the fuel pump. Low and behold, IT STARTED RIGHT UP!!!! Thank you everyone for posting this site! My job was literally in jeopardy here lately. I had been riding with a co-worker that has totally different hours than I had, I was missing work and my production was down :( But now it works like a charm! :D:D:D:D:D:D
 
#15 ·
#16 ·
speedjunkie said:
link is broken.
Do a search for long crank time. The link was a shortcut to the search results.

there may be a tsb for it but I can garuntee that the problem will come back and the dealership will never say they messed up or the tsb didnt fix it.
The TSB instructions fixed my wife's '03 GXE.
 
#17 ·
02SilverGXE1 said:
Whether the problem has been suspected as fuel pump, leaking injector, leaking head gasket... this process has worked for me and has minimized the start/stall or start/stumble problems:

  • Turn the key on, wait until the chime stops sounding.
  • Floor the gas pedal as if to start a flooded engine.
  • Turn the key to the Start position and hold it there until the oil pressure light is no longer lit.
  • Let the gas pedal up while still holding the key in the Start position the engine should start without stalling or stumbling.
i think flooring the gas pedal before start up actually turns off the injectors temporarily to prevent flood.
 
#18 ·
Hi again,

The thing that I have to put the at on and waiting3-4 second or even that the fuel gauge show the exact level doesnt even solve the problem, the problem even appears when I do it... (answer for Black B15)

Il say it again, I don't spend any money for those parts, I'm still under the original waranty.

So from this morning, my car is at the dealership to get the ecw thing replaced...

I will see if it will solve the problem... :S
 
#19 ·
..

Hi guys,

So from yesterday afternoon, they changed the ecw... from so far, only time will tell if that intermitent problem will be solved. God I hope this will end the problem...;) I've been running to the dealer ship mostly every week, sometime twice a week to the dealership... :mad:

And again, I want to remind that I'm still on waranty so nothing to worry about spending something :D
 
#20 ·
duqj said:
Hi guys,

So from yesterday afternoon, they changed the ecw... from so far, only time will tell if that intermitent problem will be solved. God I hope this will end the problem...;) I've been running to the dealer ship mostly every week, sometime twice a week to the dealership... :mad:

And again, I want to remind that I'm still on waranty so nothing to worry about spending something :D
Please post an update as to whether or not this seems to work. I have an 06 sentra and have a similar problem. It randomly won't crank ... and when it doesn't, everything seems fine, but the engine just keeps turning and never catches? It almost always catches 2nd time around. Also, I believe my problem is more likely to occur if my car has been sitting in the heat for a while.
 
#21 ·
how about the fuel pump relay? If that is a little dinged up or gone bad, it could relate to your problem...i pulled out my fuel pump, whoa! too much plastic for a fuel pump inside it.
 
#22 ·
found it!!

Its not a matter of the fuel pump thing, its the ECM (Electronic Computer Module) that caused the starting problem of my 1.8s sentra 2006. They changed it with another one of the same year on the lot and since then, (2 weeks ago now) I never had the same problem again! So they gonna get a bran new one for my car and return the other one to the other car where it belong. They said it cost around 950$ but since that i'm allways on the warranty, I don't have to spend anything!! ;)

So after they changed:

1- Fuel repair kit pump
2- Fuel pressure Sensor
3- ignition switch

(Note: every of these changes doesn't resolve the problem, it was still there)

it was finally the ecm that cause that trouble. I'm glad they resolve it and most gladly to you peoples who have a b15 sentra and will not have to search again to know where that problem is still comming from!

Have a great day guys!

Note: I know it's a bit costly but its up to you and a really hope that every one who still have that problem still have a warranty :confused:
 
#25 ·
I dont remember if i shared this on B15sentra.net yet, but ive been dealing with the "extended crank, no start condition" issue since i purchased my car in 2007 and the car still always starts on the second try till this day..... dealer did not take the time to duplicate the issue and never came up with a diagnosis...... but i come home from work to eat lunch every day (about 5 miles) i turn the car off for about 25 minutes.... and when i go to return to work it almost ALWAYS does the extended crank, no start condition.... i decided to duplicate the issue myself twice... the first time i checked fuel pressure at the rail and it was normal.... the second time i checked injector pulse using a noid light on the injector harness and found there was no injector pulse when trying to start the car!!!! injectors are controlled by the ECU and since the car has never left me stranded i havent bothered looking any further into it..... I dont doubt the faulty fuel pump diagnosis at all... just sharing what ive found.
 
#28 ·
to prime you turn the key to ignition- wait a few seconds until you don't hear the pump going, then start it. do not hodl down the pedal. it is detrimental on a fuel injected engine. when starting, don't even touch the gas pedal. that's a carryover from the old carbureted engine days-