[gcree20]

Hello, I have a 2003 spec v.

I live in Canada and a week ago it got kind of cold (around -20 C). I went to start the car and it won't start. It cranks but does not turn over. Prior to this the car had been driving fine and it had started up no problem the day before when it was around -10 or so. I had also plugged the car in the previous day.

The battery is a couple years old, which is not old at all, but I thought that might be the problem. I tried to boost the car and it didn't work. Just to verify that the battery was fine, I took the battery in to Canadian Tire and they tested it. They said it tested at more cold cranking amps than it is rated and is in great shape.

Next I replaced the spark plugs as they had been in there a couple years and so I figured why not, it's a cheap and easy fix. Again the car would crank but not start. I checked all the fuses and they are fine. There are no engine codes. The fuel pump relay is clicking as it should be and I can hear the fuel pump prime.

Next I sprayed some starting fluid into the intake to see if that would get the car started. It did not. Just to verify that there was no spark, I pulled the plugs out and watched them as my wife cranked the engine (I pulled the fuel pump fuse before doing this so no fuel was being sent to the engine). I expected no spark but instead, a different plug would spark each time the engine was cranked. 1 of the plugs produced a good spark and then did not produce a spark on subsequent cranks. The other plugs produced a very weak intermittent spark when they did spark. On each crank, either none of the plugs would produce spark or else only one of them would.

The ignition coils were replaced not even 2 years ago and I hardly drive the car. The fuel pump was replaced 2 years ago as well. I checked all the wiring and hoses and I can't see anything that is loose or not plugged in. There doesn't seem to be any shorts but to be honest I don't know a whole lot about electrical.

I think that's about it. Any help would be much appreciated. I have a feeling it is something simple and I would hate to spend $300 or so to get it towed in and diagnosed just for the mechanic to tell me it is something I could have done myself. Thank you in advance!

 

[i68k]

assuming you mean its turning over, but not firing. i would change both cam and crank sensors, those are common problems that seems to match your description very well.

since your sprayed starter fluid into your intake, you couldve ruined either/both of you tps and maf, so you may need a new throttle body or maf. use genuine nissan oem parts for both of these if you need new ones, unless your modifying something. otherwise, if you get the car started, your idle maybe off, just do all 3 relearns. and warm car to operating temp before idle relearn. you can find this stuff in the fsm, its a free download around here somewhere:
nicoclub.com/fsm
allsentra.com/fsm

 

[gcree20]

I got the car started so I'll post how I did it in case it can help someone in the future.

Today I noticed the oil level was very low (it just barely covered the tip of the dip stick). I came to the conclusion that the engine had probably been flooded from me trying to start the car so many times and I thought the fuel may have washed the oil out of the engine. I read a post by someone on another site who said to pull the spark plugs out and pour a cap-full of oil into each cylinder when this happens. I did this and then I poured another quart and a half into the oil pan, which brought the oil level up to where it should be on the dipstick.

Then I replaced the spark plugs and reconnected the coils. I figured my battery was also pretty drained from all of the cranking and not being able to charge so I boosted the car. I left the batteries connected for 10 minutes before attempting to start my car to give it ample time to charge up. My car started up right away. Obviously there was a huge cloud of blue smoke that came out as some of the oil in the cylinders was burned off, which also caused the engine to run rough for about a minute. After that, though, it ran great. I drove it in to a nearby shop that specializes in Nissans. I'm going to get them to have a look at it just to make sure there isn't an oil leak or something else major wrong with it. I will post in here if they find anything.

Thanks to i68k for the reply. I appreciate the effort.