what is going on with my car?

[eakers]

i drive a 1990 nissian stanza.

every so often, very randomly even, when i go to start my car it starts and it catches and then it dies right away. it doesn't happen if the car is completely cool or if i just turned it off and started it again. it happens if i drive somewhere and then wait a while (like half an hour) and try to start it again.
it used to only happen in the summertime if it was a superhot day and i ran the a/c too much. but lately it's been happening more frequently no matter how hot it is and what i had running in the car before i shut it off.

my coolant levels seem fine and i keep up my maitence so i have no idea what it could be.

i took it to my mechanic in august and he said it was probley the spark plugs and he replaced them, but it's started happening again.

everytime this happens it takes longer and longer for it to finally start again.

the thing is that it is really really hard to predict when it is going to happen so it is hard to tell what exactly causes it.

i have recently replaced the starter, the alternator and when i had the alternator replaced (end of july) they said the battery was okay.

has anyone had any experiences like this? any ideas what it could be?

 

[ScrapSilicon]

when's the last time the fuel filter was changed..possibly even the pump

 

[Ryan]

Take a look at your air filter. My 98 200sx was having the same problem, and when I pulled the Air Filter out, it looked like it hadn't ever been changed since the car was bought. I replaced it, and now I run fine

 

There are many faults that describe your symptoms, I strongly suggest you have any trouble codes retrieved by a competant mechanic before you go any further.

Guessing will only cost you money and cause grief in the long run.

 

[eakers]

thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often.
Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

 

[BatmanNate]

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

Aren't all cars imports for Canada, or are there Candian car companies? Get a Toyota, much more reliable that Nissan.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

Aren't all cars imports for Canada, or are there Candian car companies? Get a Toyota, much more reliable that Nissan.

Although Toyota does have the best record for reliability. I can't see how going from a Nissan which is good, to a Toyota, will make much difference... either way, this Nissan car is 12 years old.. and is still running.. it needs a repair or 2 maybe, but after that, chances are it works fine. I had a 15 year old Celebrity that ran totally mint with about 300K on it. It's alot to do with luck, with some cars.

 

[eakers]

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

Aren't all cars imports for Canada, or are there Candian car companies? Get a Toyota, much more reliable that Nissan.

if you want to get technical toyotas are manufactured in my city so therefore it wouldnt be an import.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: eakers

Originally posted by: BatmanNate

Originally posted by: eakers thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :| i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

Aren't all cars imports for Canada, or are there Candian car companies? Get a Toyota, much more reliable that Nissan.

if you want to get technical toyotas are manufactured in my city so therefore it wouldnt be an import.

Then why are you calling it an import

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: Yield

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often.
Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

WRONG. jap and american cars have around the same reliability, depends on the owner. Gm was 2nd and 3rd in a couple of JD Powers reports on reliability.

I have been a mechanic for about 8-9years and i drive GM cars, my parents drive GM, grandmother GM, etc.... GM makes the best all round cars for the price and reliability.

 

[Bitek]

You might want to have the throttle position sensor looked at. Its a fairly old car, so there is a number of aging parts that could be going bad, but this is also one that is quite common wear out and cause the syptoms you are describing. Other symptoms can include poor throttle responce and fuel economy. I had simular probs on my old s-10, like sputtering, bad mpg, weak power, but I replaced this part and things improved dramitically. But it wasn't until I had a full tune did my engine start running like a champ again. Same was true for my Gf's old cherokee. I replaced them on both cars myself and it was dead easy ( a cheap part too,) and I am not a master mechanic.

Getting a full tune up is also a good idea. This normally replaces the spark plugs, wires, fuel filt, EGR valve (another strong possibility), PCV, cap and rotor. Your fuel injectors my be dirty or bad as well, have them looked at, and try running some cleaner through them (but only after you've had a tune <-- should be done either way. Sounds like your mechanic is lazy. Just throwing in some plugs and calling the job done is pretty half assed. I might want to take it somewhere else that will take the time to look at the prob instead of just randomly changing parts and not making sure the prob is fixed.

I don't think your car being an import is the prob. I loved my s-10, but that thing did not age as well as many imports, and it did better than alot of american cars. I can assure you my new car is not a domestic, and not an overpriced german pos either (american reliability with "german engineering " prices. isgust [puts on flame retardant suit and prepares for VW owners]

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: eakers

every so often, very randomly even, when i go to start my car it starts and it catches and then it dies right away. it doesn't happen if the car is completely cool or if i just turned it off and started it again. it happens if i drive somewhere and then wait a while (like half an hour) and try to start it again.
it used to only happen in the summertime if it was a superhot day and i ran the a/c too much. but lately it's been happening more frequently no matter how hot it is and what i had running in the car before i shut it off.

What you are describing is a condition call "heat soak", where the temperature of engine actually increase due to sitting. This can effect your sensors and/or controls that regulate the proper fuel amount and spark timing. I'm not an expert on Nissians but I would have your mechanic look for a out of adjustment thottle position sensor or a stuck cold start valve (It's an extra injector for cold starting).

 

[Quixfire]

Originally posted by: Hafen

I can assure you my new car is not a domestic, and not an overpriced german pos either (american reliability with "german engineering " prices. isgust [puts on flame retardant suit and prepares for VW owners]

What about Mercedes Owners???

 

[Zenmervolt]

I'm going to guess one of two things. The fuel pump relay could be going flaky, but I doubt it because if it were a pump relay problem then the engine would stall while running sometimes too. My other guess is possibly a PCV valve that is stuck shut. My Honda had the same symptoms and I've traced it to the PCV valve being stuck (the FI gets weird vacuum readings if the valve is stuck and it gets all wonky). If your dipstick tends to be popped out of the dipstick tube a little bit after every time you drive, then it's likely that the PCV valve is stuck and the crankcase is venting pressure through the dipstick tube.

DISCLAIMER: This advice is very likely to be wrong, and it's based on my experience with a single car. However, a PCV valve is a cheap part and it's easy to replace.

ZV

EDIT: Quixfire, I seriously doubt that it's heat soak because even by the mid-1980's most FI cars (especially Japanese and German cars) had a feature where the electric radiator fans run for up to 15 minutes after the car is shut down to run air over the engine and prevent heat soak The symptoms don't seem like heat soak to me.

 

[Ryan]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Yield

Originally posted by: eakers thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :| i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often. Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

WRONG. jap and american cars have around the same reliability, depends on the owner. Gm was 2nd and 3rd in a couple of JD Powers reports on reliability. I have been a mechanic for about 8-9years and i drive GM cars, my parents drive GM, grandmother GM, etc.... GM makes the best all round cars for the price and reliability.

I really hate it when people like you bring up crap like this. <U>You are wrong</U>. TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT: The survey you're referring to was a survey on initial build QUALITY (not to be confused with RELIABILITY). Now, here's a link to the JD Powers and Associates RELIABILITY and DEPENDABILITY study: http://www.jdpa.com/studies_jdpower/pressrelease.asp?StudyID=692&CatID=1 If you will notice, the first GM company on the list is Buick, which came in 7th place. Stop with the lies :|

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: ScrapSilicon
when's the last time the fuel filter was changed..possibly even the pump

First thought that popped into my head too. Being that your car is fuel injected vs. carburated, it sounds like a fuel starvation problem.

 

[Quixfire]

eakers,
I found couple of TSBs that may be the solution to your problem.

03/08/1995 - (most models) DRIVEABILITY AND/OR CHK ENG LITE ON -DTC 45 INJ LEAK

08/10/1993 - (most models) CODE 55 - HARD START COLD OR HOT - FUEL REGULATOR

As for the fans running after the engine is turn off, most car manufactures discontinued this practice in the early 90's.

 

[Scarpozzi]

The fuel pump on that model is under the backseat I believe. The filter is inline underneath the car and you should have pretty good access to it. I would assume the filter would be the best place to check first. It could always be your plug wires or rotor, but you might notice a miss in the engine while it's running. I would probably check the fuel filter.

 

[Atrail]

Did he only replace the spark plugs?
What about distributor cap, rotor, and spark plug wires. Those probably need to be replaced and they are cheap.
May or may not be part of your problem.
Honda Toyota Nissan are the best!
Stick with an "import"....
I'm partial to Honda myself...

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Yield

Originally posted by: eakers
thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :|

i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often.
Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

WRONG. jap and american cars have around the same reliability, depends on the owner. Gm was 2nd and 3rd in a couple of JD Powers reports on reliability.

I have been a mechanic for about 8-9years and i drive GM cars, my parents drive GM, grandmother GM, etc.... GM makes the best all round cars for the price and reliability.

WRONG! It's all a matter of experiences.
word of advice.. that's retarded when your firsrt word of your post is: "WRONG!" makes it sound like the person really is wrong and that there's no good reason.. no, it's a personal finding of mine.. so STFU!

 

[db]

Quick guess: fuel filter or pump; distributor bearing.
If you can hear lots of noise from the distributor when engine running, that's it.

 

[Vette73]

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Yield

Originally posted by: eakers thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :| i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often. Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

WRONG. jap and american cars have around the same reliability, depends on the owner. Gm was 2nd and 3rd in a couple of JD Powers reports on reliability. I have been a mechanic for about 8-9years and i drive GM cars, my parents drive GM, grandmother GM, etc.... GM makes the best all round cars for the price and reliability.

I really hate it when people like you bring up crap like this. You are wrong. TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT: The survey you're referring to was a survey on initial build QUALITY (not to be confused with RELIABILITY). Now, here's a link to the JD Powers and Associates RELIABILITY and DEPENDABILITY study: http://www.jdpa.com/studies_jdpower/pressrelease.asp?StudyID=692&CatID=1 If you will notice, the first GM company on the list is Buick, which came in 7th place. Stop with the lies :|

And where was nissian, next to the bottom, read you list ok. And even then you can see the numbers were not that far apart. Again, it depends on the owner on how good a car is if the car is Jap or American.

 

[CraigRT]

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: rbloedow

Originally posted by: Marlin1975

Originally posted by: Yield

Originally posted by: eakers thanks for the suggestions, i have no idea about the fuel filter or pump. seems like thats the only thing that hasn't been fixed lately. :| i am starting to think i should maybe not get an import for my next car, at least then the repairs will be a lot cheaper.

But you'll have to do them more often. Stick with Nissan.. they're great overall.. your car is aging.. it's a the time where it becomes slightly pricey to maintain.. I'm told after a stage like this, it becomes reliable again afterwards... :Q

WRONG. jap and american cars have around the same reliability, depends on the owner. Gm was 2nd and 3rd in a couple of JD Powers reports on reliability. I have been a mechanic for about 8-9years and i drive GM cars, my parents drive GM, grandmother GM, etc.... GM makes the best all round cars for the price and reliability.

I really hate it when people like you bring up crap like this. <STRONG>You are wrong</STRONG>. TO SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT: The survey you're referring to was a survey on initial build QUALITY (not to be confused with RELIABILITY). Now, here's a link to the JD Powers and Associates RELIABILITY and DEPENDABILITY study: <a href="http://www.jdpa.com/studies_jdpower/pressrelease.asp?StudyID=692&CatID=1">http://www.jdpa.com/studies_jdpower/pressrelease.asp?StudyID=692&CatID=1</A> If you will notice, the first GM company on the list is Buick, which came in 7th place. Stop with the lies :|

And where was nissian, next to the bottom, read you list ok. And even then you can see the numbers were not that far apart. Again, it depends on the owner on how good a car is if the car is Jap or American.

WTF? I have no idea where that text came from.. and I have no idea what you're talking about... a survey? i thought we were talking about a 1990 Nissan Stanza.... i am, NEEDLESS TO SAY, extremely confused.

 

[AdamSnow]

Me too...

GM is junk... I'm a Dodge boy tho so of course I have to say GM sucks, as well as Ford, nissan, toyota, etc. etc. etc.