Hello, new forum member here.

I've got an '03 and it's started having a weird issue that is intermittent. The engine cranks but won't fire. Initially, I thought the battery was dying, so had a friend jump me (engine fired immediately). Took the car to Autozone and had them test the battery; tested good, but needed charge, so I took it home and charged it. Issue happened a couple more times, so I decided to go ahead and replace the battery. Replaced it, and now still having the same problem. Also, when it DOES start after having this problem, the belts squeal like mad. They look good...but could it possibly be the problem?


Scratching my head trying to figure this one out...

 

You need to do a voltage test while it's running, should be about 14 volts. Take the belt off and spin all the alternator too.
I'm thinking the belt squeal is a separate issue, but you never know based on your description and lack of info.
You may have a bad ipdm relay, a bad starter, or a bad connection.

 

replace the belts and make sure they have the proper tension on them, consider replacing the camshaft position sensors..... they are known to cause similar issues on the 03's, and they are cheap.

 

Thanks. I was reading some last night, and was leaning towards replacing the belts to see if that alleviated the problem (will probably do that this weekend). Will look into doing the camshaft positions sensors, too.

 

You should check to see if you're getting power at the fuel pump too, I can usually hear mine kicking on. No power at the pump is a sure sign of a NATS issue.

 

Is it a fast crank? Or does it sound like it's struggling?

 

It's fast. Sounds like a completely normal crank would, but just won't fire. I did think it could be a fuel issue, but it shouldn't be intermittent if it was the fuel pump. Right?

 

It could be a fuel pump that's starting to fail. Are you getting a consistent spark?

 

I'll bet it's not getting power, it should be easy to check for since the pump is under you passenger side compartment.

 

Don't just replace the belts. Inspect them to see if they need to be replaced. If the squeeling started just after the new battery went in, it could be an alternator/voltage regulator issue (which would explain your battery charging problems as well.) It's easy enough to check the charging system with a multimeter or a dedicated charging system scan tool.

 

The issue didn't start after replacing the battery.

I replaced the belts today; bought the car used last year, so have no clue when/if they were ever replaced, anyway (they were Nissan OEM and not an aftermarket brand, so could have been original...). Old belts were pretty heavily cracked on interior edge, so they definitely needed replacing. Was less than $40 for the 2 belts, so really no big deal.

If the crank issue happens again, I'm going to go ahead and replace the camshaft sensors--doesn't look like too difficult of a job.

 

If your engine cranks when you turn your key and the ignition is START, it’s not the battery or the starter (it’s obvious both are working since your engine is cranking) causing a failure to fire/start.

The failure to start in this case is either a lack of spark or a fuel delivery problem.

--Spike

 

Why randomly throw parts at the car? We've all said it's likely a fuel or spark issue.

 

The car doesn't start although it's cranking. It's either no fuel or no spark.

--Spike

 

^Agreed