When I try to start my car it won't start. It cranks, then when I think the engine is about to start it stutters then dies. Has anyone around here experienced anything similar, or know where I should start looking?



Thanks!

 

will it run at all? if not check maf and crk pos.

 

It will not run at all. I'll check those things out in the morning. Thanks!

Anymore suggestions/advice would be greatly appreciated!

 

Did you do any modding or anything recently? First thing that popped in my head was the MAF.

 

I put in a plenum spacer over the summer and took off the my popcharger and put back my stock airbox a few months ago...that was about it. What is the best way to deal with the MAF by the way???


Thanks again!

 

do you have gas? (I remember another member having a faulty gas tank sensor...took the dealership more than a week to figure out that the car didn't start b/c it was out of gas - LMAO)

 

what dealer was this?? just for ref so i dont ever go there.... car needs spark and fuel to run and if it took them a week to figure out there wasent fuel ... well them haha specail group of guys

 

don't remember where it was...I don't think it was Wa (someone posted it on another part of the forums asking for help b/c the dealer couldn't figure out what was going on)

 

Do you have the factory alarm? Sometimes they don't read the chip right and it wont let the engine start. Is your alarm light on the dash blinking?

 

i remember when my inake was loose it slipped causing a gap and i had the same problem.

also, with another car i had the same problem and what happened was a wire harness got punctured.

just a couple of thoughts

 

My alarm light is blinking and I have a 1/4 tank of gas ...lol

Well I poked around under the hood (everything seemed ok). My car started first try this morning...but it wasn't necessarily a "clean normal start". I let idle for approx. 5 min. I revved the gas a little bit then the engine stalled. I restarted right away, and I revved again after a sec. the rpm's dropped low and normalized... but no stalling (yay!).
Observations: I turned the car on w/out starting engine first and saw that my battery gauge was at 12 and when my car started there was noticeable increased "gassy" smell from the exhaust. I am wondering if I should attribute any of these things from yesterday when I was just cranking away trying to start the engine and/or if they are a telltale sign of a major problem? Also... I just realized that my coolant is near/at min.


Thanks again guys!

 

add coolant... could be a bigger deal... or not... z's typically run a little on the rich side... was it blowing smoke?

 

crank position sensor? get a scanner or take it to a shop and you will know what the issue is...

 

^ Yep, could be a whole lot of things. Before you start throwing money at the problem I would pull the code (if its throwing one??)

ECU reset, pull plugs and look, and check MAF... Sometimes the hot wire gets covered in oil from aftermarket filters (popcharger).

 

I have no check engine lights, I have no time to open things up this week (finals)... I however did find a recall for 03' Z's that I have never heard of.

http://www.lemonauto.com/complaints/nissan/350z.htm

Is anyone familiar with this recall?

For the moment I'll just email N.A. Nissan with my VIN and see if my car falls into the category.

 

Yes.. they have to drop the complete rear end and the fuel tank to do this recall. It's a 1-2 day job depending on your shop.

This recall wasn't to cure starting/stalling issues -- it was a safety issue relating to fuel leaking and possibly igniting.

 

goddangit... i kinda ignored that recall for the longest time... and in reading this thread i just filled up like 20 min ago and have been smelling nothing but gas ever since... but im hoping its just on my hands or something... ima be pissed if i have to go back to the dealer for something else... i just went thru a huge hassel with warrenty with them on a friggen window motor... im out by time on my warrenty but im still under 30k soo in the end i pulled it off

 

The plastic filler tube in colder climates has been cracking.
This is only a safety concern if you are living in colder areas of the country, but Nissan corporate chose to do a full recall since cars move from one part of country to another quite often.
This recall applies both earlier model G's and Z's -- my previous G35 had this recall done.

 

<<<one of the first Z's to hit the state of minnesota in 2003 haha (frozen climate)... car has never seen snow tho...

 

I was referring to the recall under that...