# 98 nissan sentra gxe 1.6 wont start



## Jessica A. (Feb 12, 2020)

98 nissan sentra gxe 1.6 wont start I started the car just fine. Drove to work and a when I went to leave it wouldnt start. About a year ago I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. A few times here and there in the last year my car would die when I came to a stop but would fire back up just fine. I havent had that happen in a few months. I changed the fuel filter again to see if it would start up. It didn't. So I had it towed to a shop and they checked fuel pressure and compression and whatever else and still can't figure it out. They said they narrowed it down to the fuel pressure regulator or clogged injecter. They also noticed that the wire on one of the cylinders wont suction all the way down. Please help....


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I don't know the expertise of your shop nor what diagnostics they have performed, so it's hard to determine if they are going in the right direction or not. A clogged fuel injector will not cause the engine to not start; it will cause it to misfire, but it should still fire and run on the other three injectors. 
The fuel pressure test should have confirmed whether the fuel pressure regulator is good or not. If there was no fuel pressure when tested, but there was around 45 PSI when the return fuel hose was crimped off, then the regulator is stuck open and needs to be replaced. If they tested it and found the fuel pressure was too high while running, then the fuel pressure could be faulty, causing the engine to run too rich (possibly fouling out the spark plugs) or it could be caused by no vacuum applied to the regulator, usually meaning a clogged or disconnect hose to it or a clogged vacuum port in the intake to which the hose is connected.
An easy way to determine if it's a fuel issue or not is to remove the intake duct, open the throttle body plate and spray carb cleaner into the intake, followed by trying to start the engine. If the engine fires and runs for a little while and then stalls out, it's an indication of a fuel delivery issue. If the engine does not start at all, then it's likely another issue, such as lack of spark or compression. 
If it's not a fuel issue nor a compression issue, that leaves ignition spark. That could be caused by a bad distributor cap or rotor, a bad ignition coil, a bad distributor or harness, to name a few. Often Nissans with distributors that have symptoms of stalling out and not starting when the engine is hot and then re-starting and running once it has cooled down is the symptom of a failing distributor.


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## sdsentra98 (Mar 6, 2020)

Jessica A. said:


> 98 nissan sentra gxe 1.6 wont start I started the car just fine. Drove to work and a when I went to leave it wouldnt start. About a year ago I replaced the fuel pump and fuel filter. A few times here and there in the last year my car would die when I came to a stop but would fire back up just fine. I havent had that happen in a few months. I changed the fuel filter again to see if it would start up. It didn't. So I had it towed to a shop and they checked fuel pressure and compression and whatever else and still can't figure it out. They said they narrowed it down to the fuel pressure regulator or clogged injecter. They also noticed that the wire on one of the cylinders wont suction all the way down. Please help....


Check the distributor rotor. I had the same problem with my 99 Sentra GXE, and I replaced the fuel pump, filter, crank sensor, and battery. I finally pulled off the distributor cap, and a little screw fell to the bottom of the engine bay. I screwed in and tightened down the distributor rotor, tried starting the car a few times while giving it gas, and it started!


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