# 96 ALtima ONLY starts in Neutral!



## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

I own an automatic 96 altima
This morning i went to start my car 
The car cranks over fine but wont start
I decided to put inin neutral and after a couple of tries it starts!
I turn it off and try to start in in Park but again it just cranks over ans it normally sounds but doesnt seem to starts
Againi I put in in Neutral
I press the aceleerator a few times and it starts again!

The only thing when i put in in drive it stalls out!
Help!
No service engine light shows up !on the dashboard either!


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## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

Heres an update
It seems that in park and neutral i can rev the rpms with no problem to 2345 thousand rpm and th ecar sounds great
When i shift it into reverse and try to rev it past 1500 rpm it stalls ot
Same thing in drive 1 and 2
ANybody
Again no trouble codes show up on the dashboard


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## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

I checked the oil in the distributor sscenario and there is none there


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## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

Ok Today i noticed when i opened the airfilterbox lots of smoke came ou
Whats that all about?


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## spat (Oct 15, 2005)

Do you feel any hint of the vehicle trying to move when you put it in gear? I would tend to think something in the transmission is jammed or a bad valve body in the transmission.


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## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

I dont believe the problem is transmission related
however after 6 days of taking the bus i have begun to take matters into my own hands
I can not afford a neveremdomg bill from the mechanic and i may be forced to cancel the insurance if i am not able yo remedy this situation
Simce yesterday was pay day i decided to do a major tune up myself
I purchased 
5 Bosch spark wire cables includes coil wire, comes in a kit
4 Bosch spark plugs model 2 because the auto store attendant said they do not need to be gapped and have two side electrodes instead of 1 for a greater chance of spark and also better performance
Air filter
Gas filter
Bosch distributor cap and rotor
Contact cleaner just in case to spray down the oprical assembly inside the base of the distributor
Total price with tax Just under 125 dollars!

Heres the results!
Car still will not start in park it will just crank over as normal
When i bring it into the neutral gear after a few times it will start BUT it seems the car will fart a few times and i have to play with the gas pedak a few tumes to coodinate the startin
it starts but runs very rough

This time for the first time in 6 days i am able to put it in drive and reverse and go over 1500 rpm
The car DEFINATELY has more get up and go without a doubt but seems to be running rougher than befor ethis problem began 
On occasion it will stall on acceleration and i will have to play with it in the neutral gear waiting for the farting and work the pedaks to ge tit started

NOW AFTER A FEW MINTES OF DRIVING I AM GETING A PO136 WITH MY CODE READER WHICH I NEVER HAD BEFORE1
i will investigate this further
anyone have any suggestion?
i dont think the rear oxygen sensor could caus e this can it?


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## spat (Oct 15, 2005)

OK I have a suggestion. Try applying a load to the engine by means other than the transmission and see if the engine has normal response or tries to bog down. If it still tries to bog down then it is deffinatly engine related. If it does not bog down then it is more likely to be in the transmission. A few things that will add load to the engine are steering pump, A/C compressor and altenator. To do this turn on A/C full blast, head lights wipers rear window defroster radio and open a door. then turn steering all the way to one direction to engage steering pump.

If it is engine related start looking at things such as MAF = Mass Airflow Meter, IACV = Idle Air Controle Valve, Vacuum leaks. Try a wiggle test on all harnesses with engine running even the ones under the dash but start in the engine compartment first.

You said it started doing this every now and then at first. Was it always a cold start when it started acting up or would it do it completely at random? Any relation with rainy weather or exstreamly hot days?


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## spat (Oct 15, 2005)

By the way I have an automatic transmission in a caravan that had the same symptoms as you. I kept thinking it was an intermitent electrical issue. I was totally at a loss trying to solve the problem untile it completely failed. I now know it is bearings in the transmission. They would lock every once in a while and probably material clogging the valve body as well from time to time causing the transmission to lock up and stall the engine. But once it did this permanently it was easy to find. Now I am saving up the $2500 for a transmission.


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## unbelievableny (Mar 12, 2006)

Ok heres the results
When i apply a load to the car such as air conditioning full blast, turning on all lights and turning the steering wheel all the way to the left or right the car stalls
and i can see the rpms drop with the load
This is in Park or neutral

I guess now i can rule out the transmission
Not knowing what to do next 
I decided again to take off the distributor cap after clearing the code for the rear oxygen sensor
Since i have new plugs, plug wires, gas filter, air filter, distributor cap, and rotor, i went ahead and also changed the oil and filter
The car still does the same thing AND no codes are appearing~!
Cranks like normal and when it does catch in neutral will stall when i apply a heavy load in park and neutral or will stall in gear under the same conditions but again also when i go above 1500 rpm


Does anybody have any more suggestions or do i have to take this to the shop
I hate to pay someone to QUESS what a problem is at my expense!


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

I would be checking for a vacuum leak at the intake manifold, which would cause the engine to be too lean to stay running. It's a fairly common problem. See if you can keep it running by spraying carb cleaner around the intake gasket area. It might be easier if you have someone to keep starting it for you while you work by the engine.

As far as the Bosch ignition parts, you would have been much better off sticking with genuine Nissan or NGK parts. Their plugs have been notoriously problematic in Nissans. Since you already bought them and put them in, you mind as well leave them in for now.


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