# engine misfire 2003 Nissan Sentra SER



## FrankT (Apr 9, 2005)

My 2003 Nissan Sentra, SER is misfiring (no 1 cylinder) the dealer stated that they have to remove the head to find the problem. The dealer installed shorter plus fpr a quick fix but the vehicle is still misfiring only at idle speed.
I forget to mention that the misfiring also closed the electrude on the plug.
Warranty has run out. I need help or a solution.


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## BlackoutSpecV (May 8, 2002)

Did you get the pre-cat recall taken care of? It sounds like the clasic symptoms of the pre-cat getting sucked back into the cylanders. 

Your out of warrenty already? How many miles do you have? Any mods to your car? 

Let me know answers to these questions, and we can go from there.


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## Gui (Dec 28, 2010)

I got the same problem, I got a 2003 sentra ser, with about 75 miles on it, im getting misfire on cold starts or rainy days, Its happening on the 1 or 4th cylinder ( the first one from driver side ) my mods are Air intake and header. I changed the spark plug... nothing, changed the coil and the problem still remain.


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## PbLead (Aug 8, 2009)

Could be a head gasket. Let it sit over night, pull the plugs out and look down the holes and see if you see shiny. If you do, you know what you need.


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## lemonspecv2003 (Feb 1, 2011)

Having the same exact problems with my 2003 sentra spec v..bought the car 2 weeks ago off of craigslist..check engine light came on the second day and i noticed that my fog lights would not turn on and was also experiencing low idle occasionally...battery was old and incorrect size for the vehicle however the low idle did not show up as a code. changed the battery, started working normal. The same week the light turns back on and the idle is still having the same issues.. I get 2 codes one for random cylinder misfire in no particular cylinder and another one for low idle...i bring it to a performance shop today and he thinks that the engine is faulty and that i would be better off reselling it or getting a new engine...the engine has 32k on the odometer . there are numerous recalls on this model sentra, one claiming that the butterfly screws on the intake manifold became loose and sucked into the engine causing cylinder damage.. i am now thinking i made the wrong choice in buying this car if anyone knows the exact recall to these symptoms please let me know because i am getting the ecm replaced at the dealership via recall tomarrow the idle is only really low sometimes and other times it is normal

edit: i also have the car running on 5 psi


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

FrankT said:


> My 2003 Nissan Sentra, SER is misfiring (no 1 cylinder) the dealer stated that they have to remove the head to find the problem. The dealer installed shorter plus fpr a quick fix but the vehicle is still misfiring only at idle speed.
> I forget to mention that the misfiring also closed the electrude on the plug.
> Warranty has run out. I need help or a solution.


I'll bet you lost a screw out of the butterfly valve, its bouncing around inside the cylinder, hits and closes the electrode...get to it soon to make sure the valve itself does not come off!, what is left of the screw/valve will have to be fished out of the cylinder, make sure to locktite all the screws!


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## jwilde (Nov 23, 2012)

I'm having a similar problem with a 2003 SE-R with 77,500 Km (48000 miles), multiple cylinder misfire code P0300, I had replaced the plugs with NGK iridium plugs and the problem still persisted. The dealer checked everything and said all was within tolerances, but I had the wrong plugs installed. Should I replace the iridium with double platinum plugs? They want to start replacing everything from ignition coils to mass air etc. I don't believe they know the problem so they want to start replacing on my dollar.


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

question, any open recalls on your vehicle? has the butterfly valves been loctited? are any of the electrodes smashed, if so which cylinder(s). if not, can you pin down which cylinder(s) has the misfire? if so, move the coils to see if the misfire follows... if it does, replace the coil.
Go with the oem plugs, they should last 105,000mi
is the misfire constant? or just when you first start it? (thinking head gskt)


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## jwilde (Nov 23, 2012)

SPEEDO said:


> question, any open recalls on your vehicle? has the butterfly valves been loctited? are any of the electrodes smashed, if so which cylinder(s). if not, can you pin down which cylinder(s) has the misfire? if so, move the coils to see if the misfire follows... if it does, replace the coil.
> Go with the oem plugs, they should last 105,000mi
> is the misfire constant? or just when you first start it? (thinking head gskt)


Yes the butterfly valve has been loctited after a recall, the cylinders have 175, 175, 180, 175 compression. None of the electrodes were smashed and the problem only happens intermittently after driving for 10 or 15 minutes and when revved it disappears. Head gasket would show a antifreeze leak or oil usage, everything normal. I will try changing plugs again and maybe coils.


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

any up-dates?


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

jwilde said:


> I'm having a similar problem with a 2003 SE-R with 77,500 Km (48000 miles), multiple cylinder misfire code P0300, I had replaced the plugs with NGK iridium plugs and the problem still persisted. The dealer checked everything and said all was within tolerances, but I had the wrong plugs installed. Should I replace the iridium with double platinum plugs? They want to start replacing everything from ignition coils to mass air etc. I don't believe they know the problem so they want to start replacing on my dollar.


Using iridium spark plugs versus platinum or even copper-core type won't cause a misfire so long as they are the correct type NGK plug. Check to make sure your plug is correct for your application at:

NGK Spark Plugs USA


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## jwilde (Nov 23, 2012)

smj999smj said:


> Using iridium spark plugs versus platinum or even copper-core type won't cause a misfire so long as they are the correct type NGK plug. Check to make sure your plug is correct for your application at:
> 
> NGK Spark Plugs USA


These plugs are OEM as well as the platinum according to the NGK web page. I took the car for a 120 mile drive and it did hesitate a little but the check engine light has not come back on. I added fuel injector cleaner and changed to high test fuel after returning, see if that helps.


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## jwilde (Nov 23, 2012)

I replaced all ignition coils, as someone had advised, and I used Hitachi made in Japan coils not the cheapos. Viola problem gone.....


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## Grassisorisrex (12 mo ago)

SPEEDO said:


> I'll bet you lost a screw out of the butterfly valve, its bouncing around inside the cylinder, hits and closes the electrode...get to it soon to make sure the valve itself does not come off!, what is left of the screw/valve will have to be fished out of the cylinder, make sure to locktite all the screws!


I'm having these same issues, I've replaced my coil packs and spark plugs. Cylinder 1 spark plug was closed when I pulled it. It only idles rough after it's warm and it backfires sporadically, sometimes not at all. I'm really hoping there's not a screw in my Cylinder but how would I go about checking that? Could it be the ecu? I had to reach the ecu when I first got the car. Any advice helps, thanks.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Grassisorisrex said:


> I'm having these same issues, I've replaced my coil packs and spark plugs. Cylinder 1 spark plug was closed when I pulled it. It only idles rough after it's warm and it backfires sporadically, sometimes not at all. I'm really hoping there's not a screw in my Cylinder but how would I go about checking that? Could it be the ecu? I had to reach the ecu when I first got the car. Any advice helps, thanks.


If the cyl #1 spark plug electrodes got closed, first make sure you're using the correct plugs; use the OEM plugs as specified in the owner's manual. There may be some debris in the combustion chamber such as loose carbon or that nasty screw that came off one of the butterfly valves; take the intake manifold off and inspect. Otherwise use a borescope to look inside the combustion chamber through the spark plug hole for evidence. If there's substantial carbon buildup, you can use something like Seafoam or CRC Motor Treatment to clean it.


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## Grassisorisrex (12 mo ago)

I forgot to mention I swapped the og motor for a Japanese used one I ordered online. Would the spark plugs be diffrent size in Japan? I just ordered a borescope to check the cylinder. Hopefully it's just carbon build-up.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Grassisorisrex said:


> I forgot to mention I swapped the og motor for a Japanese used one I ordered online. Would the spark plugs be diffrent size in Japan? I just ordered a borescope to check the cylinder. Hopefully it's just carbon build-up.


If for example you have a Nissan Sentra with a QR25DE engine. That engine takes a certain type of spark plug which would be stated OEM as specified by Nissan. The same OEM plug would be specified no matter where the car with that engine is sold in the world; however there might be some variations by heat range that a dealer might recommend according to environmental conditions.


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