# Help!93 Sentra XE, crank but no start



## Guest (Feb 26, 2003)

It's long writing, please bear with me.

Two weeks ago, the car can not start, only click but no crank, after sitting 

there for one night it can start in the next morning. This happened twice. 

after reading a lot informationf from the forum i know it's the starter's 

problem, the contact of starter is not good. Sometimes it crank sometimes 

not. so i decide to replace it. 

I didn't drive it for one week(it's a cold week in Boston, MA), yesterday i 

prepared to drive to some mechanic shop, the old starter crank but the 

engine can not start. Tried serveral times, the start click no crank again, 

then i hit the starter use a long rod, it crank again but stilll no start. I 

ask my friend to help me replace the starter in my parking lot. It's really 

tough for changing it. The starter is under intake plenum. One person can 

not do it, i removed air cleaner and the rubber intake tube, also the 

battery. Now i can remove the upper bolt(14 or 13 not sure) which connect 

with a thick wire to battery "-" terminal, another lower bolt has to be 

removed from under the car, 2 jack stand needed. Remove another thick wire 

from starter(+), you need proper extension tool for this screw. Then take 

the starter out from above. Go to autozone, it tested that the starter is 

not good, but not totally unwork. I bought a new one for 80$(one mechanic 

shop ask for $300 for replacing the starter!!, they want rip me off). I also 

read from the forum that fuel filter sometimes cause the engine hard to 

start. So i also repalce it since it's cheap and easy to do.

After installing both, turn the switch still no luck, the start crank with 

strength(i can hear it comparing with the old one). Then check the wire or 

pipe and found one small pipe is not connected(i disconnected it when remove 

the intake tube), this pipe is connect to Resonator(according to Hayness 

manual) which under the big rubber intake tube. After connecting the small 

pipe, still no luck. Only crank, it sounds like the engine is choked. just 

like the sound before i replacing the starter.

Then i check 4 spark plugs, found they are all oilcoated and one hole emit 

fume, i used towel clean them and insert again, still no luck.

It seems long time(one week) no driving make the car dead. So people please 

give me some advice. Tell me where to start. Thanks in advance!!

By the way, before the car is really easy to start, No matter how cold only turnin once, though it sounds terrible like "a fan is grinding sth".


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## Pacman (Feb 25, 2003)

Did you look at the battery. It may sound stupid but so many people forget about that.


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## 95 SentraB13 (Jun 14, 2002)

I can think of two things it could be:

The engine was flooded with gas when trying to start it. This seems to be a common problem with the B13 anyway. It has happened to both our Sentra's, mainly on cold mornings. To fix it you can try and clean any access gas from the spark plugs and combustion chamber. Taking it to a garage, even after trying our selves to fix it, has rendered better results since they dried the plugs off with a blow torch(I believe) to evaporate any gas and to heat them up.
If you want to try yourself after drying the plugs, hold the gas peddle to the floor, no pumping, while attempting to start the engine(may take several tries cranking the engine and it's a good idea to take breaks to avoid overheating the starting motor as it could fail a few months later). Starting with WOT will trick the MAF and run the engine lean to burn off access gas which is an emergency start procedure for a flooded engine. I could be wrong in that last statement and I'm sure someone will correct me.

The other problem that you could be experiencing is that your Catalytic Converter is clogged. This might prevent all the fuel from combusting causing and a build up exhaust gas which is unable to expel from the engine due to exhaust restrictions while fouling up your spark plugs with unburnt fuel in the process.

In either instance, I'd take the car to a garage unless you have the time and patience to solve this yourself.

Checking the battery like Pacman said may help find the cause to your problem.

Useful link:
http://www.sentra.net/faq/?S=5ad3a073d5ede010e36d62af1fb3731e

Best of Luck!


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## Guest (Feb 27, 2003)

thanks guys, definately it's not battery problem, my battery is strong and all contacts were checked, also i tried jump start, no luck.


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## LexKyB13 (May 1, 2002)

try parking it front down hill. or lifting the rear. sometimes when there's less than a quarter tank in it, it won't start due to the "sludge box" in the fuel tank not getting enough gas up and around it. that's what happened to my car today. and parked it down hill, and gave it a jump and it started fine. hope this helps. later.


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## MontyCrabApple (Feb 11, 2003)

If you still can't find the problem, take it to a mechanic. They will surley fix it. But prepare to sell an arm and a limb to pay for the job those frickin' bastards!


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## xclusiv (Feb 11, 2003)

try a load test on your battery first ... then check if you getting spark and fuel ... check the maf plug see if it in properly also the plug for the coil.. when you moved the starter, maybe it came a lil loose.. its right under the coil... it could be something really simple..


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## Guest (Mar 5, 2003)

Hi, Guys it started today!!!

Today it's warmer, so i decided to doing sth on this baby. Before i left for autozone, my friend said why not try once before leaving. I want to check fuel filter first using "listening" method from hyness manul. My friend turn on the key to "on" position when i was listening under the hood, i heard noise of gas flowing in all pipe, that means gas pump works. Then tried again, no such noise(means all piple are filled with pressure), i heard the "little" sound from fuel filter of opening, the sound lasted 2 senconds. Try again, same result. Means fuel filter works. Turn off switch i stepped the gas pedal to floor since i thought my engine flooded, turn on the starter and crank the engine, it easily started. Test all day worked very well. So i think the reason is:

when i changed starter, i lift front of car, also i changed fuel filter which lead in a lot of air in the pipe, plus the 10F cold weather, so gas can not inject into the engine even the pump works, that's why the engine "choked". Before this last try, i have tried about 20 times, they all failed, i guess that could made the air in pipe out, also time can release the air.

So LexKyB13's suggestion will work if i did it earlier, but i really can not find a slope, even i found one that's not easy to pull my car there.

So conclusion is i should not change fuel filter when i changed starter. First make starter works then go to next step.

Thanks this forum, i really got a lot of info.


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