# 83' Nissan/Datsun Sentra Wagon - Not Staying running - PLEASE HELP



## jamminbenjamin (Aug 25, 2016)

**new to the forum, and happy that I found ya'll. hope you can help me out**


I have an 83 Nissan/Datsun Sentra Wagon

I do not have much money to get this checked out by a mechanic... AND... I am not super mechanically inclined, so please bare with me.


For quite awhile, it was not running so great (was making some rattling sounds... which I think I finally attributed to the Catalytic convertor, could be wrong though) and on top of that, my radiator fan was not kicking on... so when I drove it (far too long in that state I'm afraid), I had to blast the heater. Not ideal. 

Shortly after that, my horn got quieter... and has now stopped working all together.


I started trying to troubleshoot the best I could.


In this process I've found 3 (all I believe to be) vacuum hoses that were either cracked or having gaping holes. I've fixed all these. ** see below

Then went to looking at fuses... they seemed good, -Though one of the fuses had melted in the fusebox- 

Then I checked relays

I found that the blower motor relay was completely melted ... which I am like 89% sure that it was on that same fuse that had melted in the box.
So I bypassed the fuse box, put in an inline fuse, and grounded to the car (all internally by the fuse box).

*now...*
Since changing that relay AND fixing the hoses... 
-My internal heater/fan will not kick on anymore
-It is WAY harder to start the car than previously
-If/when I get it gets started... after its warmed up and I depress the gas pedal, it dies... everytime

*note that...Once I fixed the first hose I found, upon driving it for a week or so... it started right up every time, and puuuured and sounded and drove the best it has since I've owned it.

*also to note... the radiator fan did kick on ONCE after replacing the relay*


A question I have is could this dying issue be caused by a bad catalytic converter? Which I am about 90% sure is the cause for the car originally not running "right", and the cause for the sounds it was making.

And/or/also - it seems more like a fuel - air mixture thing to me more than electrical, am I correct in that assumption?


I posted an ad on CL here in Portland Oregon asking for knowledge and some place to start...
I got one response from a guy who only told me to replace the entire wiring harness... and to take off the carburetor and to spray a WHOLE can of carb cleaner in and around it.
* I have not done so yet, as I think this seems a bit 'off topic'... maybe I'm wrong, but it seems to not be the cause of the issue.

Is it a choke thing?
A carb thing?
Cat thing?
Fuel/air mixture!?

I feel that the carb is getting a better (or correctly intended) mixture of air / fuel (since fixing the hoses) and that is why its not staying running???

ANY help or info or pointing in the right direction is MUCH APPRECIATED!!

And if you live in the Portland Or area, and are willing to come take a look... that would be really rad!

Thanks for reading


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## Car guy (Mar 31, 2016)

Dang, would enjoy working on it with ya, but too many states away.

Which fuse(s) melted? Can you post pics?

If you run direct wires to the blower motor, will it spin?

If you run direct wires to the horn, will it sound?

If you run direct wires to the rad fan, will it spin?

What is the V at the Alt (+) post and case (ground) - car off? Car on?

What is battery V - car off? Car on?

It would seem there are multiple problems - electrical and functional.


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