# stalling at random



## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

I own a 1993 nissan altima se 5spd and my car has a behavior problem. Depending on the weather, or so it seems, my car will stall for no apparent reason. This afternoon for example it was about 10 degrees celcius outside and as i stepped on the clutch the revs of the engine dropped too low and the engine stalled. When i started the engine again, it would idle for a few seconds and then the rpm will just drop like a rock.

Ive gone over this with quite a few people and they seem to have no miracle solution for me either

i love my altima except when it does that
Montreal, Canada


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

run the ecu for codes before you do anything else. then pull the mass air flow sensor and check the condition of the two small wires in the sensor. this is the first sensor in your engine along with the air intake sensor(which is not found on a 93-94 altima). either of these could be causing a condition like this.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

*heres another piece of the puzzle*

heres another bug ive just discovered

I have a hole in the flex joint before the catalytic converter. could that be causing the engine to think its running lean and jack up the amount of fuel going into the cylinders and causing the engine to stall??

one way or another im gonna be neading a new exhaust soon as well...


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

no, because the o2 sensor on a 93 is in the exhaust manifold and thats where it gets its reading.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

*exhaust*

so why does my cars exhaust smell like theres alot of unburned gas in it??

could i be needing a new o2 sensor as well or should have a mechanic look at it, cause one way or another im gonna be needing a new axhaust or flex joint ill have to see whats the least i can do to keep it running cause right now i can hardly step on the clutch without the car stalling


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

run your car for a few minutes if you can and then pull all of the spark plugs, noting which cylinder each one came out of. what youre looking for is unburnt fuel. im thinking there maybe a bad o-ring or an injector problem.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

when i pull the spark plugs what traces will i be looking for...

would it be simpler to see a mechanic about the problem or by pulling the plugs will i have a concrete understanding of whats goin on in my engine...sigh

thanks alot


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

youll be looking for wet plugs. they should be dry normally, but a fuel soaked plug will be just that - fuel soaked. in your case, a mechanic may be the best choice, but by diagnosing here, you can at least go see one and be somewhat ready for the answer you get from him and whether hes being honest or not.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

*into the shop it goes*

well im taking my car to the garage to get the flex joint replaced and ill have them look at the spark plugs at the same time. If the plugs need to be replaced, then so be it, that will only narrow down the problem areas by verifing and fixing two of them.

if i still get the stalling problem after that, then i will be checking air filter, afm, injectors and the ECU for trouble codes. :cheers:


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

replacing the spark plugs will only solve the problem until the next time the engine is started. then theyll be soaked again. you need to find out what is soaking them in the first place. dont forget to ask the mechanic for your old parts if he replaces anything.


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## niky (Jul 20, 2002)

In my experience, any exhaust leak that close to the engine will cause it to run bad... but I don't know about stalling bad... it may help, though.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

*plugs are black with a light soot*

i replaced the spark plugs on my car without any problem at all.

the ones i removed had a coating of soot on them but ptherwise no damage to the plugs themselves (ngk)

once i replaced the plugs i ran the car for a minute or two and then the car stalled again. so I removed one of the plugs only to discover that there was also a light coat of soot on the new plugs...

now whats wrong with my car.....

thanks


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

when was the last time the o2 sensor was changed out and how many miles total are on the engine? its starting to sound more and more like a dead o2 sensor or bad injector.


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## panic_mechanic (Aug 2, 2003)

there are 160 000km on the engine itself

and i myself have never changed the o2 sensor or ionjectors for that matter


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

i would change that o2 sensor out first. theyre supposed to be changed every 60k or so. i cant remember the exact interval. chances are, yours isnt working at all if its the original. have you looked into checking the catalytic converter and see if its flowing freely or not?


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