# Nissan Sentra 2004 suddenly having a series of issues



## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

My dad has a Nissan Sentra 2004 with a 4 cylinder 1.8 litre engine that has done 258,333. Recent repairs were track-rod ball joints for the front right tire, alternator belt, engine mountings, drum brake shoes, battery. The only repairs I did was battery and alternator belt.

We had recently done these repairs for our 12 hour road trip to Dubai, and after doing all of these repairs car was running almost perfectly except it would stall but VERY rarely(no CEL light back then so we couldn't check). The car was acting brand new, and didn't cause us a single issue during our travels. 

The issues started recently after a month of our travelling when one day when my dad started his car idle speeds started fluctuating, and the moment he would turn on the A/C, it would get worst. The car feels like as if its losing power, and stalls. I couldn't pull codes because the Check Engine Light randomly disappeared after it was on for a day.


The car also has this problem of stalling in the middle of the road when the AC is on and sometimes it even stalls even when the AC is NOT ON. Is this a faulty Alternator issue? I am guessing this because whenever we turn on the AC and the car is stopped the lights in the car are flickering when we look closely and it struggles to pick up speed after stopping in a red light. It also doesnt blow cool air when idle but when we are driving its fine.

The final problem is that my dad sometimes has to now keep his foot on the gas pedal to start the car. 

Now for the idle speeds fluctuation part I know I have to clean IAC and TB, but I have no idea where are these located in this car and Google has no info on this. If anyone could tell me about this I would appreciated it. I know it sounds like the car isn't maintained from what I have said but I swear these problems came outta nowhere. My dad is taking his car for full inspection to see what is faulty and what is not so that the car doesn't bother him anymore, but me and him like to know how much currently damaged his wallet is. 

Thank you in advance for any responses I get.

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

It could also be the MAF Sensor (Mass Air Flow Sensor). This will be located near the airfilter box. You will see a cable with a plug connecting to the air intake hose just next to the box. It will require a Security Torx bit <-- Click (I don't remember what size) and a can of MAF cleaner (Do not use anything else as you will risk damaging the wire.)

Your MAF Sensor will look something like this from where you will be under the hood. <-- Click

It could also be the IAC (Idle Air Control) like you mentioned as it will allow too much air to pass by the throttle valve while closed or nearly closed if it is stuck open. This will also be located on your TB (Throttle Body). The best way to find it is to find your air filter box and follow the intake tube to the engine. Yours will look something like this. <-- Click




Hope this helps


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> It could also be the MAF Sensor (Mass Air Flow Sensor). This will be located near the airfilter box. You will see a cable with a plug connecting to the air intake hose just next to the box. It will require a Security Torx bit <-- Click (I don't remember what size) and a can of MAF cleaner (Do not use anything else as you will risk damaging the wire.)
> 
> Your MAF Sensor will look something like this from where you will be under the hood. <-- Click
> 
> ...



Thank you for the help. I'll use the information to locate the parts and clean them. For IAC and TB what can solvent I can use to them? Can I simply use a clean cloth to clean the valve? Also where can I find MAF cleaner locally? I usually order it from eBay but I ran out of my supply and it'll take a month to reach to my country. 

Edit: That IAC pic. That looks more to me like a Electronic Throttle Control Actuator? Does my Sentra not have a IAC?

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

I forgot to add where to get IAC cleaner locally too?

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

I don't know of any place specificly where you can get them other than ordering them or getting them from a local autoparts store. For the Throttle body you can use Throttlebody cleaner, don't use carburetor cleaner it will mess up the lining in your throttlebody. (This is what I was told before). I assume you can use throttle body cleaner on the IAC as well.

But yeah, I live in the States so I really can't speak for local dealers in your area. Maybe you could try amazon?


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> I don't know of any place specificly where you can get them other than ordering them or getting them from a local autoparts store. For the Throttle body you can use Throttlebody cleaner, don't use carburetor cleaner it will mess up the lining in your throttlebody. (This is what I was told before). I assume you can use throttle body cleaner on the IAC as well.
> 
> But yeah, I live in the States so I really can't speak for local dealers in your area. Maybe you could try amazon?


I thought Carburetor Cleaners were meant for vehicles having a carburetor engine and last I remember I think this car has one. At any case I'll just use the TB cleaner for safe side. Also I do believe I have a shop that sells car parts and fluids so I'll check it out there after the car returns. Do you think a dying alternator can cause those issues I mentioned on my first post? The lights in the car keep flickering or get dimmed when idle. Reason why I am asking because before changing the old battery I notice it was weak for this car and I have heard a weak battery can damage the starter motor and alternator itself

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> I thought Carburetor Cleaners were meant for vehicles having a carburetor engine and last I remember I think this car has one. At any case I'll just use the TB cleaner for safe side. Also I do believe I have a shop that sells car parts and fluids so I'll check it out there after the car returns. Do you think a dying alternator can cause those issues I mentioned on my first post? The lights in the car keep flickering or get dimmed when idle. Reason why I am asking because before changing the old battery I notice it was weak for this car and I have heard a weak battery can damage the starter motor and alternator itself
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


It could be the alternator but that could also be triggered by faulty grounds as well. A faulty ground could cost you a lot less money and time to fix. The ground wire from your battery runs down underneath the tray that the battery sits in and bolts to the body then runs along the front of the car to the other side and to the engine I believe. Check the connection under the battery for a good ground and while you're at it check the terminal that connects to the battery. If those corrode over it could also give the same issue.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Just checked the battery side. Damn the wires still look good for a car this age and I didn't notice any breaks in the wires, hell the ground wire was okay too. The terminals are not that corroded much but I cleaned them anyway.

Then again my dad told me its definitely not the battery side since a while ago he fixed up wires because most of them had their insulation gone or they were about to break. 

I couldn't find the IAC despite working my way through the air filter and the hoses connected. Maybe I need to pull them out? Also may not be relevant, may be normal, also may be stupid, but I ain't a car geek so I gotta ask, why is there so much grease on the parts near the left side of engine? 

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

Grease? Is it brown like the engine oil? Check the valve cover where that metal cap sits on top of the motor. Mine has an oil leak at 177k miles so it could just be a valve cover gasket leak.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> Grease? Is it brown like the engine oil? Check the valve cover where that metal cap sits on top of the motor. Mine has an oil leak at 177k miles so it could just be a valve cover gasket leak.


Idk when I touched it it was sticky as hell and got my hands blackened. If its a leak how it would be causing the car to stall though? 

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

BTW it wasnt on the engine but on the parts around the left side of the engine.

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> BTW it wasnt on the engine but on the parts around the left side of the engine.
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


huh... Mine looks like this:

https://goo.gl/photos/YWZdoSLm2tNiVsaR6

I live in the middle of Texas so it's next to impossible to keep any of that clean under the hood.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> huh... Mine looks like this:
> 
> https://goo.gl/photos/YWZdoSLm2tNiVsaR6
> 
> I live in the middle of Texas so it's next to impossible to keep any of that clean under the hood.


So what you're saying that its normal? Anyway an interesting situation development happened, so today I was in my dad's car and I notice that when my dad slowed down at a stoplight, idle obviously went low(around 200-500 RPM) and the dashboard lights and headlamps were flickering. Is it possible that this is indeed the alternator? I hope I didnt miss a break in those wires.

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> So what you're saying that its normal? Anyway an interesting situation development happened, so today I was in my dad's car and I notice that when my dad slowed down at a stoplight, idle obviously went low(around 200-500 RPM) and the dashboard lights and headlamps were flickering. Is it possible that this is indeed the alternator? I hope I didnt miss a break in those wires.
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


See... that is what bugs me. Even if it were the alternator it should still pull power from the battery. So if it did dim it shouldn't be too noticeable. I don't know what would cause that.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> See... that is what bugs me. Even if it were the alternator it should still pull power from the battery. So if it did dim it shouldn't be too noticeable. I don't know what would cause that.


It wasn't too noticeable for sure because I only noticed when we were in a dark alleyway, and I could clearly see headlamps and the dashboard lights flickering, but not that much. Maybe I should have a look at the wires again, this time gonna see the wires going to other parts rather than the wires just to the battery side. I mean what could it be at this point? Car is becoming worst by the day but right now a big money hogging fix ain't happening. Anyway that method of yours for checking OBD codes without reader works for other models?


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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

It could be alternator. Best way to test would be to take a multimeter and set it to DC put the black lead on a ground point and the red one on either the positive terminal of the battery or if you are brave enough you can put it directly on the power stud of the alternator to see if the voltage is dropping too low.

Something a lot of people on here will tell you is that Nissan doesn't make parts for the B15 sentra body style anymore. So most of the parts you get from auto parts stores are remanufactured. This means they fix what went bad and resell it. So people here recommend using rockauto.com

I couldn't afford to drop cash for a new alternator so I had to take the old one I had back to autozone and trade it in for a warranty replacement. So odds are mine will crap out sooner or later.

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> It could be alternator. Best way to test would be to take a multimeter and set it to DC put the black lead on a ground point and the red one on either the positive terminal of the battery or if you are brave enough you can put it directly on the power stud of the alternator to see if the voltage is dropping too low.
> 
> Something a lot of people on here will tell you is that Nissan doesn't make parts for the B15 sentra body style anymore. So most of the parts you get from auto parts stores are remanufactured. This means they fix what went bad and resell it. So people here recommend using rockauto.com
> 
> ...


I never have touched the multimeter but I'm sure my dad can do that one. He does the electrical fixing for this car anyway. 

As for the limited parts I do realise that but junkyard for the win! Half of my Sentra's parts are donors from junkyard. 

What was hard to find once was the engine though unfortunately, since junkyards don't have an engine that isn't totaled and mechanics said to get a engine directly from Japan is expensive, but in the end we had to do it. In this case though my dad deserved it. He was being such a cheapskate because despite me telling him thousand of times about cylinder misfires(cant remember why), the engine gave up and died.

He paid thousands of dollars for an engine to come for his car. It wasn't even the engine originally meant for his Sentra I think but the mechanics said it was close to his model. Never found out what Nissan car did the engine come from



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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

@Shadow_Death finally located the IAC and TB. Unfortunately I didnt find the solvent I need to clean it, should I just use a clean cloth and hope for the best or at this point I should just take it to the mechanic?

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

Lol taking it to a mechanic should never be looked at like a walk of shame. If its something you don't think you can fix and you have the money I'd say go for it.

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> Lol taking it to a mechanic should never be looked at like a walk of shame. If its something you don't think you can fix and you have the money I'd say go for it.
> 
> Sent from my Nexus 6 using Tapatalk


It is a walk of shame for me unfortunately. As we speak I took out the IAC and TB right now and excuse my language they look like as if someone **** on it. Thats why I asked if its possible to just clean it without the solvent or am I talking nonsense.

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

You can but throttle body cleaner makes it a lot easier.

https://www.amazon.com/CRC-05078-Throttle-Air-Intake-Cleaner/dp/B000M8PYO2

Something like that. Also an old toothbrush would help a lot too.

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

@Shadow_Death Happy to report that the car is finally back to its brand new car like working state. IAC and TB are not completely clean though but the car doesn't idle badly anymore so the AC works but I had to do Idle Relearn because when I tested the car it was still idling badly. One more issue thats solved is car stalling even when the AC is off and its thanks to your battery picture in your thread. I fixed that funny looking battery wire that I thought was normal. 

Although the AC still doesnt blow cool air during idle. I had a mechanic check the Alternator and he said it was still working perfectly despite my dad never replacing it. Thoughts?

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> @Shadow_Death Happy to report that the car is finally back to its brand new car like working state. IAC and TB are not completely clean though but the car doesn't idle badly anymore so the AC works but I had to do Idle Relearn because when I tested the car it was still idling badly. One more issue thats solved is car stalling even when the AC is off and its thanks to your battery picture in your thread. I fixed that funny looking battery wire that I thought was normal.
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


That is great news. I'm glad all that helped.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Check my edit @Shadow_Death

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> Check my edit @Shadow_Death
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


Try calling a local Nissan Dealerhip to see if there are any recalls for that car for the A/C. Apparently there are recalls for the 04 Nissan Titan for that very issue.

They will probably ask you for the vin number.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> Try calling a local Nissan Dealerhip to see if there are any recalls for that car for the A/C. Apparently there are recalls for the 04 Nissan Titan for that very issue.
> 
> They will probably ask you for the vin number.


I will call them today and see if they are any recalls for this car. Although what are the possible issues causing this to happen? Do you have any rough idea?

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Also VIN numbers are located near the windshield right?

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> Also VIN numbers are located near the windshield right?
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


Yes, on a metal plate on the dash. You can also find them on a sticker that is stuck either to the door or the door jamb on the driver side (here in the states anyway).


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Called Nissan yesterday and I was told that they were recalls for this car but nothing related to the problem we have right now(Faulty Air Bags and Engine Cooling issue for 2.5L engine), and plus my dad took the car for the recalls I'm pretty sure. At this point maybe I should look at the fans and see if they are clogged up by any chance?

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> Called Nissan yesterday and I was told that they were recalls for this car but nothing related to the problem we have right now(Faulty Air Bags and Engine Cooling issue for 2.5L engine), and plus my dad took the car for the recalls I'm pretty sure. At this point maybe I should look at the fans and see if they are clogged up by any chance?
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


I suppose the AC could be low on refrigerant. This was my original thought until I did a search for that problem.


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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

Shadow_Death said:


> I suppose the AC could be low on refrigerant. This was my original thought until I did a search for that problem.


I guess its to the mechanic again. I dont mind anyway because I fixed as much problems I could. 

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## darktremor (Aug 19, 2016)

@Shadow_Death So I did finally figure out the issue and it was IAC that needed to be replaced. Wasn't working as properly as I thought but the car works now

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## Shadow_Death (Feb 21, 2016)

darktremor said:


> @Shadow_Death So I did finally figure out the issue and it was IAC that needed to be replaced. Wasn't working as properly as I thought but the car works now
> 
> Sent from my Moto G using Tapatalk


I'm glad your issues are worked out. 


I also finally figured out the check engine light and transmission issues on my car. Turns out that car DOES have 2 VSS'. Best I can tell by the FSM is that one goes to the speedo and the other goes to the TCU or ECU. The one that goes to the TCU/ECU had a short in the wiring and as soon as I moved it the car began running great again. A new replacement is 258.00 USD so I went to the local junk yard and found one. I paid 9 USD for it.


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## Carl1965 (Aug 28, 2019)

darktremor said:


> My dad has a Nissan Sentra 2004 with a 4 cylinder 1.8 litre engine that has done 258,333. Recent repairs were track-rod ball joints for the front right tire, alternator belt, engine mountings, drum brake shoes, battery. The only repairs I did was battery and alternator belt.
> 
> We had recently done these repairs for our 12 hour road trip to Dubai, and after doing all of these repairs car was running almost perfectly except it would stall but VERY rarely(no CEL light back then so we couldn't check). The car was acting brand new, and didn't cause us a single issue during our travels.
> 
> ...



since your lights are flickering some, have you tried to clean any ground cables around the engine? A dirty ground wire would make a car do weird things. I just replace the whole ground cable for my 2004 Nissan and it seems to be a lot better. It would charge a steady rate not fluctuate so much. I am having an ongoing problem with my 2004 Nissan the same engine the code is P0011 and I cannot get it to go off. I don’t know what else I can try


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

Carl1965 said:


> since your lights are flickering some, have you tried to clean any ground cables around the engine? A dirty ground wire would make a car do weird things. I just replace the whole ground cable for my 2004 Nissan and it seems to be a lot better. It would charge a steady rate not fluctuate so much. I am having an ongoing problem with my 2004 Nissan the same engine the code is P0011 and I cannot get it to go off. I don’t know what else I can try


The P0011 code can be caused by the following:

- A marginal crankshaft position sensor or a marginal Camshaft position sensor.
- Accumulation of debris on the signal plate pick-up portion of the camshaft or a chipped signal plate of camshaft rear end.


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