# Altima Cranking but Not Starting, Weird Crank



## rs98 (Jul 24, 2013)

I've been on and off with fixing my 1994 Altima (I'm in high school and just want it working by the start of senior year) and recently I tried to jump start it. This was after draining all of the fuel from the fuel pump opening under the rear seat. We then put in maybe one gallon of fuel through the normal fuel opening. Basically, when we connected the batteries of the Altima with a Subaru Legacy, the car cranked... But! It revved up to about 200 RPM for a split second and then went back to cranking. This would happen each time we cranked. What do you guys think is the problem? I was thinking it might be lack of gas because afterwards when I opened the fuel pump area, the tank was dry. The car had been sitting untouched inside the garage for almost 5 years after it obtained a stalling problem.
Thanks!


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## otto888man (Dec 30, 2013)

It might be the fuel lines are dry. Get a can of throttle body cleaner spray it inside the intake, while someone cranks the engine. Let me know what happens.


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## otto888man (Dec 30, 2013)

The fuel lines might just be dry. Try cycling the ignition key from Acc. position to the ON position 30 times. Then try to start it. If that does not work. Get a can of throttle body cleaner, while someone cranks the engine spray it inside the intake manifold. See if she starts. I hope this helps. Keep me posted.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

rs98 said:


> Basically, when we connected the batteries of the Altima with a Subaru Legacy, the car cranked... But! It revved up to about 200 RPM for a split second and then went back to cranking. This would happen each time we cranked. What do you guys think is the problem? I was thinking it might be lack of gas because afterwards when I opened the fuel pump area, the tank was dry. The car had been sitting untouched inside the garage for almost 5 years after it obtained a stalling problem.
> Thanks!


An easy way to test the fuel pump and filter is to disconnect the fuel hose from the top of the fuel filter and insert a long length of spare hose into the top of the fuel filter with the other end draped over the fender going into a catch can placed on the ground. Now turn the ignition key to the run position but DO NOT START THE ENGINE. You should see fuel going into the can at a good rate for several seconds.

If you see good flow, then there's a good chance that there's a lot of varnish build-up in the fuel injectors because of the car not running for 5 years.


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## rs98 (Jul 24, 2013)

I really appreciate the help guys. Unfortunately I will have to wait for the snow here to clean up before doing anything since my dad doesn't want to jump start while it's wet. Would fuel injector cleaning be something I can do myself? I would prefer not to spend too much on this car but if it's cheap at a mechanic, that's definitely an option.


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## rogoman (Dec 16, 2004)

The normal way to clean fuel injectors is to run injector cleaner through the fuel tank, giving the solvent time to do it's job which may take several days or take the car to a shop that does injection service; however in both scenarios, the car has to be running.

The fuel injectors may not be firing. This could be due to a faulty ECU relay, the ECU itself, the crank angle sensor. The crank angle sensor is easy to test. First unbolt the fuel rail from the intake manifold and pull off the entire assembly. Keep the fuel hoses still connected and don't remove any individual injectors. Also keep the electrical connectors on the injectors. Disable the ignition by pulling the ignition wire from the coil. With the assembly now away from the intake, attempt to start the engine. You should see each injector squirt fuel out.

Make sure you have at least 4 spare insulator rings for the injectors in case some are damaged during rail removal.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

Have you felt the fuel filter to see if fuel is going through it? You can have someone cycle the ignition and touch the fuel lines above and below the filter to see if there's pressure getting through it. May be clogged.


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