# wont start



## maty2faty (Jan 25, 2008)

01 sentra, i just got from a used dealer. had it parked n my drive and it wouldnt start. so i put a new battery in it, and it still wont start. i have had it towed to the shop and tehy get it to start everytime. i finally put two and two together and realized that everytime i cant get it to start it is when the car is on an incline. not even a drastrict incline. anybod have any idea what this could be?


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## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

electricity starts an engine.... so... maybe your battery is low on water?? possibly a loose ignition circuit wire that doesn't touch right when it's on that incline, but that means it wouldn't be true if the car was leaned the opposite way.

*shrugs* i've heard of this before but never really understood it. 

if it's an AUTOMACTIC... maybe the tranny needs more fluid for it to start... maybe the nuetral position switch, but that's electric as far as i know... dunno... i only drive manuals.

can't really think of anything sides the batt that would keep a car from starting on a hill.

even if the oil was all to one side of the engine.. it would still start.

ahhh.... wait a sec...


the fuel pump.... if it's not picking up the right amount of fuel cuz it's on the incline... how much gas you got in the tank??

and if it's full, maybe the fuel pump pickup is damaged... or not riding correctly...


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## maty2faty (Jan 25, 2008)

got 3/4 tank. i have had the alternator and starter checked, but the shops say they are good. how can i narrow it down to the fuel pump. would this only cause the car to be almost impossible to start on a hill, because on flat ground it start great and runs fine?


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## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

there's a chance... but with 3/4 tank i'm not sure.... it depends on where the fuel pump picks up the fuel from... have you tried starting it with the car positioned oppositly??? 

like if it won't start with the front of the car pointing up... try turning it around so that it's pointing down... 

but basically if for some reason the fuel pump is sucking in air cuz the fuel isn't reaching it.... but again you said you have 3/4 tank.

another possibility is that you don't have enough coolant in the system and the water pump is overheating... the coolant sensor is overheating.... the thermastat isn't submersed... because you only have enough coolant for the coolant to hit those points when it's on level ground....

again maybe switching the car around my change that...

but with the car starting fine on a level surface it fully sounds like it's some sort of fluid related prob... the battery fluid is too low, the fuel pump, or the coolant.... *again the oil...even if the system was oil starved wi/ none in there, it'd still start, albeit it would overheat and spin a bearing... way bad*

other than that... a loose wire that's dangling that hits right when it's not on level ground...
but that should change if you point the nose of the car the other angle.

btw... this is all guessing.... but i just can't think of any other reason it would do that. but i'm not a pro, just a shadetree mechanic.


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## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

did think of one more thing... i've heard that certain Honda's have an actual engine leveler... like on a carpenter's level.. *the bubble in the glass tube* and it has something to do with calculating g's while driving the car... 

i've no clue if the sentra even has one of those, but ey..


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## HEATHE (Apr 15, 2006)

chipped key or not? if chipped may have lost its program


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## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

Heath..
just asking..
there some way that effects whether the car starts on an incline?

i don't know anything about it sides it's an RF device... i think... though i'm thinking of keyless entry, but i'm guessing it might be RF too.


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## HEATHE (Apr 15, 2006)

OchnofConcrete said:


> Heath..
> just asking..
> there some way that effects whether the car starts on an incline?
> 
> i don't know anything about it sides it's an RF device... i think... though i'm thinking of keyless entry, but i'm guessing it might be RF too.


i have never heard of a car not starting because its at an incline. call a nisssan dealer and ask for parts give them your full vin# and they should be able to tell you if your key is chipped. or if u want to give it to me and i can check for u. ill ask my techs and see what they think if they have evr heard of this. what did the shop tell you they did?


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## OchnofConcrete (Jan 7, 2008)

i have but it was always gas tank related. like the tard running out of gas.


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## WHO (Jun 19, 2005)

I'm bringing this thread back because twice this week I've had the same issue. I'd turn the key, and it would do a very fast "tick tick tick" but wouldn't start. On the first occasion, it did it just once and started the next try. Didn't really bother to investigate.
Yesterday, I was parked on an incline, the front being lower than the back, and it would simply not start at all, did the same "tick tick tick" but everything electrical was working fine (dome light, dash lights, etc didn't fade or anything). Since I was on the incline I tried to push-start it, and even then couldn't get it to start, perhaps I didn't manage to pick up enough speed but I would make an estimated guess of about 15 km/h (10mph). 
But, once I made it to the end of the hill, and had almost no incline left, I decided to give it another try and it started without hesitation.

One thing to note though, both times I was running pretty low on gas, as in low gas light indicator on but only once it happened on the inline. I would say the first time, when I was not on an incline, my gas tank was lower than ever (I was actually pretty worried I wouldn't make it to the gas station), as for the second time, it was almost on empty, but not quite, but I was on a pretty steep incline.

The fast click noise makes me worry about my starter starting to go bad, but my 2001 has less than 80k kilometers on it and the clicks "sounded" more like an electrical thing (I know it sounds weird, but I mean it wasn't a "tack tack tack, it was a "tick tick tick" and was REALLY fast as in 5 ticks a SECOND). I would really be disappointed if the starter went that fast (80k), although I understand that parts give out sometimes due to other factors but still...

Anyway, I'm looking for more input, since a starter can't really be "tested 100%", it either works or it doesn't, if you test it 20 times and it seems fine, doesn't mean it'd start the 21st time. This could be one of the signs that it's starting to go. So I'm worried that one day I'll be stuck with a car that won't start. 
But the fact it wouldn't start even on push start leads me to think it's fuel-related.

Well, thanks to anyone who has input!

Sam


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## darksleeper1 (Dec 8, 2008)

hmmm have yu tried removing the starter relay and shaking it to ear if sometin was loose inside ? something is moving around for shure might even be inside the starter ...or 
the fuel pump, next time you park that way shut everything off in the car, radio and what not, try to listen for the pump coming on and building the pressure when you turn the ign key on but not actually starting the car...if you ear it then go to the fuel rail and look for pressure at that place if it's there then get your attention on the starter circuit. 
does pressing the brake pedal while starting make a difference or not ? do you have extra stuff hook up like remote starter ?
is it auto or manual ? if auto do you put hand brake before putting it in parking position..thinking about the neutral switch adjustment but... it should not even make a tick if it was that .
that stater take it's ground by the engine try taking one side of booster cable and make an temporary extra ground between engine and batery or chassis.
bad ground make relay freak usually with a tickaticktillidie sound

..hope i gave you an idea to go with 

and the tick a tick thing.. is it the relay flippin or does the engine turn over trying...i did not catch that part.

anyhow do some readin from the shop manual about the starting system 
there is 2 diagnostic procedure might give you an hedge....
don't ever rely on a dealer tech for proper diagnosis,i used to be one and saw so many stupid stuff over time that i changed trade....people are people
and some are lazy or stupid so....


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## SPEEDO (Jun 9, 2003)

clicking is usually caused by low voltage..... I would start checking connectors etc, something is loose where its not making contact (at least good contact) when it is on a incline.


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## darksleeper1 (Dec 8, 2008)

*you're absolutly right*



SPEEDO said:


> clicking is usually caused by low voltage..... I would start checking connectors etc, something is loose where its not making contact (at least good contact) when it is on a incline.


Speedo is absolutly right, bad engine ground and or loose and hanging 
connector would make a parasitic resistance and
lower the voltage available to the starter circuit,

i have this weird theory that the engine ground are bad and when park downhill the engine assembly shift a bit forward or basculate from original position on the engine mounts, which somehow could be the one supplying ground when the car is level, that's why i suggested to make up a ground with some booster cable.

by the way, i got a '02 xe and found out that the chassis ground just beside the overflow tank and the engine head ground just above the alternator were pretty dirty and corroded ... i was looking for an intermittent missfire
found nothing cleaned them grounds up and the missfire disapeared

B.


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## WHO (Jun 19, 2005)

Thanks for all the great input. Since the evening after my original post, my car would not start at all, and the symptoms were much clearer, I was simply not getting enough power from the battery, I figured it was a bad cell and replaced the battery with my summer car's Optima red top. No problem since.

But I still figure to keep an eye on those problematic grounds and whatnot after the input I got here (but perhaps will wait until it's not -20 or snowing 1 foot of snow outside) so thanks again everyone for the comments/hints!


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