# X-Trail starting problem



## Alistair314159 (Jan 20, 2010)

Hi, newbie here!

My father in law has a 2nd-hand X-Trail. It has been fine for several months but a week or so ago it failed to start. He got it towed to a dealer and they have been looking at it since then. Apparantly they did get it to start at one point but the problem still persists. The bill is currently around £250 and they have so far acheived nothing!

My F.I.L. has looked through the cars history and noticed the previous owner called out the AA to deal with a starting problem but he can get no more info about what the issue was.

Does anyone have any suggestions? I realise I am giving very little information here and I will try to find out more about the symptoms.

--- Alistair.


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## mgfiest (Sep 13, 2009)

Alistair314159 said:


> Hi, newbie here!
> 
> My father in law has a 2nd-hand X-Trail. It has been fine for several months but a week or so ago it failed to start. He got it towed to a dealer and they have been looking at it since then. Apparantly they did get it to start at one point but the problem still persists. The bill is currently around £250 and they have so far acheived nothing!
> 
> ...


Is it diesel or gasoline?


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## Alistair314159 (Jan 20, 2010)

mgfiest said:


> Is it diesel or gasoline?


It is a 2002 2.2ltr turbo diesel X-Trail SE Plus TD

Apparantly it turns over but does not fire. There is a red immobiliser light but this does not work as expected: it should be blinking when the car is locked but the dealer says it is extremely dim. My F.I.L did not think it was lighting up at all.

Looking at the history from the previous owner, the alternator failed and was replaced last april and 9 days later they had to call out the AA. The upshot was that the "immobiliser could not be reset" and a dealer had to reprogram the key.

Interestingly, the alternator failed recently and had to be replaced... The garage was made aware of this history this morning and are presumably looking into it.

Has anyone else experienced this kind of problem? All the symptoms are pointing us at the immobiliser but we could be looking in completely the wrong area!

--- Alistair.


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## solution (Jan 20, 2010)

I have spoken to Nissan and mechanic friends who hav given me a few options. Its either something to do with when its uphill the fuel drains back or a leaky injector?? My local mechanic has plugged it into his machine and no error codes were returned, although he thinks it could be a Nissan specific code?? Nissan want £80 to plug their machine in...


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## Alistair314159 (Jan 20, 2010)

solution said:


> I have spoken to Nissan and mechanic friends who hav given me a few options. Its either something to do with when its uphill the fuel drains back or a leaky injector?? My local mechanic has plugged it into his machine and no error codes were returned, although he thinks it could be a Nissan specific code?? Nissan want £80 to plug their machine in...


Do you have similar symptoms?

--- Alistair.


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## stuMcstu (Jun 23, 2007)

Alistair314159 said:


> Hi, newbie here!
> 
> My father in law has a 2nd-hand X-Trail. It has been fine for several months but a week or so ago it failed to start. He got it towed to a dealer and they have been looking at it since then. Apparantly they did get it to start at one point but the problem still persists. The bill is currently around £250 and they have so far acheived nothing!
> 
> ...


Hi Alistair 
My X-trail had a problem starting two years ago, and was towed to the nissan dealership as he could not get the car to start, his computer would not read my nissan. after a costly bill I ws told by the dealership it was the MAF [Mass Air Flow] sensor that needed replacing
A little sensor mounted between the turbo intercooler and the air filter.
After it was changed I had no problems for at least 12 months
however over the last 12 months my car has been cutting out and driving sluggish. I have been getting it to work only by changing the fuel filter every 3,000 miles until finally last weekend it would not stay running when you pulled away but was fine at idle. after phoning around and trying to get another [MAF] but not from nissan as they wanted stupid prices for a new one, I removed the sensor and cleaned it out with cleaning spray, the type that computer repairers use, it cleans and then evaporates leaving no reisdue, just for good measure I also blew it out with a can of compress air, again an item that the computer IT people use to blow dust out of circuit boards etc. re-fitted the sensor and replaced the cars main air filter as this was dirty. the car runs perfect no spluttering and pull like a steam train. 

sorry this is a bit long winded reply but after owning this x-trail for 4 yrs now I am getting pretty good at keeping this old bus going . [2002 Di Sport version]


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

*Nissan X trail engine not starting*

Problem:hi, my nissan x trail, 2007, diesel, manual 2.2 engine is not starting. 

Background: my flywheel was having problem, after replacing the fly wheel car went for 10km test drive it was ok. Once stopped, then again try to restart its never started. 1 month back my driver put petrol instead diesel, changed diesel filter/pump and car was running for 1 month

when i trying to start i get normal sound but engine is not firing. checked battery, starter, injector, fuel, all are ok. nissan technician given a reset to computer program still not started. computer showing error on nozzles, when nozzle/injector both changed, still its not starting. all electrical wiring checked. now they removed computer box and testing again. so far car has not started, can some one please help me. Looks like some small problem, but many guys worked still no solution, please some expert help.
my email is [email protected].


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

My guess is your crankshaft sensor. I am pretty sure your diesel has one. It would be 9 years old now, and well past its optimum performance. Surprised your check engine is not giving you an error code, but sometimes they dont apparently. It might be worth changing in any case, and it may fix your problem. Maybe talk to your mechanic about it.


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

Thank you quadraria10. Let me inform to my technician and revert.


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

hi quadraria10/any experts

Mechanic already checked crank shaft sensor, which is ok. Now they have taken computer box for testing with computer expert. I don't have any options left to start the car, please help if some one has some idea.


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

I may have that sensor on the mind, but mine is the same age as yours, and it needed replacement. Not sure how he checked it, but I doubt he removed it to look, and even then it might not be apparent its failing. If its like the gasoline engines that sensor is tucked away in back of the engine and not so easy to access. If the problem is the computer reading the signal, or there is electrical interference from a bad wire or ground point that would muck up things as well. Lets put it this way, its easier to pull the ecu and send it for analysis than it is to get at that sensor.

The only other thing that I could of would be your immobilizer system is malfunctioning. Have you not gotten any engine codes?


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

*Me, too!!!*

Mind if I join in? I have had two incidents of not starting, the first being about three months ago, and the second was a couple of days ago. Same thing, both times. It turned over and sounded like it wanted to catch, but wouldn't. After repeated attempts, it finally chugged to life and I gave it some gas and it was fine. Turned it off and on several times, and no more issues. This last time I looked to see if any smoke blew out and there was a nice little cloud of whitish grey smoke, which may have to do with it using some oil... The first time it happened, I got panicky and raced down to one of my mechanics, but he could not figure out why as it was fine then. 
Anyway, I had it into Fish Creek Nissan in Calgary at the end of April to take advantage of a special winter tire changeover which included a 200 point inspection, which to my shock, it passed. I would think if this was a starter issue or fuel pump or something, it should happen more regularly and something should be amiss when inspected...
Any ideas? Mine is a gas engine...


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Check my thread on cheap engine improvement, get your crankshaft and camshaft sensors changed to the updated ones. You will swear its new again. Trust me on this one Molly.
Hope all is well.


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

quadraria10 said:


> Check my thread on cheap engine improvement, get your crankshaft and camshaft sensors changed to the updated ones. You will swear its new again. Trust me on this one Molly.
> Hope all is well.


Is this forum in a time warp? It says I posted this yesterday!! Well, Quad, thank you very much and I do trust you! I will check into it this week!!

Hope all is well with you, too!!

P.S. After this last incident, my check engine light went off...haha!!


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Good stuff Molly. I know it will make a difference, and it will resolve a potential problem down the road lol. 

For Nissan2007, and anyone else looking into this, the following is a good read

Solving Intermittent Stalling Problems

The case study is particularly relevant. It provides an explanation why the sensor could test fine in a cold state, but prove defective when hot. As your engine will not start, we can conclude that it was cold for whatever tests where done. 

I find the situation you might be in troubling. It appears you and many people in the same situation, could get taken advantage of very easily, and wind up paying for expensive trial attempts in replacing different parts that dont resolve the problem. For what its worth in my readings of these forums over the years, most issues with the ecu are related to corrosion around the connecting pins. A visual examination and cleaning can do wonders. Personally I think this is only an issue if you live in a very humid climate, or if you have had a leak at the base of windshield or sunroof that has allowed water to drip behind the dash where the ecu is to be found. Maybe also if you have allowed a lot of water to get under the carpets where it develops mold, and keeps the humidity high in the car. Anyway please dont allow your mechanic to send his kids to college at your expense, unless that is something you care to do.

Please let us know the outcome, its always useful for others who may experience similar problems. That said, The X trail is a great vehicle, and there is nothing on the market in Canada in the small suv genre that makes me even tempted to replace it. In my experience they are durable if you replace parts when needed, and reliability has been remarkable in the six years we have owned ours which in now past 9.5 years of age. And changing these sensors for age reasons alone ensures that a likely future problem doesn't have to occur.

Moreover given the kit price I think it should a no brainer for anybody buying a used one and getting it up to snuff. Changing plugs is great, so is cleaning the MAF and injectors, as well as changing the O2 sensors, but based upon age and in the interest of maintaining your engines health, I think changing these now is the best move you can make.


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

hi Quadria10,

My computer box tested and tried in other nissan x trail, that car was starting, but when mechanic connected, my car not started again. Now mechanic told to check electrical wiring, car is in garage for 20 days, i don't have many options left now. planned to swap complete engine for the used one, but not sure it will work or not. crank shaft sensor again tested, please suggest is there any options left???


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

hi quadria10/molly/experts,
My computer box tested and tried in other nissan x trail, that car was starting, but when mechanic connected, my car not started again. Now mechanic told to check electrical wiring, car is in garage for 20 days, i don't have many options left now. planned to swap complete engine for the used one, but not sure it will work or not. crank shaft sensor again tested, please suggest is there any options left???


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Did you read my lost post and the link I provided? Change the sensor. It cannot possibly be properly tested when cold. Otherwise check your ground points for corrosion or a bad ground. If you leave it for another 20 days it wont start because the fuel will be old.


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

Thanks Quadria 10. Let me inform to mechanic


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

Hi Quadria10, we followed the link given and all measures, but still the car not started. I am believing mechanic is doing right check. Is there any way to check step by step flow/process from key start to starter, injection pump, nozzle, etc. to identify which part is failing?


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

Hi Nissan2007, 
As you point out there are a number of reasons why a car may not start. I assume your mechanic knows all of the standard things to check. I am not a pro mechanic, and don't know that much about diesel engines. Are there no codes stored? I do know that the security immobilizer system, will prevent it from starting if there is a problem that prevents it from recognizing the transponder chip in your key. Same deal with crank sensor signal, and the system can be sensitive. There are lots of examples of people using non genuine aftermarket sensors that prove problematic. Personally I don't see how an electrical check that comes down to good or bad, detects the level of détérioration or the actual quality of the signal link to the ecu. Clearly not changing it has not improved anything. I don't want you spending money unnecessarily, but it's sounding like you are paying through the nose for diagnostics that so far have not resolved anything. Not all mechanics are equal in terms of knowledge, experience and reasoning ability, maybe you need to find a better one who won't take a month to fix your car.


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## nissan2007 (Jun 8, 2016)

Hi Qaudria10, Iam just posting here so that it may help other readers also. Yes, there are mechanic worked on the car including Nissan certified from Nissan workshop. Now i taken my car Nissan full fledged workshop where they advised me to change the pressure pump as pressure is very low. I have changed this earlier by a used pressure pump which was not in that good condition.
Now they suspect on pressure pump, they says if the car starts after changing it starts orelse we need to check other things. Shocking how people work in automobile industry can we change one by one all parts and see where is the problem>>>> hmm


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## dogteam (Jul 22, 2016)

*Same problem?*

Just wanted to chime in here, having similar problem only with a gas 2005. Intermittently cranks but won't catch, not throwing any codes at all, scan says everything is perfect. Plugs and coils changed out, camshaft and crankshaft sensors replaced with OEM, looked a ECU and connections are clean and bright...problem getting progressively worse, very annoying. Mechanics have no clue, they would like to replace every part in the vehicle one at a time (and charge me for all of it, of course).

I just have to say here, this is the only industry that I know of where they can get away with this. When I repaired printers and photocopiers back in the day, I often had to swap out parts to troubleshoot, I get that. But it would never have crossed my mind to CHARGE A CUSTOMER for parts that DIDN'T FIX THE PROBLEM. Why should they pay for my inability to diagnose their machine? Seems to be the norm in the automotive industry, though.

This will be my last Nissan, for sure. But if anyone has any ideas (that don't cost thousands) before I tow it to the wreckers, fire away.

Cheers,
dt:crying:


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## quadraria10 (Jul 6, 2010)

When you say oem crank and cam sensors do you mean genuine Nissan ones? Apparently others can be problematic. How were the sensor connections? Could your battery or its connections be bad? Fuses or relays all check out? Maybe smj or rogoman can help you? Good luck.


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## Clogsparker (Oct 21, 2017)

Hi Molly ,
Curious to hear if you were able to resolve the non-starting issue with your X Trail ? Having a similar issue , had my crankshaft & camshaft sensors tested with an oscilloscope and they seem fine .
Thanks , 
Clogsparker


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## molly (Oct 31, 2014)

Clogsparker said:


> Hi Molly ,
> Curious to hear if you were able to resolve the non-starting issue with your X Trail ? Having a similar issue , had my crankshaft & camshaft sensors tested with an oscilloscope and they seem fine .
> Thanks ,
> Clogsparker


Hi there! Guess I forgot to post an update, sorry!!! Shortly after my last post, I had the camshaft and crankshaft sensors replaced, as per Quad's advice. And have not had that problem since then, so I guess that must have been it!!


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