# 99 sentra wont start



## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

We washed the car, pulled it into the garage, 30 minutes later, it wont start, it turns over, the fuel pump runs, and all the fuses are good. I looked under the hood, thought maybe something got wet, but everything was bone dry that i could tell.
this is my fiance's car and i admit i do not know much about these cars as I am a buick guy...my next thought is the distributer, I guess I can unscrew it and look at it, but i dont know what i am looking for...maybe the "botton" is worn?

any help is appreciated, as we need this car tomorrow morning.....

thanx
dan boden

[email protected]
gnpilot1 aol IM


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## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

update....
car is on its way to the dealership  
towtruck guy thinks its a timing belt gone bad.....like i said before, i know nuthing about these cars, is this a common problem...what am i looking at paying?

thanks
dan


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Hey,
Your car doesn't have a timing belt. It has a chain. That isn't a known or likely problem. I doubt that is the case. However you never know.

Seth


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## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

ok, thats cool to hear....i am hoping its a crank sensor...or maybe MAF, as was suggested to me by a buick friend.....

dan


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## HKS20DET (Nov 8, 2002)

i had the same prob. on a 98 ford explorer. i was told to replace the throttle body positioning sensor. after that it was fine. maybe the same prob.?


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## SRV1 (Sep 29, 2002)

check the distributor cap for moister since you just washed it.


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## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

as i mentioned, i looked under the hood for water, everything was dry...including under the cap


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## dookie (May 21, 2002)

mine had the same exact problem. turned out the battery terminals were slightly corroded and there wasn't enough contact on the cable. just try cleaning the terminals before you pay a mechanic to look at it.


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## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

dookie, i did go out and attempt to clean them...they arent sparkling or anything, but if the car turns over, wouldnt that mean there is enough contact on the terminals to give a spark?

its sorta too late, the dealer has the car...wont find out until tomorrow what they think....


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## acrophobe (Nov 12, 2002)

The distributors are bad for burning the cam position sensor up inside the distributor on the 99 sentras if you have no spark i have a feeling that is what has happened


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## evilgn (Nov 24, 2002)

well here is what they told us
the starter was going bad and was causing the motor to flood and foul out the plugs.....i dunno but that sounds like a load of crap...but seeing how we had no choice, we had to let them do what they wanted and cost us 450 bucks...i put money it was a sensor, or the dist.....i even suggested that to them but how was i gonna argue with em? oh well

dan

thanx for your help guys


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## sethwas (Apr 30, 2002)

Hmm,
Flooded motor makes sense not to start. But a bad starter causing that? Well, I once had fouled plugs from them getting wet, but i just dried them and no mo probs. But yours is a different story.

Seth


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## SilverSentra99 (Oct 23, 2002)

Check it out

I know somepeople might argue with me about it but you might want to check the water level in your battery, Most places will tell you its Maintenence free, but there is no such thing. Ever wonder why there are two caps on the battery where you can conveiniently place a flat tip screw driver under. Just flip them off, be careful to not get the water on you , Use Only Distilled water , or Ionized Water when you do this, use a funnel or paper cup and pour slowly. you know its low if you see the water level below the top of the slots on the walls of the 3 tubes under the two caps, it should be filled, to the top of the groove. 

The battery relies on a chemical reaction between the water and acid, to charge properly, if there is no water you get a week charge, and we dont have battery meters so you need to check it once a year. 

doing this on all of our cars will help us start our cars faster, get a better spark and help the wear and tear on our batteries,if you drive to long with out water your battery might not ever charge. 

Everyone should check this now. especialy if your battery is OEM, and Half Empty like mine was, Mine is a 99 too.


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