My 97 Nissan Altima cuts off randomly with no warning. Sometimes starts right back up, and sometimes needs to sit 10-15 min before starting. I have replaced the fuel and air filters, valve gasket cover seal, spark plug wires, and mass air flow sensor with no luck. Any suggestions?
Check for trouble codes as a start.
Any testing needs to be done when the problem is happening. If you were to test the ignition circuit, you would want to do it when the engine had stalled-and when it wouldn't start right back up.
If you could isolate it to happening in one circuit- ignition circuit, charging circuit, fuel pump circuit, injector circuit-you would be a long way to finding what it is.
To test the ignition circuit, you check for spark, so buy an inexpensive spark tester from a parts store and carry it with you. Wait for the random stall. Quickly try to restart at least a couple of times-you want to test for spark when it doesn't want to start right back up. Then pull off a plug wire and hook up the tester, crank the engine and watch for spark-may need a helper-grab a bystander! If you have no spark, you have isolated it to the ignition circuit, very good, now think ecu, ignition module, ignition switch, crank position sensor, associated wiring and grounds...couldn't be the coils, plug wires, or spark plugs-it's intermittent-but just isolating it should give you some hope.
If your test does show spark, quickly try to restart the engine, if it starts the problem went away and you will have to wait for testing for another time. If it still won't start, at least you have eliminated the ignition system as the problem, ...make a plan B. I would dither-electrical problem, probably gas or ignition related, too random to be a pump motor, or the injector circuit-it could be a bad connection or ground in one of those circuits, though.
Start with the code check. Maybe you'll luck out and have a code to follow.
SOURCE: Have an automatic transmission, 2001
It sounds to me like you have replaced everything except the most likely cause of your idle control problem...The Idle Air control. (IAC) (or Idle Speed Control Valve) It is located onthe throttle body and looks like the picture below.
SOURCE: 2001 toyota celica vaccum leak, po171 keeps comingon
problem is most likely your purge canister itself.
SOURCE: idles rough lack of power
I imagine that the check engine light is on and if so what are the trouble codes? Sounds like a miss in at least one cylinder. If you provide me with the 8'th character in the vin # and codes if any, I'll try to be of more help.
SOURCE: i have a 2001 nissan altima and sometimes my car
If the gas filter is due, I would replace it as a matter of course. The mass air flow sensor is a possibility...try leaving the mass air flow sensor wire harness unplugged to see if the car runs better. If it does, probably it is bad. However, I would also check the exhaust for a restriction (eg. cat converter could be plugging up), one way to check that is to hook a vacuum gauge to the engine to see if you get normal values. (vacuum should hold steady @ about 20 Hg with engine at 2500-3000 RPM, with no fluttering or drop-off). Also, ensure that all your vacuum hoses are good, and that there are no vacuum leaks (leaks will make a hissing noise).
SOURCE: What does a code PC300 mean on a NIssan Altima 2003 2.5S
p0300 means multiple misfire detected. did the fuel pressure check good? are you getting ignition fire to the plugs from the coils? the crankshaft sensor is in a difficult spot and the connector can be hard to get on sometimes. double check the connector and also make sure the terminals in the sensor didn't get bent while plugging it in.
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