n00bie needs help

[MTec]

hello zilvia,

im new to the nissan scene and recently picked up a 95 s14 about 2-3 months ago. up until recently i hit a snag with my car and im hoping someone can give me some inside information. so im open to any help anyone can offer that i myself can try without having to take it to a mech.

my situation starts out when i finally came home from a 3 day trip. i came home and my 240 sits outside parked on the curb. so i took in consideration that it's pretty cold out and i haven't started my car in over 3 days. so i hop in and give my engine a start.... the car cranked up and started for about 3-5 second... next thing you know it goes dead on me... i tried restarted my car, and now all it can do is crank... i thot it might have been my battery but i tested it to be average and all my lights and dashboard electronics come on..

i've come across 2 people that have given me road side talk when they passed me by and asked what was wrong.. they told me it could be my started or my fuel pump since the cold weather could have caused it to go dead on me since it was left alone for 3 possibly 4 days untouched since i was gone. they told me i should try giving the fuel pump a tap but i haven't found a good visible area to give it a tap since my car is lowered and standard jacks can't properly slider under the car to even lift it. if this is the case that it simply needs a tap can anyone give me an idead where else i can locate a good area to do so?

so this is my situation and im hoping anyone can help me out of give me some pointers. im new to the whole nissan scene like i said but im willing to learn off of anything that comes my way. hoping to hear some good replies thanks guys for taking the time out to help i appreciate it! :)

[fliprayzin240sx]

Why would you need to tap your fuel pump? You mean the starter? Doubt that its the starter since you said it's trying to crank. Did you take your battery to get tested somewhere? It almost sounds more like a weak battery than anything else. You probably have a parasitic power drain somewhere, causing the battery to drain when off. If you have an aftermarket stereo, I'd pull that off and double check to see if you have anything grounding out back there.

[dOMEmE]

Why would you need to tap your fuel pump? You mean the starter?.


Not tap the fuel pump itself, he would need to actually bang the shit out of the gas tank... get a hammer and with it side ways bang the bottom of the tank from under the car, sometimes the pump will get "stuck" if left un working for some time and banging it will loosen it. Have some one crank it when your banging it, if it starts replace the pump ASAP because it could happen again.

[MTec]

thanks guys for replying.

1. i do have an aftermarket stereo but i did have the battery tested after it was installed because after purchase of the car. the battery was my main concerned. it tested to be average.

2. it's kind of hard getting under to even tap it correctly with that being said im just wondering, why exactly does the fuel pump cause my car to not fully come on ?

[CrazyTrance]

If the fuel pump is not working there is zero fuel being sent to your engine, thus the starting for a few seconds and then dying.

There was probably a bit of residual fuel pressure left in the line or enough fuel to start and run it for a few seconds.

When you turn the car to the on position (dont try and start it), have someone go to your trunk and listen right above the fuel pump. They should hear it kick on for a few seconds when you turn the key to "on" to prime the system.

[silver350z05rb]

2 things you can do,1 is get a fuel pressure gauge and install it in the engine bay line that sends fuel to the fuel rail to see if the fuel gauge pressuse goes up,or number 2.....disconnect the fuel line in the engine bay and have someone crank the.car.to see if fuel shoots out of the line,be careful on the last one,the last option is free but will cost you some fuel, but its always good to have a fuel pressure gauge installed,it will help with future problems by using it as a diagnostic tool if your car fails to start again due to fuel.i wouldnt want to damage my fuel tank by hitting it lol

[Darren]

You mentioned that it was very cold, could you perhaps just be suffering from frozen / slushy gas? how cold are you talking about?

In extreme cold, without gas line antifreeze, your gas could conceivably freeze within a couple days.

Is there somewhere you can push it inside to help it warm up for a day or two?

[Mishkin_707]

The gas will freeze/slush up only if there is a very small amount of gasoline in your gas tank or if there is excessive condensation, it could just be your fuel filter all gunked up and in the cold the gunk froze or just go under the hood and look for the "eng cont" fuse I noticed a few few of my friends cars that when they jump their cars or have a slow start the engine control fuse blows and it wouldn't let the car start

[MTec]

thanks again to those who are helping me with my problem! im sorry that im giving such late feed back, i work 10 hour shifts a day so i barely get a chance to try these methods. to answer some questions my gas is actually sitting right under full because i rarely use my 240. if this is the case with my fuel pump does anyone have suggestions on which ones to buy in order to replace it? as for the fuel guage thank you for that ill take that into consideration :) . thanks you guys for being patient and helpful with this. im hoping to learn more about the pro's and con's of my 240.

[MTec]

@ darren ,

sorry i forgot to mention. i wouldn't exactly say its freezing temperatures. im from san diego CA and lately the nights do shoot down to atleast 35-40 degree's and it hasn't gotten a good start for about 3-4 days before my problem occured, due to i was on a trip out of town.

[s34n]

if this is the case with my fuel pump does anyone have suggestions on which ones to buy in order to replace it?

Replace it with oem fp

[Coleosis]

Not tap the fuel pump itself, he would need to actually bang the shit out of the gas tank... get a hammer and with it side ways bang the bottom of the tank from under the car, sometimes the pump will get "stuck" if left un working for some time and banging it will loosen it. Have some one crank it when your banging it, if it starts replace the pump ASAP because it could happen again.

I wouldnt try ^ just because these gas tanks are a PITA to drop, and if you accidentally crack it, you're pretty SoL (especially since it seems you dont even have a jack that will fit under your car)

If the fuel pump is not working there is zero fuel being sent to your engine, thus the starting for a few seconds and then dying.

There was probably a bit of residual fuel pressure left in the line or enough fuel to start and run it for a few seconds.

When you turn the car to the on position (dont try and start it), have someone go to your trunk and listen right above the fuel pump. They should hear it kick on for a few seconds when you turn the key to "on" to prime the system.


^ this, if the FP is working, you can hear it when you turn your car on (not cranking it, just key on) [It will make a faint whining noise]


If the FP checks out, I would take the alternator off and take it AND the battery to get tested (autozone does it for free)... I know you tested the bat a few months ago, but a lot can change in a couple months.



Also, if it is the FP thats the problem, be sure to replace the fuel filter at the same time.

[MTec]

thanks for the help guys. im back with a bit of knews but a little confused of how this can happen. i happened to hop in my car today during mid day when it was warm out and my car had started! im leaning towards the fact it might really be my fuel pump so i thank you guys for giving me the help and support. but im confused on how this occurs.? i did notice that when i opened my gas tank, what seemed like " air pressure " was released once i had unscrewed the cap. could this be a possible reason for my fuel pumps to stop working for awhile ? after the pressure was released. i left my car alone for a couple of hours and thats when i decided to give it another go! and then my car had finally come on!

[silver350z05rb]

Other than car not having fuel or low fuel, not sure why pressure should come out like that

[MTec]

^ im not sure either myself, anyway to get rid of this matter ? it seems to happen only after i put gas and let it sit for awhile until the next time i reopen my gas tank. once i unscrewed the gas cap i can hear a sudden release of pressure.

[Coleosis]

The release in pressure is normal to the best of my knowledge... I always start looking for a good place to fill up when I'm at 1/4 tank... It has pressure for me everytime I open it... Mine is a 95 s14 too.