Any mechanics out there?

There are only two reasons a vehicle will not crank. It isn't getting fire, or it isn't getting fuel.

Start with the fuel filter (probably has multiple ones) and work up from there. Could be an oxygen sensor, but with no codes, probably is something small.....

I call fuel filter too.

maybe some kind of vacuum leak that gets plugged up then cleared??

If it was a chevrolet, I would check the fuel pressure first. Second, I would check for water in the fuel, ethanol absorbs moisture. Since It's a nissan, I would trade it in on a chevrolet.:-)

James

Fuel delivery would be a more consistent problem.

1) have you ever changed the battery? Test it
2) have you ever changed the alternator? test it
3) did you fuel up at a sketchy gas station? bad fuel?

Loose wire, bad connection or bad chip in your computer controlled ignition system. Probably by changing out computer control components until you find the bad one would do the trick. That is how I repaired my pickup a few years ago, much cheaper than towing it around for others to not solve the problem and bill me anyway. You can buy a lot of replacement chips for what the towing and mechanics bill would come to. Buy a Chilton's manual or the equivalent and have at it. Its broke now, so you can't hurt it much.
jud

Check fuel filter or pump. Sounds like the fuel pump is on the verge of dying. Does it seem like it's starving for fuel?

My 02 Frontier died on me at around 100,000 miles. I thought it was the fuel filter, which I had happen to have with me, so I changed it right there and it started right up. Drove to my destination 3 hours away no problem. Parked it for a week and it would not start. Then it started. Then it wouldn't start. Turned out to be the fuel pump.

There was a recall on the pumps for my model (except for mine...) and the dealer fixed it for free. I called Nissan direct and played phone tag with them a little, but I was polite and they agreed to fix it for free even with that many miles on it. Thank god because it had over a half a tank of gas in it...

The fuel pressure is good.

I asked the question on JustAnswer.com and received an answer from a "Nissan expert". We'll see in the morning. Hopefully he is right. He said they've had problems with a certain relay. Swap it with the rear defogger relay and see if it fixes it, he says.

ditto the fuel filter - fuel to air mixture type source.
of course I'm not a mechanic, but I do stay at Holiday Inn Express when travelling 🙂

Loose nut behind the wheel?

If I were to venture a wildassguess without looking at it I might say look at the O2 sensor while you're in there looking.

It can screw with the fuel/air mixture in variable amounts and times..but you should have gotten an error code with that.

I'm thinking the computer is shot if you are not getting a code. Hopefully a new computer will turn up a minor problem. If the computer is good, I will not ruin your day on what it might be (had a similar problem with a subaru).

Crank Sensor?

Somewhere hidden in that engine is a magnetic sensor that tells the computer that the crank is going around. If it is not working properly the computer will not output fuel or ignition because it thinks the engine is nor turning over. It usually sets no code becaue if the engine is not turning over it is not supposed to output fuel and ignition. Just because you can hear and feel the engine turning over, the computer cannot. Most crank sensors are hidden in such a hard to get at spot that the labor to replace it is easily ten times the cost of the part. And that is after you have the car towed in a few times and a few hours of checking.

I have had a Jeep that required a new crank sensor. It was 6 months before it failed 100% and was finally figured out. I mean it is embarassing to have the tow truck show up and it just starts.

Paul in PA

Crank Sensor?

> Somewhere hidden in that engine is a magnetic sensor that tells the computer that the crank is going around. If it is not working properly the computer will not output fuel or ignition because it thinks the engine is nor turning over. It usually sets no code becaue if the engine is not turning over it is not supposed to output fuel and ignition. Just because you can hear and feel the engine turning over, the computer cannot. Most crank sensors are hidden in such a hard to get at spot that the labor to replace it is easily ten times the cost of the part. And that is after you have the car towed in a few times and a few hours of checking.
>
> I have had a Jeep that required a new crank sensor. It was 6 months before it failed 100% and was finally figured out. I mean it is embarassing to have the tow truck show up and it just starts.
>
> Paul in PA

I had a similar problem with a crank sensor. The dealer had no problem figuring it out, but I had to pay about $8 for overnight shipping for the part. The rest was covered under warranty.

As a current owner of a 2000 X (that will be traded in for new X next year), I have a couple of ideas:

1st the normal Xterra Forum Questions that we all ask:

how many miles, what year, manual or automatic?

Possible fix:
1) and most likely the cause, check the Mass Airflow Sensor (AKA MAS). That is what your symptoms sound like to me and a common problem.

2) Have they check the fuel sending unit? There has been a recall on 1st generation models with corrosion on the contacts. And there was even a recall on the early 2nd generation models due to fuel gauge not reading correctly (b/c of fuel sending unit).

Typically with the above mentioned poss problems the computer almost always throw a code. Typically it will be a misfired/knock sensor P3032 code. Which is about as bland of a code there is.

Now if you current problem is MAS then it will not always throw a code.

SIDE NOTE:
Here is something else you will need to on the look out that does not pertain to your current problem:

From the early 2nd gen Xterra (2005-2009ish) have a defect (that will not get recalled) with the design of the transmission cooler and radiator. Apparently the cooler lines pass thru the radiator. This causes said lines to fail and allow radiator fluid into your transmission. If it is not caught early enough or the aftermarket bypass not installed, it will ruin/destroy your transmission.

Nissan has decided it is better to just extend the warrenty to 85k instead of issuing a recall. But the problem usually doesn't show up until about 85k. go figure!

Check out the Xterra forums. There is ton of info.

Most diagnostic tests need to be done at the dealer these days. They are not sharing their source code very well with others.

These new engines are designed to run on most fuels, even the ones lacking octane content and their problems usually are traced back to a sensor.

I stopped being a mechanic when the put a computerized chip under the hood.

When I worked on my cars I never worried about gas mileage. It was all about putting horsepower to the pavement with the least resistance between the spark plugs and the tread of the tires.

Start with the fuel filter, then the fuel pump...then get your wallet out...

Crank Sensor?

Once a mechanic goes through the crank sensor rigamoroll, they can sense the problem in the future. But everyone I talked with, they learned the hard way the first time.

Paul in PA

Ditto on the fuel pump, sounds exactly like what happened with a friend of mine's Sentra.