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Nissan Altima 2009: Morning phobia


Djamel

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It’s nice to have dedicated car community for GCC cars here. I recently moved to Dubai from London and purchased a used 2009 Nissan Altima with 180,000 Kms on the clock. I have driven this car for 300 kms and since then car is not starting at all in the morning, but it starts in the evening. I am trying this since few days and everyday this car is making me late for office, as it just doesn’t want to start and then I have to take my wife car and she goes in taxi because of me. One day I even jump start the car and it still didn’t succeed. Every day I come in evening and start the car and it start fine in couple of cranks, but same car fails every morning in 100’s of crank.

Can someone please help in identifying the problem or may be this car don’t like this winter weather which is not as severe as London (which is surprising) and still car misbehave like this in morning. According to previous owner battery is just one year old and every time it fails to start I can see the interior lights and headlight work fine, so that’s ruled out. Is there anything wrong with oil, spark plug – should I change them all…?

Please help.

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Hi Djamel,

I am sorry to say, but many Altima's and Sentras have this problem, and not even Nissan seems to know what causes it.

The OBD system often records a fault code related to the camshaft position sensor, but sometimes, it also shows fault codes for the crankshaft angle sensor, and at other times, it will show codes for both sensors, or no fault codes at all.

In some cases, the problem goes away after replacing one or both of these sensors, but this might not apply to your car, since there seems to be no single cause of the problem.

Nissan mechanics sometimes fix the problem by replacing the timing chain, but this is an expensive option, and it does not work in all cases.

I know this is not of much help, but the fact is that even the symptoms are not the same for all cars with this problem. Nonetheless, replacing the cam and crank sensors seems to have the longest lasting effect, but  the problem can return after a few days, or even the very next day.

As I said, there is no single cure for this problem, but if I were you, I would do the following: 

1.) Replace the camshaft position sensor, and see if it works.

2.) Replace the crank angle sensor to see if it helps.

3.) If neither replacements have any effect, have the ECU reprogrammed or replaced. This has is known to work in some cases , so it might work for you as well.

4.) You could also try keeping the ignition on for about 30 seconds before trying to crank the engine in the morning. In some  cases, the fuel pressure regulator does not work in low temperatures, but by keeping the system pressurised for a period of time seems to make it work again, but this does not always work, or cure the problem permanently. In any case, it is a hassle to wait for 30 seconds before you can start a car, but replacing the fuel pressure regulator is  known to have cured a few cases.

5.) In some cases, replacing the oxygen sensor cures the problem, but only when the check engine light has been coming on when the engine is cold.

The really bad news is that in more than a few cases, nothing anyody does makes any difference, and even Nissan dealerships sometimes give up, which of course, does not help you at all.This is one of the most difficult problems to fix on any car, and the above solutions may, or may not work for you.

Sorry I could not be of more help, but this is one of those issues that does not have a clear cause, or a difinitive solution, but can you keep us posted on what you find? Your solution might be of use to other members here who have the same problem.

Edited by treks
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To start with OBD scanner is a good idea to see what fault code is registering. If no fault code is registering, try changing the spark plugs to the exact OEM type as previous owner might have installed the wrong plugs. As some spark plugs are cold used for hot countries and other are hot used for cold countries to counter the external heat. May be your car has colder plugs that is why it's freaking in 15-20 degrees in UAE at the moment. Worth experimenting this at first, as it's the most cheapest experiment you can do with consumable item.

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This seems might unrelated, but try to maintain the fuel tank level above 25% as in some cases if fuel level is too level and fuel pump has some issue in pumping fuel then this strange behavior shows when car starts sometime and does not start some time.

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