My car is a '95 Nissan Sentra with almost 80,000 miles. It wouldn’t start today. I hadn’t been experiencing problems before this.
The last time it started was last night when I moved it.
This morning it wouldn’t start. It did turn over and it kind of almost sputtered. I tried again in the middle of the day with the same results. Again tonight after the game, same results except now its seems like the battery may be running down just a bit (from trying to start it).
It has been real cold recently, its single digits right now.
There is gas in the tank, over 1/2 a tank. Up until recently I had been running it down til the gas light came on, but I did top it off when I last filled it up.
Any suggestions? I kind of assume/hope it may be from the cold. Is this a possibility? Is there any way for me to warm up a car that is outside and won’t start?
I am considering trying some of that stuff you put in the gas tank if its frozen or whatever (I can’t remember the name). Is this a good or bad idea?
There are theoretically lots of possibilities, and we won’t cover all of them, but here are some thoughts.
Fuel fouling of the spark plugs, suggested by your mention of moving it. If the engine was running less than a minute in such cold weather, and especially if the plugs are old, they may be wet with unburned gas. Using starting fluid (ether) should get it started if this is the case. A better but more involved approach is to remove, inspect, and dry the spark plugs, but I wouldn’t do that outside in this weather.
Weak battery (and/or poor connections to it). Any battery’s efficiency is significantly reduced when it’s cold, a marginal one may just not be up to doing its job. There can be enough power to crank the engine, but not enough left to run the ignition so as to generate sufficient spark. Using jumper cables with another vehicle’s battery, or charging (or replacing) this battery should get it started.
As you wondered, ice in the fuel. Adding a can of fuel de-icer (one brand is Heet) to the tank should take care of this. Give it about a minute to do its thing.
What to do: Since your battery is getting weak, start with jumper cables or a battery charger. Give it some time to build up a charge, and then try starting it. If it still won’t start, try the starting fluid. If that doesn’t do it, try the de-icer. If that doesn’t do it, I’m not sure there’s anything feasible to try in bitter cold–might be time to get it to a shop.
Do you know how old the battery is? Sometimes you can see the installation date on the sticker on top of the battery, if someone bothered to peel the month/date indicators. If your battery is more than 4 years old, or if you’re not sure, you should probably buy a new one, regardless of your current problem. Also, if the terminals are corroded or have build-up, clean them off. Cold weather greatly reduces your battery’s cranking ability, and a weak battery or one with corrosion on the terminals will cause starting problems.
If you’re anywhere in a northern climate, you should never let your fuel run to near empty in the winter. If you do have any water in the tank, and it’s cold enough, you’ll have starting problems. Your 1/4 tank mark should be your “time for gas” reminder.
I agree with other posters. Seen this kinda thing before.
Time for:
-New battery (95% likely to fix the problem).
-Tune up (new spark plugs, etc.)
-Change oil (use 5w30 or 5w40: synthetic if you can afford it)
-Add fuel line antifreeze.
I really appreciate the suggestions. I just got back from work, and I will be seeing what I can do with the car later this evening. I did pick up some iso-heet and some starting fluid. By the way, the battery is only about a year old, for what its worth. Thanks again for the help.
Well, in that case you’ll want to measure the reverse vacuum cannister pressure on the franistan bypass valve. All you need is a pair of W-clamps on the torsion ring and behind the seating junction. Use a hydraulic pull-bursion set to 3500 MPA. Then take your EEPROM burner and program an alternating firing sequence, start 'er up and the problem will be obvious.
We just bought a used car and were a little dismayed when we got the thing home and it wouldn’t start again. It would crank and crank and crank… but no start. It turned out that the relay to the fuel pump was stuck. $20 and a new fuel pump relay later, the car ran like new.
So yeah, it sounds like your battery may be weak (especially if you are like me and buy the el cheapo kind), but if that isn’t the case be sure to check all connections, fuses, relays and etc.
I betting on the fuel being frozen in the fuel line. My Toyota pickup was notorius for freezing up when the temperature dropped below 20 F. Adding fuel line antifreeze won’t do any good till the frozen fuel thaws. 15 minutes with a hair dryer would thaw the fuel line enough to start the truck. Don’t forget the lines under the hood too. I am always well stocked in fuel line antifreeze during the winter months.
Adding fuel line antifreeze won’t do any good till the frozen fuel thaws.
It’s not the fuel that freezes, but water in the fuel system. I have had success adding de-icer to ice-blocked gas tanks. The alcohol disperses through the gasoline and mixes with the ice to form an alcohol dilution which is liquid. In other words, it melts the ice.