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I am out of ideas..

2K views 8 replies 3 participants last post by  rgeyer 
#1 ·
I have a 2006 Nissan Frontier. The engine all of a sudden had almost no power and was consistently showing a P0300 code. I have replaced the fuel pump (needed one for the gas gauge anyways) the crank position sensor, maf sensor, plugs and checked pretty much everything else. The truck will not even start now. The last time it ran it showed a crank position sensor bank 2 error for the first time. I read that it could be due to a weak battery. I have a new battery now. It seems to be sparking on bank 2. I pulled the new plugs out and bank one looks all good (the 2 that I could pull) the new plugs on bank 2 are dirty and soaked in gas. So I am assuming it is something that is just affecting bank 2. I am down to either a plugged back cat on bank 2 or the cam position sensor but since there is spark I am not sure. I would love to hear if anyone else has had this problem or has any other ideas. I have spent alot of money already and dont want to replace something that is not the problem... Thanks in advance :(
 
#2 ·
Replying to my own post

The truck was acting like a loose or skipped timing chain issue however that was the last thing I considered as it has low mileage and well maintained. There is a class action lawsuit against Nissan in the US and Canada over issues with the timing chain tensioners.
 
#3 ·
Here is a short list of possible causes for P0300

- Faulty spark plug (s)
- Faulty ignition coil (s)
- Clogged or faulty fuel injector (s)
- Intake air leak
- Fuel injectors harness is open or shorted
- Fuel Injectors circuit poor electrical connection
- Ignition coils harness is open or shorted
- Ignition coils circuit poor electrical connection
- Insufficient cylinders compression
- Incorrect fuel pressure


Read more: P0300 NISSAN Cylinder Misfire Detected Random Cylinders | AutoCodes

Good luck, Z

p.s. Please post back when you get it sorted out and what you believe was the remedy.
 
#5 ·
I think I have found the issue. I have an ELM327 diagnostic thingy and when I turn the key I get .3v on sensor 1 bank 1 and .6v on sensor 1 bank 2. Even though it is not throwing a code (it is still within range) I think it is sending signal that it thinks it is lean on bank 2 and the ecm is telling it to send more fuel. I haven't pulled it out yet but this may explain it flooding on bank 2
 
#7 ·
It could be. Unplug the sensors and see what reading you get on the scan tool; it should still be .3 volts. The ECM has an oxygen sensor fail safe mode in case the circuit to the front oxygen sensor fails. If the circuit fails, it will fail safe to 0.33 volts to run the vehicle (it internally generates the voltage within the ECM, so it'll show up as 0.3 volts if you test the circuit...or, at least from the ECM pin to the break in the circuit), which is good enough to run the engine safely until it's fixed and not let it cause the improper reading to cause the ECM to run the engine too lean or too rich.
 
#8 ·
Problem solved. It was none of the things I thought it was. My compression tester is in my storage locker buried and I assumed that with only 130k on it that compression was not an issue. I finally got a free loan of a compression tester from a local auto parts store this morning and the two cylinders on bank one that I could get at were at 80 psi. (not enough for combustion) on bank 2 two cylinders were at 90 psi and 1 at 120. After pulling the injector fuse I pulled out the plugs and cleaned them off and cranked the engine a dozen times over a few hours. I put about 2 table spoons of oil in each cylinder and cranked a few times then out in one more tablespoon ... Voila compression is all at 140. First crank it fired up right away. It was running pretty good but all of a sudden it started to hiccup. I changed the oil just to make sure it did not have gas in it which is very possible. The engine ran a bit rough and a bad banging sort of sound was coming from the engine and I thought maybe some internal damage had occured. I took off the oil filler and exhaust was pouring out. I also got a p0301 misfire code. I should have pulled the intake on cylinder one and done the same thing as the others. So tomorrow I will pull the intake and put some oil in cylinder one. I am confident this will fix the remaining problem. This condition is called cylinder wash. It occurs when the cylinder is flooded a bunch of times and there is no upper cylinder lubrication. After I get it running good again I am going to pull the brake booster line and pour some Lucas Fuel Treatment (it is an upper cylinder lubricant and injector cleaner) into it then reconnect it and fire it up. I also will make sure to use a heavy dose of it in the gas tank. I may be going a bit overboard but I want to make sure the upper cylinder is well lubricated again. It took me a long time to come to this diagnosis and chasing alot of red herrings but I am stubborn. I hope this helps someone else who may encounter this issue.. R
 
#9 ·
I forgot a couple of points. The cylinder wash was a secondary issue.. I am not sure what the primary cause was but it could have been the fuel pump or maf sensor both of which I replaced and after doing so neither of these fixed the no start problem. By cranking the engine so many times without ignition i created the cylinder wash situation. If anyone tries this understand you will send up some smoke signals right after start up but it will clear quickly...
 
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