[olddatsun]

Ok, I know there is lot's of stuff in here about Sentra flooding problems but I can't seem to find a good breakdown of a sensible path to follow to solve the problem. This vehicle is not mine but I have the reputation of being the "car fixer" around our church so I get all the calls from single moms, widows, etc. about car problems.

The vehicle in question is a 1994 Sentra with 1600 cc engine and automatic transmission. I believe the car has about 110,000 miles and a rebuilt engine. About two months ago I got a call that it would not start and smelled like gasoline. I proceeded to check it out and did the following:

- new fuel filter
- verified fuel flow (not pressure)
- new plugs
- new wires
- new distributor cap
- new rotor

Well after all that it still wouldn't start. I had to quit at that time and the owner had it towed to a garage the next day and guess what....it started right up. Aaaaaarghh!

Ok so it's been running fine until two weeks ago and it flooding again and won't start. The owner is a widow and on a very limited budget so I'm trying to get the most from what money she spends on parts. I've read all about flooring the gas pedal, drying out the plugs, etc. Also, that it happens a lot in cold weather; not here in South Texas! Could it be fuel pressure regulator, coolant temperature switch, timing belt....?

There seem to be a lot of knowledgeable folks here and I'm hoping someone has run these traps enough to help me start on the best path trying to save this person some hard earned money.

Thanks,
Olddatsun

 

[Kindfiend]

Ok, I know there is lot's of stuff in here about Sentra flooding problems but I can't seem to find a good breakdown of a sensible path to follow to solve the problem. This vehicle is not mine but I have the reputation of being the "car fixer" around our church so I get all the calls from single moms, widows, etc. about car problems.

The vehicle in question is a 1994 Sentra with 1600 cc engine and automatic transmission. I believe the car has about 110,000 miles and a rebuilt engine. About two months ago I got a call that it would not start and smelled like gasoline. I proceeded to check it out and did the following:

- new fuel filter
- verified fuel flow (not pressure)
- new plugs
- new wires
- new distributor cap
- new rotor

Well after all that it still wouldn't start. I had to quit at that time and the owner had it towed to a garage the next day and guess what....it started right up. Aaaaaarghh!

Ok so it's been running fine until two weeks ago and it flooding again and won't start. The owner is a widow and on a very limited budget so I'm trying to get the most from what money she spends on parts. I've read all about flooring the gas pedal, drying out the plugs, etc. Also, that it happens a lot in cold weather; not here in South Texas! Could it be fuel pressure regulator, coolant temperature switch, timing belt....?

There seem to be a lot of knowledgeable folks here and I'm hoping someone has run these traps enough to help me start on the best path trying to save this person some hard earned money.

Thanks,
Olddatsun

My first guess is leaking injectors. If your going to check the o-rings you might as well replace them. Possibly a distributor or coolant temp sensor problem, but that's less likely. I wouldn't rule out the starter, unless it cranks fine. The fuel pump or pressure regulator could also be the problem.

Did you verify it has spark?

The GA16DE has a timing chain, which is good for a long time. The chain tensioners usually need to be replaced shortly after 100k miles. Worn tensioners can cause a lot of problems. You can tell they are going because you will hear a constant "swishing-scrapping" sound on the passenger side of the valve cover. However, I never seen a car stall (and then start later on) because of worn out tensioners.

As you can see, there's a ton of things that could give you a no-start condition. Best you can do is narrow it down to a specific area by making sure there is fuel, spark, and compression. Good luck!

 

[Catman]

Not sure of cause, but have a few thoughts. Weak coil? Injectors dirty/leaking? Coolant temp sensor or sensor harness? I flooded my car over a year ago. I replaced the coil, with no luck. It was recently tuned. Towed to my mechanic. He said it sounded like it did not have compression. Removed plugs, and squirted oil. Finally started, but smoked initially. Oil light came on a stoplight. Changed oil, and have had not had problem since. The gas from flooding washed the oil off cylinder walls and thinned out the oil. So, maybe changing oil would help.

 

[olddatsun]

My first guess is leaking injectors. If your going to check the o-rings you might as well replace them. Possibly a distributor or coolant temp sensor problem, but that's less likely. I wouldn't rule out the starter, unless it cranks fine. The fuel pump or pressure regulator could also be the problem.

Did you verify it has spark?

The GA16DE has a timing chain, which is good for a long time. The chain tensioners usually need to be replaced shortly after 100k miles. Worn tensioners can cause a lot of problems. You can tell they are going because you will hear a constant "swishing-scrapping" sound on the passenger side of the valve cover. However, I never seen a car stall (and then start later on) because of worn out tensioners.

As you can see, there's a ton of things that could give you a no-start condition. Best you can do is narrow it down to a specific area by making sure there is fuel, spark, and compression. Good luck!

Kindfiend....thanks for the help. The starter works fine but I have not checked the fuel pressure nor the o-rings on the injectors. I have also not really paid any attention to any timing chain noises.

olddatsun

 

[olddatsun]

Not sure of cause, but have a few thoughts. Weak coil? Injectors dirty/leaking? Coolant temp sensor or sensor harness? I flooded my car over a year ago. I replaced the coil, with no luck. It was recently tuned. Towed to my mechanic. He said it sounded like it did not have compression. Removed plugs, and squirted oil. Finally started, but smoked initially. Oil light came on a stoplight. Changed oil, and have had not had problem since. The gas from flooding washed the oil off cylinder walls and thinned out the oil. So, maybe changing oil would help.

Catman...thanks for the help. I will try to oil in the cylinders thing and see if that make any difference. I also did not change the oil so I need to check to see if it is all right; otherwise there may be some engine damage.

olddatsun

 

[sunnysentra]

Your coil went bad. Ify ou smell gas, its pumping into the exhaust and now fuming into the exhaust. Pull the plugs out and let the fumes escape for a few days. Buy a new Nissan Coil or get one from a low mileage junk yard car. I bet this is your issue. You can test for spark buy pulling off the wires, take a good plug, put it on the end and touch it to the ground of the engine holding the wire boot. I suggest pulling the Fuel pump fuse to quit pumping gas into the motor. Crank the motor and look for a good clean blue spark. If you really have no spark at all or it looks weak, then, replace the coil.

Mine went out on me a few years back, car stumbled and then backfired and stopped, checked the spark and fuel and lots of fuel because the plugs were wet and gas smell. So its the coil!
Chris 92 classic

Ok, I know there is lot's of stuff in here about Sentra flooding problems but I can't seem to find a good breakdown of a sensible path to follow to solve the problem. This vehicle is not mine but I have the reputation of being the "car fixer" around our church so I get all the calls from single moms, widows, etc. about car problems.

The vehicle in question is a 1994 Sentra with 1600 cc engine and automatic transmission. I believe the car has about 110,000 miles and a rebuilt engine. About two months ago I got a call that it would not start and smelled like gasoline. I proceeded to check it out and did the following:

- new fuel filter
- verified fuel flow (not pressure)
- new plugs
- new wires
- new distributor cap
- new rotor

Well after all that it still wouldn't start. I had to quit at that time and the owner had it towed to a garage the next day and guess what....it started right up. Aaaaaarghh!

Ok so it's been running fine until two weeks ago and it flooding again and won't start. The owner is a widow and on a very limited budget so I'm trying to get the most from what money she spends on parts. I've read all about flooring the gas pedal, drying out the plugs, etc. Also, that it happens a lot in cold weather; not here in South Texas! Could it be fuel pressure regulator, coolant temperature switch, timing belt....?

There seem to be a lot of knowledgeable folks here and I'm hoping someone has run these traps enough to help me start on the best path trying to save this person some hard earned money.

Thanks,
Olddatsun