97 Pathfinder stalling

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bucata206
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:32 pm
Location: Bremerton, WA

97 Pathfinder stalling

Postby bucata206 » Tue Aug 15, 2017 2:02 pm

Hey guys,

I just started driving my Pathinder full time again and I'm making steps in making reliable. Today, I started the car, it idled rough then died within a few seconds. I turned the key off then started it again and it ran just fine. It happened again at the store then a third time at O'Reilly's.

I used an OBD2 scanner and got an error code for the knock sensor and for the MAP sensor. Does it sound like one of these sensors could cause the stalling issue or is it something else?

I had a similar issue a few months ago where it died as I tried to leave a store and wouldn't start again until I got a jump.

Any help is appreciated! Thank you in advance!


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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Tue Aug 15, 2017 7:51 pm

The knock sensor won't cause a drivability concern, but the MAP sensor would and could cause the engine to run in a way that triggers the knock sensor.

bucata206
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:32 pm
Location: Bremerton, WA

Postby bucata206 » Tue Aug 15, 2017 8:00 pm

smj999smj wrote:The knock sensor won't cause a drivability concern, but the MAP sensor would and could cause the engine to run in a way that triggers the knock sensor.
Perfect thank you! I'll swap out the MAP sensor and hope that fixes it! I'll keep the knock sensor I bought just in case it needs to be changed eventually. I've seen that it's a nightmare to change the knock sensor....

jetstream87
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Postby jetstream87 » Wed Aug 16, 2017 11:02 am

bucata206 wrote:
smj999smj wrote:The knock sensor won't cause a drivability concern, but the MAP sensor would and could cause the engine to run in a way that triggers the knock sensor.
Perfect thank you! I'll swap out the MAP sensor and hope that fixes it! I'll keep the knock sensor I bought just in case it needs to be changed eventually. I've seen that it's a nightmare to change the knock sensor....
Just an FYI ensure the knock sensor is Nissan OEM, aftermarket parts on these cars can fail in a couple of months later.

bucata206
Posts: 16
Joined: Sat Apr 10, 2010 8:32 pm
Location: Bremerton, WA

Postby bucata206 » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:27 am

So my Pathfinder has now gone from starting and immediately stalling to not starting at all. I went to start it to go to an appointment this morning and it would crank but would never fire and start. Anyone have any thoughts?

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smj999smj
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Postby smj999smj » Wed Aug 23, 2017 10:51 pm

You need to find out what's causing it to not start. Try spraying carb cleaner into the engine and then try to start; if it starts, you have a fuel delivery issue. If it doesn't start, check for spark. If no spark to plugs. If no spark to plugs, remove cap and crank engine, watching to see if rotor turns. If it doesn't turn, the timing belt has likely broken. If it does turn, you may have a bad distributor, cap or rotor. If you have spark to plugs and it wouldn't start on the carb cleaner, check for fouled spark plugs and perform a compression test.


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