2002 Nissan Altima 2.5 changed spark plugs, can ran great, this morning care would not start again. We thought it was the spark plug wires, but realized that down below the spark plug it looks like oi

Jackson Hisey

• 99 Answers
• Posted on Nov 26, 2008

SOURCE: Nissan Maxima 1996 wont start

There was a common issue on these vehicles involving the ground from the transmission. The negative battery cable bolts to the transmission. Over time the mating surface of the trans to the engine will corrode causing a voltage drop between the engine and trans. This throws off the 180 signal from the crank sensor and the car will do exaclty what you are describing. The absolute best fix for this is to remove the trans, clean the mating surface on the engine block and the trans, chase the trans mounting bolt threads in the engine block and bolts, apply some dielectric grease to the mounting surfaces and reinstall transmission. I know this is a big job, but many have tried to short cut it with no better results.

SOURCE: 1995 Nissan Maxima won't start, not battery.

You may have bad solenoid, starter/battery/solenoid connections, or gound.

Check voltage at starter solenoid when somebody turns key to start. That is where the starter switch, or relay, sends the voltage to pull in the solenoid coil through small wire. I think the solenoid is on the starter for this car, but it may be separate. Autozone has an excellent web site with car-specific repair guides and instructions. You should see 12V at solenoid every time the key is turned to start.

Check big power cable to starter that runs direct from the battery for tight connections. If you have a separate solenoid, then another big cable runs from it to starter. A loose or bad connection could be the culprit. Also check starter mount bolts. They need to be tight for a good solid electrical ground. You also need good ground from frame to engine. Its a long shot, but sometimes the ground straps come loose or burn. You can easily check this by measuring resistance between engine block and negative battery terminal. It should be zero or darn near zero (less than 1 ohm ?).

The solenoid is really a heavy duty swich to handle the high amp load to the starter. It works by a coil that pulls in the big switch. The coil operates from the starter switch and needs onlyt low current and small wire. If the coil wires burn up or there is a bad connection, it won't work. Hope this helps.

SOURCE: Low idle and hesitation when driving

i had a similar problem, with a different car though, and it turned out that the seals in the fuel pumps had been eaten away by the ethanol in the fuel i was using. i had the fuel pumps replaced as well as the filter and switched to a different fuel that contained no ethanol and i haven't had a problem since.

SOURCE: 1997 nissan altima will not start

OK...Some cars use a "prime" relay and a "run" relay on the fuel pump. since manually priming it seems to work, I'd check and see if you have a similar system. If so, the prime relay may be bad.

SOURCE: 2002 Nissan Altima 3.5 "Choking & Jerking"

I just had the same problem with my '02 altima SE.
Took it to Buckeye Nissan in Hilliard OH. and they had to replace the two crank sensors which.
The sensors themselves were about $44.00 a piece, but w/labor about $300.00 was the total. Hope this helps.....Now if I can just get the heater working!