Trouble shoot this.
 

Ok, so the wife drives an 00' Nissan Sentra that's a good car. For the last month when you try to start the car for the first start of the day it makes a weird noise (starter oriented). Not grinding, but just an abnormal noise, and then starts up.
Last week it was really cold outside, we go out to start the car, and it won't start. It sounds like the starter is spinning, it just doesn't seem to be contacting the flywheel. I'm thinking bad starter.
Today I go out and just let the starter spin for a couple seconds. I do this maybe 10 times until the car starts to slowly putt, then it fires. Drove it around, seemed fine. Now it's warm, shut it off, and it fires right up.
I opened the oil cap while it was running because I was gonna put some lucas in it, and there is alot of air coming out of the oil filler cap hole. After warm up the car seems to be fine starting, idleing, driving, these are just all of the visual things I see.
Now I'm thinking it could be the original battery is just slowly going out on me because once the car warms up, you can shut it down and start it no problem. I just don't want the wife to get stranded somewhere after the car has been sitting in the cold or something. (well, maybe that wouldn't be so bad. :-X ;D)


Battery?


(thanks for reading my novel)

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Battery sounds right. Just roll down to pep boys and see if it's any good

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

The starter is spinning, but the motor is not?
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Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

theres some corrosion around the neg terminal. I took it off and cleaned it, but I just want to make sure before I spend money to make sure what I'm fixing is correct. I say starter or battery, but the car started right back up numerous times after running for a couple minutes.
Also, the oil cap filler hole and the air coming out of it struck me a little weird too. That was just an observation I made, but the car is running and everything fine. No leaks, nothing, just lots of air coming out of there when running. ???

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

You're rings are shot. Go get a new motor. :P

If the starter was spinning and not the motor, I would say it's the starter.
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Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

It sounds as if the starter is spinning, but the solenoid isn't kicking it out to contact the flywheel. But after the car runs for a little while, I can start and stop her as many times I want, which leads me to think that it's not the starter, but the power to the starter after a cold night.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

see, that's what the hell happens when you move to cold places like minnie soda. the hmt socal crew educated me on the fact that if you have air coming out your oil filler deal you have mad blow by.

and what the hell are you doing putting lucas into your cars? didn't you see the thread on how crappy that stuff is for anything other than tractors?

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

...but that's what all the Minniesodians are doing and Steve just wants to fit in with his new neighbors. :P
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Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

I agree. Most likely the starter going out.
You can have your battery tested at most auto parts stores to rule that out.
Good luck.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

If the battery was bad then you wouldn't have the same problem for a month. If you can hear the starter spinning that means that it is getting power, I think that it may be like you said, the solenoid.

One other thing. It hasn't even begun to get cold. The lowest so far was like 35. There will be weeks at a time steve where it doesn't get above 0. Those are the times when you can tell who has maintained their car well.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Well, the reason why I think it's the battery is because when this does occur, it's always the first start of the day. Like the motor sits all night and the battery kinda goes into relax mode. When you start it you hear the sound from the starter, but driving around town doesnt make the sound anymore.

In the morning- the sound but it starts
drive to store, start car again -normal
drive to target, start it-normal
next morning -the sound

Do you think in between driving around during the day the alternator is charging it up enough to when you come out of the store the battery is charged enough to kick the starter and the solenoid? And then when the car sits over night the battery sits and loses a little steam and that's when you hear the noise, when the battery is falling just short of kicking out that solenoid, but has enough to spin the starter?

Thats how I feel, I just want someone to tell me that I'm on the right track.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Next time, before you start it, turn your headlights on. See if they are as bright as they should be. I also heard in cold weather it's a good idea to turn your headlights on for a bit before you start it, but I don't know ---- about cold weather. 8)
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Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

take the battery to get tested, you can also get the starter tested if you take it out. most auto parts stores do this for free.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Stealthmode

the battery kinda goes into relax mode...
Thats how I feel, I just want someone to tell me that I'm on the right track.

---

you are definitely on the right track.
i hate those relax mode batteries. hahaaa
Forget Stealthmode, your new name is Relaxmode.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

:-X :-X

if it only happens in the morning.
i`d leave it like that until it finally breaks down.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

I'd change it, but then people wouldn't know where to get oil lines. (I gots me a rep to withhold 8))

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Steve be sure to use 5-30w motor oil in that engine or sentras have a hard time cranking over with thicker weights of oil. We've had alot of no starts with this type of situation. I'd definatly check the battery, clean the corrison off the terminals really good, and you should be fine.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Thanks for returning my call Mr. Nissan. :P
I'm gonna get a new battery, but I'll definately check out that 5-30. Is that correct for the cold ass whether they have here? ???

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Yeah, you would want thinner oil for colder weather. 20-50 would be like sludge over there in Antartica. :P
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Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

I highly doubt that it is your battery. Think about it, the starter spins but doesn't kick out obviously your solenoid in the starter isn't working properly, its probably just sticking cosidering the car is fairly new. If your battery was so shot that it couldn't engage the starter then there is no way in ---- its gonna turn over. Wow UTI has actually taught me something!

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Platty, the car only does this in the morning after the car has been sitting. It hasn't done it in a couple days now.
I'm just thinking if the starter was bad, it wouldn't work correctly at any time. ??? But it works fine shortly after driving it, hours after driving it, it just does it in the morning sometimes. ???

lol, UTI. ;D

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

Stealthmode,
If this is only occuring in the mornings when its fairly cold outside I'd say your actuator that kicks out your pinion gear is sticking probably due to the cold weather. Check all your connections to your starter. If your battery was so fucked it couldn't kick out the actuator it would never start your engine! Something has to be loose or the starter is plain fucked
keep us updated

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

You know, I had a problem kinda liek this with my dsm, engine would crank, nothin would happen, im like wtf, and i took it in,a dn it was my gas cap, it had no ventaliation, and that was it, it kinda threw me off

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

yup yup.

the first # indicates viscocity @ lower temps, the lower the # the better for cold.

the second # indicates viscocity @ higher temps, the higher the # the better for extreme heat.

this is why road race cars should never use a xw30 oil. breaks down @ a lower temperature then xw50 would.

Re:Trouble shoot this.
 

i've heard that sentras dont like cold weather
better by her a HONDA



I just relized its my 1 year anniversary here
on HMT thanx for all the gifts U fucktards
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA