Car would just turn off on me when I would stop at a red light or stop sign

Tiny
JENNIEEE92
  • MEMBER
  • 2005 NISSAN ALTIMA
  • 2.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 188,000 MILES
Well, for about two weeks my car would just turn off on me when I would stop at a red light or stop sign. So I would turn off the car and turn it back on and it would turn on (happened to me like four times). After that it happened to me again but would not turn on anymore. I went to go get it tested and a two cylinder misfire popped up. That same day I check it out and notice there was oil in two of my spark plug, but also noticed the seal from the valve cover was broken. So I bought a new valve cover. I replaced the valve cover and bought two ignition coils with all four new spark plugs. Cleaned out both the spark plugs/ignition coils that had oil in them and after that my car turned on for that whole day. I went to AutoZone to make sure there was no more codes so I had them test it again and the same code (two cylinder misfire) and a Po445 code popped up. They told me the code would take a couple of miles for it to go away and the p0445 might be due to the two cylinder misfire so I payed no mind and went about my business. Around three am I got stuck at a store because my car would not turn on. I have been reading of what it might be and they were saying starter, fuel pump. (I have another car same make and model, 2006 that has not been working because of overheating). So I took that cars starter and replaced it with mine. I also replaced the EVAP canister (which I think was that p0445 code). At a moment my car would turn on for about thirty seconds but then turn back off. Today I was trying to hear the fuel pump sound but it seemed like my battery was drained, so I took it to AutoZone and left it there so they can charge it but called me and told me the battery was bad. So I immediately bought a new one brought it home (thinking this might have been the problem all along) and connected it to my car. I was tightening the end is to the negative and positive with a wrench. On one of the ends it sort of sparked and as of right now my car still will not turn on. I ordered a new fuel pump and currently waiting on that part to see if that is the issue.
Monday, June 25th, 2018 AT 9:15 PM

7 Replies

Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,474 POSTS
JENNIEEE92
Could you please tell me what the car does when you try to start it? Does it turn over fine but will not run or does it do nothing when you try to start it? All the dash lights come on?

A bad battery could cause other problems like the alternator may stop working but with a new battery it should still turn over and start. To see if fuel is the problem an easy test is to spray a little starting fluid into the intake. If it fires and tries to run you have a fuel problem. If it does not there may be a spark problem.
Testing for spark is not hard but it can be shocking!
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-test-an-ignition-system
It is also very possible the issue is a bad relay but run those two tests first.
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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
JENNIEEE92
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
When l I try to start it it sounds like it wants to turn on but it does not. And yes the dash lights come on. We tried starting fluid too but nothing. How can I check the relay? I do not have a manual in my car and the cover on my fuses tell me which one is the fuel pump fuse, but I have looked up relay and it is suppose to be one of those black box fuse, right?
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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
JENNIEEE92
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Can it also be because I did not gap the spark plugs? I just took them out the box and put them in the car.
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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,474 POSTS
Would not be the plugs as you had it running after you replaced them. If using starting fluid did nothing it is likely that you are losing spark. For that you will want to test for spark first.
You say "it wants to turn on, but does not" Does the engine physically rotate or are you hearing just a clunk or?
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+1
Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
JIS001
  • MECHANIC
  • 3,411 POSTS
Just to add to it, if the scanner has live data then I would also monitor the RPM to see if the crank sensor is giving a signal it is trying to crank over and start. If there is no RPM then you will not have injector pulse and no spark. Here is a useful link on how to check a crank sensor:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-crankshaft-sensor

Hope the information is helpful and let us know if it helped.

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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
JENNIEEE92
  • MEMBER
  • 4 POSTS
Well yesterday it sounded like the car wanted to turn on. Today I tried it but it sounded like a clunk.
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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 13,474 POSTS
If you turned the key and it just went clunk and does not rotate the engine you have a power drain that is shunting power and draining the battery or a bad connection in the electrical system. This could also be the reason why the car shuts off randomly as it would act just like you turned off the key.

Check both ends of the battery cables for clean and tight connections as well as the one to the alternator and the engine block and engine to body grounds. A bad connection might carry enough that the lights and such work but the starter will not because it draws a lot of power. Then because the connection has a high resistance it heats up and the resistance gets high enough that it shuts off.
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Sunday, April 25th, 2021 AT 1:33 PM

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