Crank but will not start

Tiny
KSLLUDWIG
  • MEMBER
  • 2009 NISSAN PATHFINDER
  • 4.0L
  • V6
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
All the lights are on. It cranks every time but it will not start.
Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 AT 6:18 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
When you say the lights come on, I assume you mean all the dash lights turn on like normal when starting the vehicle but the engine just won't run?

If so, here is a guide that we need to go through that will cover the basics:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-cranks-but-wont-start

We need to confirm three things. Fuel, spark at the right time, and compression.

If this just started happening with no warning, we can assume compression is okay for now. We may need to come back to it but the more common causes are fuel and spark.

Try spraying some starting fluid in the intake and see if it fires. If it does then it is fuel related. If not, remove one of the spark plugs and reconnect it it the ignition system and hold it against the block. Then crank the engine and see if it sparks.

Let me know what you find and we can go from there.

The most common cause of this is a crank sensor so depending on the results we can go after that.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/symptoms-of-a-bad-crankshaft-sensor
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Wednesday, February 19th, 2020 AT 3:59 PM

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