Crank no start issue

Tiny
SPAYTON22
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 NISSAN PATHFINDER
  • 4.0L
  • V6
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 240,000 MILES
Vehicle listed above is an SE model. My husband had just gotten home from work and around 45 minutes later I went out to go start the car to go to the store. It had a good strong crank but wouldn't start. I had a mechanic come out and look at it this evening and replace the crankshaft position sensor. I have no codes on my car. The mechanic checked the fuses, relays, codes, fuel pump, etc. Nothing was wrong. He decided to ground the coil packs to see if they were sparking, but there was no spark. I'm at such a loss, what could cause this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thursday, January 27th, 2022 AT 6:10 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,779 POSTS
Hi,

I attached three pics below. Pics 1 and 2 are from the powertrain management schematics. Pic 3 is of the power distribution box under the hood.

Now, if the crankshaft position sensor has been replaced, we next need to know if there is power getting to the ignition coils.

The first thing I need you to do is open the hood, remove the cover from the fuse box and inspect fuse 53 (see pics 2/3 below). In addition to making sure the fuse is good, you need to also confirm there is power to and from it. Here is a link you may find helpful:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

If the fuse is good and has power, remove the ECM relay highlighted in pic 2/3 below. If there is a different relay having the same part number, switch them to see if it makes a difference. If there isn't one, here is a link that explains how to test the relay:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit

If both the fuse and relay test are good, we need to check for power at the coils. Pic 1 shows there are three wires at each coil pack. Each has a black which is a ground. The other wire colors differ from coil to coil. For example, coils 3, 4, and 5 you will be checking the white wire, coils 2 and 6 a light green wire, and coil 1 will be an orange wire. With the key in the run position, these wires should have power. If they do, move to the next step.

If there is power, we need to locate and check the black wire in pic 1 that I circled and highlighted. That is a common ground for all coils. It will be on the left side of the engine. Check it to make sure it is tight, not damaged, and not corroded.

Let me know what you find.

Take care,

Joe

See pics below.
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Friday, January 28th, 2022 AT 7:44 PM
Tiny
SPAYTON22
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Thanks Joe. I had tried everything you described and wasn't able to get anywhere. I called a guy and had it scanned with a computer, everything is pointing to my computer. If buying the new computer fixes the issue, I'll give another update. Thanks for your time!
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Saturday, January 29th, 2022 AT 11:44 AM
Tiny
JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • MECHANIC
  • 109,779 POSTS
Hi,

Were you getting power to the coils? Not saying the computer isn't bad, but it's odd for them to fail like this. Usually, there are indicators that something is starting to fail.

Regardless, if you can, let me know what is found.

Take care,

Joe
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Saturday, January 29th, 2022 AT 1:53 PM

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