95 maxima se engine died on me 4 times!!!

[fkdash]

Maxima Se 1995 104K

i just got the car two days ago and was driving fine till the third day.

NOTE IT WAS RAINING HEAVY!!!

was driving todai and noticed i have low on gas. My girl friend walked to a nearby gas station did not know what gas to get and got about almost 3 gallons of regular (87). once the car started i drove to the gas station and noticed they did not have preium so i fulled it half tank of special (89) after about 5 mins of driving the car died on me. steering wheel would not turn nor would the car go. so i turned the car off and turned it back on. IT WORKS!!! continued driving and it died on me again this time in 10 mins. did the same thing and continued going home...den on the highway car died out and would not start for about 5 mins after trying to turn my car on over and over. finalli it started and den it died on me on the 4th time once i got off the bridge. after that i drove all the way home which was about another 30 mins of driving and car was fine...

does anyone know if the mixing of gases might of have done something? but the tank with regular (octane 87) was at Empty when i put in about half a tank of Special gas (octane 89)

or can it be water getting into my engine, due to huge puddles on the expressway.

or is there other problems or causes that i do not know about.

any help and info is appreciated.

cars- 98 accord lx i4
95 maxima se

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by fkdash

... it be water getting into my engine, due to huge puddles on the expressway....

Real life is more miserable than movies. News videos wont show how soon the machos had to swim/walk - after pushing into lakes... Buy a boat if u love driving in ponds.

[tela4422]

is your check engine light on? If so what are the codes?

[fkdash]

nope there is no check engine lights on except once on my 3rd die out on the expressway. but when i turned off the car and restarted it, light is off.

and in reply to buying a boat...

i don't need a boat and no i do like like drving in puddles. it is called New York City with pot holes everywhere and unavoidable puddles.

also i am wondering could of be water mixing with gas that could of caused the engine to die out. because i was just informed from my girlfriend that when she went to go get gas she left the container open. and told me that when she lifted the container up to start pumping gas, it felt heavier.

[Nahkapohjola]

Water splashin on engine will cause electrical shorts. Depending on location, things happen. If engine is warm, water evaporates after waiting, problems may go away temporarily or alltogether or cause bad burn/damage...

Under engine compartment there should be splash shields which help somewhat, if not, its easy for engine to get wet and die. Things like TPS are open water sucking 'buckets' which will not dry 'for a week'. Ignition =coilpacks is the first to be checked/dried. To dry TPS, spray in cleaner like this: http://www.cardomain.com/ride/748507/6

Ol locomotives do, but Maxima engine doesnt run with water but will surely die. If u still suspect water, add quart of alcohol into tank which will mix/blend and burn possible water along the gas.

If the car history has radiator/hose blown, glycol (=coolant) all over, the leftover microsize glycol chrystals in cracks will always be a problem in places whare water may cause a shor circ. These particles suck moist from air, dry as weather dries... nasty intermittent problems. Will need total washup.

[fkdash]

well i have spoken to 3 mechs todai and i was told so many stories...

they said that it can be fuel pump or injector
distrubutor, air intake, throttle, alternator or even the cat and maybe the mass air flow unit.

but i have checked and asked more questions

alternator usually doesn't let the car start...but my car died on me while driving.

as for the rest i did not get a response from them...and i was thinking that it could be the cat if it is clogs and it backfires...wondering if that might be the problem or could it be other problems that i listed or something else?

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by fkdash

well i have spoken to 3 mechs todai and i was told so many stories...

they said that it can be fuel pump or injector
distrubutor, air intake, throttle, alternator or even the cat and maybe the mass air flow unit.

but i have checked and asked more questions

alternator usually doesn't let the car start...but my car died on me while driving.

as for the rest i did not get a response from them...and i was thinking that it could be the cat if it is clogs and it backfires...wondering if that might be the problem or could it be other problems that i listed or something else?

Dont speak to those mechs any more... please:
1. the distributor is non-existent in your VE30DE
2. Injectors (six pcs) never commit group suicide = cant kill engine. Never.
3. U didnt stuff potatoes in air intake did u? Nooo. bad Air Intake joke.
4. You may drop alt and still drive. Sorry. (After dropping alt, 'one hour' drive time as batt dries - the no startup no never - until get new electrons...)

5. MAF. Yess, that can short and kill engine. Verify by Disconnecting it and start engine, 2k rpm safe-mode ceiling...

6. CAT? Yes, the (smashed) pota-toes may travel and clog CAT...

[fkdash]

that is what i thought about the distrubutor and the alt.

the only thing when i heared about some problems is the cat and the mas which could of been the problem.

i hope i can find out the problem soon. do need the car to get to work.

[Nahkapohjola]

CAT may become blocked - normally gradual buildup. Can not see how it would be your problem...

DIY diagnosis as problem is ON:
-Check MAF voltage (have to buy 5$ multimeter).
-Disconnect MAF to tst, starts immediately if MAF is your source.
-Check fuel pressure (pump sound? stiff fuel hose?)
-Check for spark, get one spare plug ready, connect for testin, ground and view while startin

[fkdash]

well my uncle went to the shop with me today and he used to be a mech. he looked at the car and told me it could be the fuel pump not pumping correctly where it might of have lead my car to die out on the road. and today, the car WOULD not start so i just placed an order on a new fuel pump and i hope that fixes the problem. installing it tomorrow.

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by fkdash

...i hope that fixes the problem. installing it tomorrow.

Easy tst is to feel for hose stiffness=fuelpressure. If pressure is ok, pump swap doesnt hlp. Possibly saves money/work -if- checking items before buying. If no pressure, I'd suspect pump relay/fuse/wiring before pump... voltage check at pump connector tells 'their story'.

[fkdash]

WOW my uncle is correct...for someone who stoped working on cars for about 10 yrs is better than my mech.

took the gas tank out and removed the fuel pump....GUESS WHAT I SEE

WHITE STUFF ALL OVER IT...

FOUND OUT IT WAS SUGAR!!!

so there is SUGAR in the TANK with the gas
SUGAR in the FUEL FILTER
SUGAR in the FUEL PUMP and everything around it

not sure if there is sugar in the gas lines, engine and things that connect to it... and if there is will my engine continue to die out like that...i mean for a 104k car...itz pretty sad that i have to junk that engine...and especially when i just got the car on saturday...

well i hope there is no sugar in the gas lines or engine...i mean there is a gas filter so i hope that filtered the sugar out...but den wondering if some small particles went thru and if that would hurt my engine...

so now i just placed an order on a gas filter....

and i did not install the new fuel pump yet due to the fact of how i have to clean the gas tank now...

and the original owner denys the fact of how the car died on him before...

-who the hell puts SUGAR into the gas tank???

[Nahkapohjola]

Originally Posted by fkdash

... i have to junk that engine... -who the hell puts SUGAR into the gas tank???

There are plenty - who are goin t-here... the Matthews ol "...parable put He forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way."

Dont junk, clean. Sugar is water soluble:
- put water in tank,
- pump/let water flow through system:
- bypass first fuel regulator (attached to intake) with a hose,
- take out fuel return line which is fitted into tank ...
- let the pump run 'ten gallons' water through the system.
- try to clean regulator and re-install
- now do some starting also to make water go/clean through injectors

Hopefully now whole system is clean, take water out, fill with gas, replace your filter...

[fkdash]

just spoke to my mech before and he says that he is not gonna pump water through the whole system. only thing he is doing is washing out the gas tank, changing the fuel pump and the things around it.

but he is not gonna check the gas lines or the engine due to him saying how there is a gas filter so the sugar would not get into the engine etc...

and i am here thinking sugar is so small and fine...i think it might get into the engine even witht he filter.

i don't know...any suggestions?

[Nahkapohjola]

Possibly he is right. If he gets it running, then he IS right; so let him do as he sees fit (nothin will be lost