Nissan - Xterra :: 2001 - Died In Heavy Rain?
Nov 28, 2012
Last May I had the distributor replaced in my 2001 Nissan Xterra. Since it was replaced my car has shut off while I am driving three different times, separated by weeks to months, and only in heavy rain storms. When the car does shutoff it takes up to 15 minutes until it will start up again. In each case, once the car restarted it did not shutoff again. I recently noticed a correlation to heavy rain because I did not have any problems all summer long ( I live in Oregon where it never rains in the summer) and then last week in a heavy rainstorm the car shutoff while I was waiting at a red light.
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I have a 2002 Nissan Xterra with 94K miles on it. Sometimes after I start the car it shakes and sputters. This has been going on for a couple weeks and I didn't really think anything of it. Today as I was backing out of a spot, the car started shaking again and then the engine died and the check engine light came on. What that could be?
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My 1990 Honda Civic DX died in heavy rain. Diagnosis: Need new alternator. Got it. Car immediately started surging loudly whenever idling. Took it back to the shop. 3 mechanics huddled for 3 hours and couldn't figure out what was wrong. Quick fix: Deactivate IAC. They said I should be good for a couple of months. Took one 25-mph drive around the neighborhood. Car ran very rough; panel under steering wheel jolted loose. Made it home but now car won't start. Battery is fine. Wonderful Firestone manager is willing to look at car again. I'm broke after the alternator on top of paying the IRS in April and really want to keep my generally reliable car (only 255,000 miles), at least through the hot South Florida summer.
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My Nissan xterra 2001 is smoking after turning off engine. Thermometer is showing normal temp. Check engine light is blinking.
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I have 2001 Nissan Xterra SE 3.3L V6. A few weeks ago my car started to overheat while going through the grapevine (mountain pass in SoCal). After filling it up with coolant, I took it to the shop. They couldn't figure out what exactly was the problem. It passed the block test and such. They said the top hose was swelling up as if something was blocking it. They also said my car was going through about a gallon of coolant. They replaced the water pump, thermostat, and the top hose. they also replaced the timing belt.
After driving the car for an hour, it started to overheat again. This time, I took it to the Nissan dealership. They said the timing belt was off by 2 teeth and they think that's why it overheated, so they fixed that problem. They also did a cooling system test and found no leaks.
I got the car back and it still overheats. After the turn off the car, I see coolant being bubbling back into the reservoir almost to the top. Also, my radiator was replaced about a year ago.
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My 2001 6cyl 4x4 Xterra is a clogged gas tank vent solenoid, or as it is called now a "Vapor Canister Vent Valve". For the last 2 or 3 years, very infrequently, the vehicle turns completely off while decelerating (sometimes at very fast speeds so I have learned to be calm and put the car in N and turn the key and keep going with the flow so to speak). It also, either during a stop in idle or accelerating very slowly and steadily, makes popping sounds directly under the left back seat--which is where the gas tank is located. It sounds like the tank (or a metal can if you will) is being sucked in until it gives making the popping/banging sound against the car (underneath).
The other issue this problem seems to be linked to is the engine light coming on when the tank pops. I have had that diagnosed too, and it just reads "engine knock sensor". My previous wonderful mechanic, who moved about 30 states away, is no longer available but he did tell me it sounds like a blocked or clogged gas tank vent solenoid. He also said it's not a big problem per se, but at some point I should probably replace it. Sometimes there are 6 months that go by with no popping, stalling, or engine light coming on. So maybe 'bad gasoline' also plays into this issue?? I did an internet search recently and found a replacement part called a vapor canister vent valve. My question is how easy or hard is this thing to replace? Can it simply be 'blown out' with an air hose, or otherwise 'cleaned' instead of replacing it. The only thing scarier for me to fix than home electrical wires would be anything dealing with GAS.
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Several weeks ago I made another thread because I was having crankshaft position sensor problems and essentially that was due to a short on the sensors wires which had become exposed. I replaced the sensor and it still did not work until later trying another brand which solved the problem.
I also changed all six spark plugs, wires, and plenum gasket with OEM parts. I was able to get to the back three plugs by following this tutorial with the guidance of a friend who is a mechanic. After getting this done, the car has run way better and smoother.
However, today it has been raining heavily and I needed to run an errand so I went to my car and turned the key but nothing happened. All the dash lights turned on and appeared normal. My radio works, lights work, etc; but I can not get the car to crank at all. I hear the fuel pump turn on and everything else sounds normal, but still no crank. There are no sounds from the starter at all, it is silent when I try to get the car to turn over.
I took a look at the car and the coil pack seems dry, the plug wires are secure, plus we had put di-electric grease on all those connections. The negative terminal on the battery has a solid connection. I even tried jumping the car to see if maybe it was due to the battery, but again nothing happened.
This has only happened once before when it was raining, before I had changed the plugs and wires, but I was able to get it to crank over after about 4 minutes of waiting and contemplating getting a tow. I took a look at all the fuses and they appear to be intact.
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I have a 2001 Escape I bought new so many years ago. It only has 90k miles. The other day I drove it to work running fine. It rained REALLY hard that day and when I came out to go home it would barely start, missing really bad. Limped it home and into my garage where I examined it for water under the hood. Nothing. Started pulling things apart, nothing on the engine, around the coils, in the spark plug conduits, etc., dry as a bone. Let it sit for a couple of days and no change. Replaced the coils just for grins. Drained the fuel from the injector assy, looking for water. Nada. Verified spark, fuel, compression. Still, very difficult to start and when it does it's only running on cyls 1,2 & 3 because I can disconnect the coils on 4,5,6 and it makes no difference.
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I have a 2000 Nissan Xterra. About a month ago it stalled while I was backing out of a parking spot. When I turned the key, the engine turned over but wouldn't start. A few minutes later it started and I drove it on a long road trip. It was fine until today when it stalled when my husband was going around a corner. He waited a few minutes then it started. Now tonight he started it, drove down the block and it stalled again. This time it won't restart.
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I can get my car to rev past 4,000 rpm in gears 1-4 but in 5th gear it wont pass 3,000. It used to be fine, but one day it was just like this and hasn't changed since. This is annoying because where I live some of the speed limits are at 75mph. When I'm in 5th gear at 3,000 rpm I'm only going 65. What can I do to fix this? Reset ECU? Clean MAF sensor? Is it related to an approaching timing belt failure (I'm at 94k miles and it needs to be replaced before 105k)...
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My 2003 Nissan Xterra has recently had a few things go wrong up until now I knew how to fix. Now I have only HOT air coming out of the interior vents. It doesn't matter what I do. I turn the knob to cool and turn the AC on and no cold air. I know that cool air isn't being introduced to mix with the engine air. What are some possible solutions and areas to look at.
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I have a 2003 Nissan Xterra, and have been having starting issues for while. Everybody who does a starting diagnostic test says everything is ok and working. Over the past 18 months, I have gotten new battery (charge is fine), replaced starter ( fine), distributor cap (wires, sparkplugs, cap, also fine.) Alternator has tested fine also, have not replaced this yet. The delay seems to be getting slightly longer, but once kicks in car starts fine. I have put too much money into this already to fix problem that has not gone away. Something is wrong and nobody has a clue Side note, no problems with engine, just takes a few seconds to start.
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2000 Nissan Xterra 2x4. 185,000 miles. I recently took the car to the mechanic a couple of days ago and had the IACV/TPS sensor replaced. Afterwards I had to tighten the throttle cable because of a grinding noise. Now the car putters slightly, then it seems to come close to stalling. This occurs while idling, while parked and at red lights, as well when driving. While in motion the car shudders and shakes slightly, as if on a bumpy road, but its fresh pavement. While these symptoms occur the RPMs (avg=900rpms) fluctuate; spiking to nearly 2,000rpms then plummeting to 3-400rpms. Notes:
(1) I found that the wire coupling on the distributor was broken (Probably Mechanic). However, the metal prongs for the coupling seem intact (Picture).
(2) Not original distributor (from Cardone Select), I do have the original though.
(3) Spark plug wires are original (old) except for 1.
(4) Spark plugs are a bit old, not that old though I think.
(5) It occurs more often during the cold, snow, and rain.
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I drive a 2004 Nissan Xterra. About 3 weeks ago I started out to run some errands and as I was pulling out of the parking lot the brake light came on. I pulled over and depressed/released the parking brake a couple of times and it stayed on. I proceeded to run my errands and after about 10 - 15 minutes the light went out. The brakes seemed to be working normally the whole time I was driving. When I got home I checked the brake fluid level and it was about halfway between min and max.
Since then the light has come on three more times. Each time the outside temperature is below 15F. It does not come on when the temp is higher. After driving for a short time the light always goes off.
Could there be freezing in the brake lines? Should I have the brake fluid flushed and replaced? I've searched my recommended maintenance schedule and this doesn't appear anywhere in it. The recommended brake fluid for my vehicle is DOT3.
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When I make right turns. Its as if the power steering does not work. It is not constant, no issues making left turns, and seems to happen more often in cold weather. About 5 years ago i had a recall to replace the steering column and thought that may have been the issue but took my car in for the recall, they replaced the steering column and still have the same issue.
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8 months ago i had a blown head gasket and went with a total new engine replacement. I did not use my usual mechanic but another repair shop that had a good reputation due to the price of a the new engine. My car ran well for about 2 months then i started to notice 2 issues. 1) when i applied the brakes hard the car stalled on me and 2) when i put the car in drive there was about a second hesitation before the car would drive. The hesitation (slipping) only does it when the car is in drive gear (auto transmission) and after a few moments of the car runs well even when i park it and restart it the rest of the day.
It only hesitates that way the first time i drive it for the day or if it has been parked for around 4 hours or more. The stalling when i press the brakes hard is constant. I took the car back to the repair shop and they told me my 6 month warranty did not cover that issue cause it was not a engine problem; they said they can look at the car but to even look at it was another $150. I think they are wrong and trying to get more $ out of me so I declined and now my 6 month warranty is expired and i still have the issue. When the car is in idle the rpms are very normal and when driving the rpms are normal. What it could be?
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We recently replaced the engine in my 2003 Nissan Xterra and since then we have had a problem with misfires. When accelerating it will periodically. Bog down and the car runs so rough the whole thing shakes. Then it rapidly accelerates and smooths out. Then the check engine light flashes. We have replaced everything not nailed down-plugs, wires, knock, crankshaft and mass flow sensors and on and on.
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I have a 2000 Nissan Xterra with about 100,000 miles. When I start out and get between 45 and 55 miles an hour, it sounds like I am going over speed bumps in the rear end. I noticed that it seems to come on more when I let up on the gas and barely gas it again. What the problem could be?
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I have a 2006 Nissan Xterra. 2 days ago I went to put my daughter in the car, and the rear passenger side door wouldn't open. I climbed in from the other side and tried to manually unlock the door, and it literally would not unlock. All the other doors unlock and open both automatically and manually. Its two days later and we still can't get the door to unlock.
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I have an 09 Xterra with a 6 cylinder engine. It's been running fine, except for a noise that only occurs exactly at 1800 rpm. It's not too loud, almost like a rubbing/grinding from the engine compartment. Does not perfect performance at all, and barely noticeable with the radio playing. Noise does not occur in neutral, but does occur in any gear. I've been using a synthetic blend oil, and switching from conventional did not make a difference.
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I have a 2003 BMW 525i. A couple of years ago, after a heavy rainstorm, I found water in the footwell of the backseat behind the driver’s seat. I took my car to a mechanic and he mentioned the door’s vapor barrier and the vapor barrier was resealed. Again a heavy rain storm, back to the mechanic and the vapor barrier was resealed. This has happened three times and I feel that there is a problem somewhere that has been overlooked by my mechanic. Normally, my car is garaged, but when out of town, my poor car is at the mercy of the weather.
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