# Car suddenly doesn't want to start... wtf? **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** nissan, 240sx, start\ **Created:** [October 3, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422 "2007-10-03T05:57:27Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 5:57am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/1 "2007-10-03T05:57:27Z")
Okay I bought a Nissan 240SX couple weeks ago, changed brakes and some bulbs that were blown. Today I went to a local autozone to buy some more things for it, after leaving the store i went to start the car and it would try to start but then eventually fall to 0 RPMS. After trying to start it several times it progressed to get worse until it wouldnt even recieve any gas at all. As of now I know it’s not the battery, alternator, or an ignition problem. The people at autozone said the car wasn’t getting gas to the engine. They said they couldnt work on the car so i’m stuck and I have no idea what the problem is. And i’m low on money now so I kinda want to buy ONE thing to fix it, and get it right the first time. Any suggestions on what I should check??? ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 6:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/2 "2007-10-03T06:40:02Z")
I hate to ask this but… are you sure it has gas in it? ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 1:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/3 "2007-10-03T13:16:07Z")
Is there gas in the tank? Is the fuel pump running? Is the fuel filter clogged? ---
**Author:** ![SteveF](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/stevef/32/2_2.png) [@SteveF](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SteveF)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 2:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/4 "2007-10-03T14:27:14Z")
So you kinda want to buy ONE thing to fix it, and get it right the first time?! Don’t we all. If only cars were so easy. Well, my guess is fuel pump. If that doesn’t do it, check back here. I’ll give you my second guess. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 2:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/5 "2007-10-03T14:47:36Z")
Haha yea, put $30 in before I went to Autozone. _Sigh_… Thought I fixed everything with my car, so I bought $100 worth of accessories for it only to find out it wont start, now I cant buy anything for it to fix it. Hopefully it’s nothing big. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 2:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/6 "2007-10-03T14:48:28Z")
Will do, need it towed to my house first. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 2:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/7 "2007-10-03T14:49:30Z")
Yup, gas in the car. I’ll check the fuel pump and filter once I get it to my house. Thanks, i’ll let you all know what was wrong with it. ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 3:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/8 "2007-10-03T15:39:12Z")
For a little more “fix-it cash”, you could take some of those things back to the store; and get a spray can of Starter Fluid and the repair manual, if it’s not available from your public library. You’ve been told it’s not getting gas, right? Let’s see if that’s true. Spray the Starter Fluid into the engine intake. Attempt to start the car. If it starts and runs a few seconds, it could be a fuel system problem. A dirty fuel filter can stop the fuel flow. What year and engine is your pride and joy? There were some Z’s which have a factory recall to change the fuel injectors. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2007, 4:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/9 "2007-10-03T16:37:34Z")
its a 1992 Nissan 240SX… Hatchback ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 5:24am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/10 "2007-10-07T05:24:11Z")
So we checked it today, replaced the old gas filter and still, it wont start. And the old filter did have a shit load of gas in it when we removed it… ---
**Author:** ![cavalierlover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/839c29/32.png) [@cavalierlover](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cavalierlover)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2007, 9:56am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/11 "2007-10-07T09:56:17Z")
It could be a worn out ignition switch. If you have near 200,000 miles on the car, like I do, it will go out and a whole lot of things won’t work if the switch dosen’t turn them on, including the engine. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 1:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/12 "2007-10-08T13:42:58Z")
Okay guess what? Its not the fuel pump, we checked and it works fine… soo… its not the fuel pump, fuel filter… srsly we’re running out of ideas here. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 4:56pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/13 "2007-10-08T16:56:58Z")
Forgot, and I checked all the fuses… they work… like… everything has spark. ---
**Author:** ![shadowfax](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/shadowfax/32/13026_2.png) [@shadowfax](https://community.cartalk.com/u/shadowfax)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 5:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/14 "2007-10-08T17:41:46Z")
ok so you say the fuel pump works, and you say the fuel is getting to the filter, but you also say it’s not getting to the engine. What does that tell us 😉 Yup, it’s between the filter and the engine. Most likely culprit is sticky injectors OR (and since I believe (but could be wrong) that the 240sx used a multiport FI system, and therefore it’s unlikely that all 4 fuel injectors suddenly died at once) a problem with the fuel injector circuit which is causing the fuel injectors not to . . well. . inject. ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 5:44pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/15 "2007-10-08T17:44:39Z")
maybe its not getting any pressure? and im not sure where to check with a pressure guage on a 240sx… ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 5:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/16 "2007-10-08T17:45:34Z")
and it indeed uses a multiport FI system. ---
**Author:** ![hellokit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/6a8cbe/32.png) [@hellokit](https://community.cartalk.com/u/hellokit)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 7:37pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/17 "2007-10-08T19:37:19Z")
After you sprayed the flammable liquid, or gas, into the intake tube, did it run at all,even for a second? Did you pull a spark plug wire off a spark, plug and attach to a spark plug which you touched the tip to the engine block, and get sparks? ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2007, 7:43pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/18 "2007-10-08T19:43:04Z")
didnt spray anything in the intake tube… but the spark plug created sparks. ---
**Author:** ![windtalker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e47c2d/32.png) [@windtalker](https://community.cartalk.com/u/windtalker)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 1:53pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/19 "2007-10-09T13:53:10Z")
take some of the pretty stuff back,and get some cash together…you are probably gonna need it…then,if your’e trying to get around in a -92 nissan,it means you probably can’tafford better(i’m cruzin a -92 aerostar WHOO-HOO!!)…beats walkin,but not by mutch… …simple test …does it smell like gas? try to find the fuel rail,and there is a fitting where you hook up a fuel pressure gauge…just because the pump is running,don’t mean you have pressure…simple test without a gauge is try to start it,find the connector where the fuel pressure gauge would hook up(it looks like a valve stem on the tire) ,and just like letting the air out of a tire,push the little needle down for just a secound-just to see if you have any pressure…protect yourself from spraying fuel all over yourself,and the engine…if you’ve got pressure,it would be past that,maybe the injectors… more often -the problem IS the fuel pump!..they are a ROYAL PAIN to replace! drop the tankr&r the pump,and you should get a few more thousand miles out of her,…before something else decides it has served it’s time(see “murphy’s law”)…good luck! …p.s.;check the fuel pump switch… ---
**Author:** ![JoshNissan240SX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@JoshNissan240SX](https://community.cartalk.com/u/JoshNissan240SX)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2007, 4:59pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422/20 "2007-10-09T16:59:44Z")
in a nissan 240sx theres a ‘secret door’ that u can open in the trunk and u can pull the fuel pump out from there, which we did. i even tested it in my hand. i grabbed a wire, attached it to the battery then the other half to the pump and it started working right in my hand. but i havent gotten around to checking the pressure yet, i should do that here soon. =/ [Next page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-suddenly-doesnt-want-to-start-wtf/5422.md?page=2)