Engine stuttering in low rpms and now won’t start

Hello! Brand new here, hopefully it’s cool to be posting a topic right away.

Bought 2014 Murano in January, 112K on the odometer. It drove like a champ until a few weeks ago:

  • Began having trouble starting (cold or hot) and the engine would seem to be misfiring/stuttering during starting and shortly after it did start - sometimes to the point that it would stall.

  • Typically, it would stop stuttering after a few minutes and would operate smooth/full power - seemingly out of nowhere.

  • Last week after running errands all day, it struggled to start in a parking lot and stalled out.

  • I haven’t been able to get it to start again since, the starter will turn but the engine is acting almost like the car has no gas (which it does).

Mechanic told me it could be anything from a sensor to spark plugs to the CVT…so I just wanted some additional opinions and insight. If it’s the CVT I highly doubt it would be worth getting it fixed as the car is only worth about $11,000.

I pulled the codes after I got it towed:
P0300 , P0302 , P0171 , P0174

Thank you for taking the time to read! Any help is appreciated.

The P0171 and P0174 are system too lean.

Have the fuel pressure and volume tested see if they’re within specs.

Tester

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Find a new mechanic. A bad CVT won’t prevent the engine from starting.

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Agree with both answers… the 171 and 174 codes would cause the P0302 and P0300 codes… and a bad fuel pump would cause the symptoms you have.

But as @Tester suggested… have it tested and confirm that is the problem and as as @NYBo suggested, find another mechanic!

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Fuel pump always comes to mind. Do you hear the pump starting when you turn the key? Test for fuel pressure but need a pressure tester. Yeah different shop that doesn’t think a transmission problem causes an engine problem.

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Did you have a mechanic look at it or just offer theories?

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Thanks for the reply!

I don’t live too close to any decent mechanic shops, only auto parts stores and basic oil change/tire shops. So I just had it towed to my place. Thing is I dont want to pay the couple hundred it would likely cost to get it towed there, then the $2-300 for them to find the problem, and then pay a labor cost on top of the parts cost. Especially if it’s a $1000 job or something like that - I work an outdoor job on commission in a cold climate so budget is thin at the moment unfortunately.

I’m not as knowledgeable as you folks on cars but if I can determine that it’s a fuel pump issue then that’s something that’s definitely in my skill set to repair without paying for the tow, evaluation, and the labor cost.

Would buying a pressure gauge be a goos first step? They’re modestly priced - I just want to exhaust a few cheaper self diagnostic options before I cave and go for the tow/mechanic eval.

A simple fuel pump test.

Remove the gas cap.

Listen down the filler tube while someone turns the ignition switch to on.

You should hear the fuel pump run for a second or two and then shut off.

If you don’t hear that, the fuel pump is bad.

Tester

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Thanks so much for the replies - quick update - I definitely hear the fuel plump when i press the start button. I tried starting it today and it fired up. Could this be an issue with the ECU? The issue is very inconsistent.

I don’t want to fixate on fuel pumps but they can be intermittent. If you heard the pump run and it started? If you hear the pump run and it didn’t start is another issue, or if you didn’t hear the pump and it didn’t start. I used to carry a 5# hammer to bang on the tank to jar the pump into running again. But if they start and stop, then pump, relay, wiring, connections, etc.

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Something you can check is the fuel pump relay it is possible that it is working Intermittently. if you want to check it instead of just replacing it, this video will show you how.

How to Test a 3, 4 or 5 Pin Relay - With or Without a Diagram - YouTube

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