Question:
Car has no power when accelerating. Mechanics are confused?
Josh
2011-04-19 20:33:13 UTC
I have a 1998 Nissan Sentra XE with about 110,000 miles on it - give or take. About 2 months ago, the car began to lose power. Could not go up hills. Eventually accelerating at all became impossible. I would step on the gas pedal and get about 15-20 mph tops!!! I took car to backyard mechanic friend of mine who replaced rear brakes and axle which needed to be replaced but he could not figure out what was causing the car not to have power. He tried replacing mass air flow sensor and fuel pressure regulator but nothing worked. I asked if it need a new catalytic converter and he said that didn't seem to be the problem. He gave up and told me the car needs a new computer and that I would probably have to take it to Nissan Dealership for this. I told him for a car worth less than $2000, that wasn't happening. I paid him $350 for axle, rear brakes and labor. He returned the MAF and fuel pressure regulator. My brother then got the car towed to a mechanic friend of his at a used car dealership. The guy who worked on the car said it needed a new mass air flow sensor, spark plugs, and catalytic converter. I told him the previous mechanic tried a MAF and it did not fix the problem. He said it needed to be replaced anyway. Then he said that the converter needed to be replaced even though I told him the last guy said that wasn't the problem. So I bought the part myself and he installed it. That cost me $300. After all was said and done, he couldn't fix it either stating that car has got me confused. He had no idea what i should do. Plus, he wanted $200 for the MAF and spark plugs he installled. I agreed to pay for the parts but for none of the labor since he couldn't fix it. I am going to try a real mechanic service station now and give it one more try and if they can't fix it, I'm onto selling it for parts and looking for another used car which is probably what i should have done in the first place. I think the ECM is the problem. What do you think it could be. The second guy who looked at it said even when he put the new converter in, it was still getting way too hot! He said the car is putting out too much gas!
Four answers:
vile_fly
2011-04-19 21:13:12 UTC
Well, it can also be a possible leaking or electrically shorted fuel injectors. (nissan injectors are prone to lots of problems, by the way) Someone else thought that the extra fuel came from the fuel pressure regulator, and the catalyst got fried from too much fuel, and the MAF sensor changed nothing.

So, we have 3 witnesses that say "there is too much fuel!".

The fuel injectors and the injector circuits to such must be investigated. Next, the coolant temp sensor must be checked. Before condemning the ECM, you must check power and ground circuits to it. They just don't fail that often, so I will be surprised to see it end up testing bad. Nissan calls a MAP sensor a boost sensor. It allows for altitude compensation....check it, too.

A scan tool is a must if you need to figure out what the computer is commanding versus what is really happening. A generic scan tool on a nissan is typically not very helpful. Nissan is rather secretive about its computer data, and you have to have the right software to gain access.

Let an expert condemn the ECM, but never an amateur. An amateur can't refund you the money if it is a mistake.



I still wonder about those injectors. If one is stuck on mechanically, that can foul out the plugs and converter. If one is electrically shorted, the "on" time will be irregular, and could cause the computer to freak out from the excessive current draw. If the injector coil resistance is too high, the injector may be sluggish to respond physically, if at all. Nissans don't seem to admit there is an injector fault even if you unplug them, and I hate them for it.
bautista
2016-10-27 11:07:19 UTC
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It All Matters.~☺♥
2011-04-19 20:53:10 UTC
Pull the converter back off and try t drive it with no converter. If this takes care if the trouble, then you have blockage down wind from the converter. If it is over heating it is most likely an O2 sensor or bad computer. You

can buy one from a salvage yard. Good luck.
Hank Scorpio
2011-04-19 20:43:44 UTC
That guys a ******* moron. He didn't even bother to do a compression test? It's either a problem with compression (rings) or the transmission (likely torque converter). Which would probably be cost prohibitive to fix. These guys sound like they only know how to do bolt ons not actual mechanic work. You're saving money replacing parts that haven't failed buddy.


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