2013+ Nissan starting issues?

[Rochev]

I have an issue with my 2017 Pathfinder, and I've seen the same problem on other newer nissans but few and far between with no fix. So weather doesn't matter, doesn't matter if the engine is cold or warm, doesn't matter if Ive been using 93 or 87 octane, or how much gas is in it.
When going to start (push button) it'll occasionally crank strong for several seconds and hover around 250rpm and shake because it's trying not to stall out. It seems like its still cranking once its at about 250rpm. It'll do it for a good 3 seconds. If I mash the throttle it'll rev to life. It's never failed to start but it does this every once and a while.

I removed and cleaned the throttle body and maf sensor but it doesn't seem like those. Reset the battery overnight. Battery is good, never low. Still does it if I hold the brake first to make sure the fuel pump is set. Definitely a fuel or air problem but nobody, including myself and Nissan knows what it is!

 

[ka9mnx]

Fuel filter? Take a fuel pressure measurement when trying to start. Not sure what type of Idle Control Valve is used but may be a problem too.

 

[supton]

How long has it been sitting for?

If this was a carb motor, goosing it like this would be considered normal...

Old gas, old plugs, condensation buildup in the intake tract? (unlikely this time of year unless if it's in a garage), low battery.

Can you hook up an Andriod and run Torq at startup, maybe capture some waveforms? I haven't got a clue what to look for, maybe some of the real techs could chime in. Maybe one of the sensors (crank, cam) is just on the edge and not doing its thing. Speaking of which, have you checked for pending codes?

 

[SatinSilver]

Had this happen on a Nissan Altima rental car with push button start. The rental company had to come and pick it up. They were able to get it started eventually and drive it away. Happened around 2017.

 

[benjy]

lots of possibilities!! check the eze-cheep stuff yourself if your savy or find a good independent, good luck! might try checking nissan specific forums as well. my 2011 Frontier SV uses a similar drivetrain + same great V-6 if you have that engine.

 

[tbm5690]

Haven't heard of this at all on the Maxima forums.

 

[JTK]

2017+ Use the VQ35DD direct injected engine which is a very different animal from the tried and true VQ35DE

You may have a high pressure fuel injector leak or a problem with the cam driven high pressure fuel pump or low pressure in-tank electric fuel pump. Problem is, Nissan dealers don't seem to have a lot of experience troubleshooting this series of engine.

These engines blacken the engine oil badly in under 1000 miles and I've read of several threads now of 2017s with engine issues or failure where severe sludge was found in the engine and most of these had well under 36K miles on them. I can link you to one from another site that was started yesterday.. My suggestion is do not go beyond ~4000 miles between oil/filter changes and if you short trip the vehicle, change oil every 3-4 months regardless of miles.

I've got a 2019 Pathfinder SV I bought used in late 2019 as an ex-rental with 24K miles on it. No problems and currently at ~43K miles, but I keep up on it more than I'd like to.

 

[Blinker]

I’ve experienced this occasionally with my Sonata (direct injection) even when it was brand new. When it happened you could see grey smoke coming out the tailpipe and it smelled extremely rich. I almost always used Chevron fuel. When the car got about 15K miles I started using Exxon/Mobil fuel more often and I noticed it didn’t have any starting issues on that fuel, or any other brands of fuel. So I’ve stayed away from Chevron gas and no longer have that issue. Long story short, it could be fuel related.

 

[Rochev]

The car could be sitting overnight or for a few minutes and it'll do it. I forgot to mention that every cold start, it revs up and idles around 1800rpm and then suddenly drops to normal, then slowly revs back up. I also get gas at various places. Intake was and TB was clean.

 

[JTK]

You mentioned seeing this issue on other Nissans. Just curious to which?

Also, how often does this happen to your 2017 Pathfinder?

No pending codes or stored codes at all?

Be interesting to have a scanner ready on a startup to see if this is fuel or spark related. Like you say, if it happens so sporadically, I have no idea how you'd troubleshoot. Will it do it if you repeatedly start/stop the engine? If so, it would be worth it to travel to Avoca NY and have Eric O at South Main Auto look at it.

 

[Rochev]

I saw it on the Rogue's a lot, and a few other's have posted about it on Pathfinder talk and once on the Maxima forums. It happens whenever, it's random enough that I can't find a pattern or anything that might trigger it. I'd hate for it to happen on a drive to Florida later this year, and not actually start. Will update with 93 octane again, and use another brand but I feel like it's an issue with the car and not the fuel.