Hey all! Maybe someone has had this problem and can help. My car died today on the highway. (Its an 02 XE, 4x4, v6, 5spd) I was cruising about 55-60 in 5th and it started to lose power. When i depressed the clutch, it slowley died. There was no miss, just the slow death. Kind of like when you pull the fuel pump fuse to get rid of the pressure and let the car run. I had the car towed home. I Tried to start it again and it cranked over and died. I tried again and it started. No problem. No miss, no hesitation. It reved up just fine. It ran for about 10 minutes and I shut it down. When I tried to start it up again, it cranked over, ran for a second and died. The rpm gradually fell, not the quick death kind like the distributor stopped or it lost spark, but the kind that makes me think it is not getting enough fuel.

Anyway, it would not start again for about 2 or 3 hours. Then I tried to start it again, and it turned right over and purred. Once again, no miss, no hesitation, and it rev'ed just fine.

Had anyone had this issue before? I think it is in the fuel system, but if someone has had this problem, that would narrow it down, rather than go through everything. Fuel pump? Fuel pressure regulator? Relay? Sending Unit? Fuel filter (fingers crossed, cheapest fix)?

Any input will be greatly appreciated.

THANK!

It does sound like a fuel delivery issue. Slap a fuel pressure gauge on it and see what you have. I'm not exactly sure what the spec is but 60-80 psi while cranking is what I would expect to see. If you don't have pressure, it's either the pump or the relay (more than likely the pump). Everything else you mentioned wouldn't cause the truck to die and intermittently start like that.

Good luck.

Is there a way to differentiate between the relay and the pump?

Yup. Just test for voltage at the pump (or coming out of the relay) when you turn the ignition on. If there isn't any power, the relay (most likely) is the culprit. If you have power but no pressure and you can't hear the pump run, the pump is bad.

My guess would be the fuel sending unit. I had a similar issue 2-3 months back where I was just driving along and the truck would die as you described. I couldn't restart it until it set for a while then it would fire up and run as normal for 20 minutes until it would die again.

My fix was a new sending unit they develop a bad fuel pump connection right where the connectors elbow into the tank. This connection would heat up and break the connection to the fuel pump. Then cool down and be good for while. Might be worth popping the cover under the rear seat and having a look see with a inspection mirror.

it was the sending unit. looked all nasty and corroded like yours. good news though, when I called nissan for the part, i was informed that there was a factory recall. So FYI to anyone out there, I am not sure of the year range, but Its at least 2002 xterras, there is a factory recall on the fuel sending unit. free repair. AAA paid for itself this year.

thanks all, happy trialing.

It affects at least 2000, 2001 and 2002 Xterras. I had mine done a couple months after the recall was announced about 7 years ago.

-Michael