All of a sudden my X is "spuddering"

I'm stumped. Please help fellow Nissan mechanics!

My X has about 150K.. many things have been done to the engine in the last year...all maint items replacement parts like timing belt, sparkplugs with wires and distrub and rotor, PCV, fuel filter, water pump, belts, hoses, all fluids changed regularly...blah blah blah....basically well taken care of outside of offroading.

Recently got back from Ouray and Moab in September, was nervous about the trip...alot of miles and offroading with a 8 year old 150k Xterra...she did beautiful.

But, two weeks later, out of the blue....my engine is "spuddering"...the best why to explain it in words. Starts perfect cold, idles great...no "spuddering" till the engine is warmed up at idle and even worse when using gas for accleration and maintaining speed. Its like the engine sounds like it is intermittently not getting enough gas. Bad gas? well, funny thing is it ran perfect with the same tank for like 150 miles before this started. Always same gas station (newer) that i have always gone to locally.

So, I changed out the fuel filter....no help, still doing it...gas looked clean and good when I let it run out the fuel line for a bit. Checked under the hood...nothing wrong externally.

So, what am I missing or what could be causing this? Engine always ran great and smooth. Still doesn't leak a trace of engine oil, no pinging...never had problems.

Bad fuel pump? mmmmm...don't know.

Sorry for the novel....

Please help! My poor X has been sitting in one spot for 2 months!

Thanks.....

Have you scanned it for any codes yet?

It's not unfathomable that the pump is dying on you. If you're not throwing any other check engine codes, I'd be looking into that.

It should be fairly easy to get to - I think there's an access panel under the seat.

I second that you should check out the fuel pump. Grab a quart jar for the flow test and a fuel pump pressure gauge for pressure test and maybe a helper to turn on/off the key.

Crack and easy to get to fuel line ans just follow standard fuel pump testing procedures. specs will be in the book.

For what it's worth you did exactly what I would've done, check/change out the easy stuff first like the fuel/air filters and then move on to the more expensive/harder stuff.

Yea, definitely scan for codes. Sounds suspicious that it's related to Temp. I'm thinking MAYBE coolant temp sensor.

coooould be the throttle position sensor (though your symptoms don't sound identical to mine)...

I had to replace mine a couple months ago. It would start up okay (because the wax pellet keeps the throttle cam up a bit during warmup), but then when sitting at idle at lights etc the RPM would kind of jump all over the place. Occasionally it would hesitate when taking off from a light too.

Anyway, it's something you can check with a multimeter

Also check all your intake lines one might have popped off. I'd also check to see if you have a broken a motor mount. That shouldn't cause a shudder when your at Idle but its worth a check.

MAF sensor clean?

Wow, thanks guys for all your suggestions. I didn't expect such a good response like you all gave me.

No, I didn't check the codes yet figuring maybe something I can fix in the driveway quickly. The engine light did come on eventually, so I'll get the code checked at a local AutoZone I guess.

Glen, the RPM gauge does "jump" some idling at stops and traveling down the road. I'll look into that too...I have to admit, never heard of wax pellets!

But I will definitely look into all the ideas you guys gave me. Very much appreciated!

I am having the same sputtering problem as KCX. It only happens when it warms up, as it starts and runs fine when cold. I tried all the basics stuff first; Rotor and cap, plugs and plug wires, air filter, and even a fuel filter with no success. I had to take it to a local mechanic who thinks it could be the distributor or timing belt, as when he pulled the codes he said he got a warning that it had skipped timing. I do not know if he is right or not because after letting it get cold it started up fine, and I drove it to his shop with out any problems. I was thinking it was some kind of relay gone bad, but that was probabbly just wishful thinking. Mine is a 2001 SE X.

KCX, did you fix your X yet?

I just talked to my mechanic and he said it was a bad distributor. He put a new one in and said it runs great even when fully warmed up (to the tune of $447). I have not picked it up yet, so I do not know if it is really fixed, but I will follow up after I get my truck back.

Damn I missed my X....

Distributors seem to be the trendy failure of the year...

Come to think of it, that sounds like what my truck was doing last month. Mine was sputtering and then stalling also. Turned out it was a faulty MAF sensor.

The mechanic told me by tapping on the MAF the idle of my truck would change(?). Maybe you could try that?

Have you had your truck scanned for codes yet?

My X did the exact same thing when I changed the Intake. The MAF Sensor did not seat perfectly on the intake so I used silicon to completely seal it. I havnt had that problem since!

Indeed, mine died over the summer too. Fortunately I had a spare and declined the repair. Replaced it right there in the dealer parking lot.

Also had a TPS crap out on me a few weeks earlier. I had 3 spares, but I was 8 hours away from them. Ate $200 for that fix

Got my X back this morning and sure enough it runs great with the new distributor.

Did you get any codes out of it? Might be helpful to know what codes the distributor put out for future reference.

I got misfire codes, which cause the SES light to flash rather than stay on steady.

Yea, misfire codes make sense. Good to know.

I haven't looked into my Xterra anymore since I started the topic. Been too busy with other stuff taking up my free time...but its time to start! Can't bare my X sitting out in the cold not running.

What is and where is the MAF sensor?

I haven't ran it out to get the codes checked. I disconnect the battery earlier since I wasn't driving it for awhile, so I need to connect it back up and get the engine light to come on before I head to the auto store.

I'll follow up with updates when I get some answers.

It is the sensor that is in the air inlet tube, behind the air filter, that leads to the throttle body.

It looks square from the outside and is held inplace by two screws. When you take it out, there is a very fine, thin piece of wire. See if it is dirty or broken. If dirty, parts stores sell MAF sensor cleaning stuff. See if that works. $3 can of cleaner is better than $400 for a new sensor.

S.

Alright, so I connected my battery back up and took the X for a spin.

She ran great intially at cold engine temp....drove about 2-3 miles before I started feeling and hearing the spuddering-lack-of-fuel problem. Kept driving so I could get the engine light to come back on. Got another 5-6 miles in and gave up on the engine light. I was about 100 ft from the house and all of a sudden the X was barely running...I could barely keep the engine running at idle...it really wanted to die. I was trying to rev the gas pedal to keep the engine going. I parked it for about an hour in the driveway. Then started it again to try and get it inside the garage...it was running sooo rough, that it died on me trying to get 10 ft inside the garage...started up and barely got the rest of the truck in before it died again.

......so weird. And the engine light never came on. So now I wonder if this is really a vaccum, distributor or MAF sensor issue. I just wonder if my actual fuel pump is going bad.....

Whatcha all think???

Did you take the MAF sensor out and look at it?

My truck was doing the same thing; it would stall/run rough at idle. It stalled on me several times while driving. I had to rev it in neutral to keep it from stalling.

S.

Some clean/dirty MAF sensor pics:
HERE
HERE
HERE
and
HERE

No need to buy MAF cleaner... I used rubbing alcohol and a Q tip.

sounds to me like the fuel pump. have you done that fuel pump sending unit technical service bulletin.

Alright update:

Cleaned the MAF sensor...(looked a little dirty) and the air intake sensor (same, a little dirty).

So I after about a month of being parked, I gave the X another test run...ran great cold at idle...was only about 100 feet from the house and it started running rough, turned around to get back in the driveway and it was running really bad. So I parked it back in the garage. I went from driving 5 or so miles to now 100 feet before it runs terrible. Still no engine on or blinking.

Ok, so I rented the code checker thingy I got a P1336 which is a misfire code. I checked my Chilton book and it says its a Crankshaft Position Sensor fault.

Would this sensor cause my engine to misfire so badly? For the guys that replaced the distributor, what was your X doing? Now it runs bad the whole time just idling in the garage.

On a side note:

I did a search and came up with this topic:
click here

By the way, I can reach this sensor fairly well through the drivers front fender to the engine bay with my 2" body lift.

Also, just to check if I had real major problems, I did a compression test on all cylinders to see if I have a bad valves or piston rings...all came up fine at 150-155 and held steady...so I guess I can rule that out.

Please help with any additional help or comments!

I really think it's the distributor.

What tends to go out is the camshaft position sensor, which is inside the distributor. As I said in the post you linked to, the crankshaft position sensor is not used for anything... it's allll the camshaft position sensor.

Hey, fwiw, after cleaning the MAF sensor, it took a couple of minutes/miles for the ECM to catch up and start rationing fuel/air at the proper rates. Ran great till the day it died.

Good luck Matt

DBAX:

Off topic, but what happened to your old Xterra Dan?...I was out of the loop on this.

bad wreck. IIRC someone pulled out in front of him (maybe they ran a light? I don't remember) and he plowed into them... then the other person got out of their car and ran away

Update, please help with any advice!

So my truck's current symptoms are firing up perfectly (which it always has), but now runs rough right away at cold (used to run fine at cold and got worse when warmed up).

After checking the codes and having my P1336 alarm...eventhough Kaiser said it wouldn't do anything to change the performance, I decided to just check it aways to see what it would show. So I checked my crankcase position sensor. It had good resistance, but went ahead and replaced it since I had it out. I still keep getting the P1336 code. I checked the timing after I finally purchased a timing gun. Its like way off...like estimated about 30 degrees....loosening the distributor nut and moving it all the way one way and all the other way doesn't change the "rough" idle that i get. I either get about 20 degree all the one way one direction and about 40 the other direction.

So would this or not indicate its the distributor? Or could this be totally something else?

Did you disconnect the TPS when you tried adjusting the timing? The bottom plug on the TPS needs disconnecting to set the timing.

ah....no I didn't. Ok, will do...is that why I get such a large number? I'll try this tonight. Thanks for your input

2 CHECK IGNITION TIMING
1. Run engine at about 2,000 rpm for about 2 minutes under no-load.
2. Rev engine (2,000 to 3,000 rpm) two or three times under no-load, then run engine at idle speed.
SEF978U
3. Turn off engine and disconnect throttle position sensor harness connector.
SEF975R
4. Start and rev engine (2,000 - 3,000 rpm) two or three times under no-load, then run at idle speed.
5. Check ignition timing with a timing light.
SEF371S
15°±2° BTDC (in “P” or “N” position)

Hi Folks:

I'm new to this board, but, have been following this thread for a while.
I am experiencing a similar problem. My X w/SC stumbles at idle and I get a flashing SES light then a solid light. It stumbles during acceleration but does fine after about 2800 rpm. I get an error code P300 "random misfire" (gee, like I couldn't figure that out without a code checker).

I had replced the plugs about 2 months ago with Bosch Platinums, and now replaced those with NGK Iridiums (after reading this forum).
I've changed out:
Cap & Rotor
Plugs
Plug Wires
MAF sensor (3 months ago)
Fuel Pump (under recall w/ MAF)
Fuel Filter
Cleaned the K&N

How do you diagnose a faulty distributor?

Thanks, Rod


My Other Car

7 CHECK CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR
1. Install any parts removed.
2. Start engine.
3. Check voltage between ECM terminals 44, 48 and ground, ECM terminal 49 and ground with DC range.
AEC072B
OK or NG
OK © GO TO 8.
NG © Replace distributor assembly with camshaft position sensor.
8 CHECK CMPS SHIELD CIRCUIT FOR OPEN AND SHORT
1. Turn ignition switch OFF.
2. Disconnect joint connector-1.
3. Check the following.
I Continuity between joint connector terminal 1 and ground
I Joint connector
(Refer to “HARNESS LAYOUT”, EL-292.)
Continuity should exist.
4. Also check harness for short to ground and short to power.
5. Then reconnect joint connector-1.
OK or NG
OK © GO TO 9.
NG © Repair open circuit or short to ground or short to power in harness or connectors.
9 CHECK INTERMITTENT INCIDENT
Refer to “TROUBLE DIAGNOSIS FOR INTERMITTENT INCIDENT”, EC-706.
© INSPECTION END
DTC P0340 CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR (CMPS) VG33E
Diagnostic Procedure (Cont’d)
EC-918

Having the same issues, but a distributer is on order. Hope its here today. Will keep posted.

from where did you buy the new distributor? And how much did you pay for it? thanks.

I should just "buck up" and get a distributor...I keep over-thinking the problem to make sure that is it, and still haven't gotten anywhere....so maybe time to buy one and see.

Please post for those getting distributors and let me know if that is what fixed your problems?

Prices I've checked into. Ebay new $194. Local autostores want $329 with old one returned (core).

I bought it off of ebay, it is 194.00 with a life time warrenty. Auto zone wanted near 600.00 cloes to my house

Great...keep me posted if it fixs your problem. I'm about to order one myself!

try this site!!
Item Number msrp, core, there price
221001W601RE $370.65 $60.00 $248.40
https://www.1stnissanparts.com/oe_parts_cat.html

You did unplug the distributor before you shot the timing to turn off the electronic advance right? I cannot remember which plug it is but you will not get the right timing with one of them connected. If you did disconnect the plug and you are still that far off then the distributor is stabbed in one tooth off. You will need to pull the distributor and back it up one tooth. Remember that because the teeth are at an angle that the rotor will turn when you pull it up, so compensate for that when you change it.

Just went through this a while back when a buddy borrowed my good distributor to troubleshoot his GF's truck. He stabbed it wrong and started a whole episode of farting with it until he got it right again.

After checking/replacing the plugs, wires, cap & rotor my error code P300 has become P306?

I just have one of the simple code readers not the Consult II thingy.

Could a bad distributor have just cylinder 6 misfiring? Or is this time to pull the injector out and check it?
With the supercharger in the way this could be a pain.

I bought a rebuilt distributor for $120 on ebay, the company belives it may be new in the wrong box, which I can throw in and check.

Thoughts, Comments?

A-Reef-Scene, have you installed your new distributor yet? Curious if you did and if it fixed your issue. Thanks....

I'm going to put in today. It has just been to cold outside to work on the truck. Yesterday was -14 with the wind.

I here ya, its too damn cold to work on mine, even in the garage....all I wanted to do was just check my timing before I purchase a distributor....but haven't done that yet with 10 degree and lower temps...can't imagine -14 degrees!

Hope all works out for you....again, let me know! Cheers...matt

It's alive!!!! That has fixed the problem, started right up with no sputter. Sounds like it's idle is better and the engine now sits at the right idle speed. It was not hard to do at all. I just took pics of the distributer with the cap off for placement when I put I back in.

Wow...great! Ok, I need to order one and see if that is what my problem is...thanks for your follow up post!

I replaced # 6 injector on Saturday. I've put about 40 miles on the X since then and I have not had a missfire. The old injector measured 14 ohms so it must be clogged.

The currious thing is I had the same issue with my q45 within 24 hours of the Xterra starting to missfire. #2 injector was bad on the Q45??? Do these Nissan vehicles talk to each other when were not around?

Did you buy gas for both vehicles around the same time at the same station? Maybe they had some bad gas?

Ah...the engine sputter... See what you all think of this one...

Was driving fine. Sitting in the McDonald's drive thru, it suddenly (and I do mean suddenly) started sputtering. Managed to get out of the drive through and it died. Utterly and completely. Cranks, but no start.

At the mechanics, the codes were showing bad O2 sensors, bad knock sensor, bad crank position sensor (I think that's what he said). Also low fuel pressure.

They replaced 2 O2 sensors to see what would happen with the codes then. Apparently, now it's throwing all kinds of codes. They *think* the ECU may be failing.

Any guesses? I am finding it hard to convince myself to be putting more than $1200 into a truck that is 8 years old with about 130,000 miles on it. That was the estimate for just the O2 sensors and knock sensor.

UPDATE:

I'm so excited! Put the new distributor in last night...and she runs like she was 1 day old I can't believe I put it off for 4 months, but I guess I kept looking at other possible problems first before I spend $200 on a new distributor....thank god that was it!

BTW, the codes I got with a bad distributor was a misfire code/crankshaft sensor and knock sensor. My old CSS was good, but still put a new sensor in.

Sorry to hear your news Mobycat. I feel the same with my X when something goes wrong.