Engine dying seconds after start up

[nakedape]

Hey,

Just a thought, get your man to swap out the fuel lines for clear ones (pre & post primer pump/ fuel filter) to see if your sucking air anywhere. Its probably a long shot but you may have a damaged line somewhere that only intermittently lets air in - you may not see a fuel leak but air could still be getting in. Try it cause it sure as hell a lot cheaper than a pump etc.

nakedape

 

[Old.Tony]

It's a diesel, so you KNOW it's going to be a fuel issue.

Do you hear the injectors while it's cranking over? If you can't hear the clack-clack of the injectors, then perhaps there's an ECU problem. Have you chipped the vehicle? Remove it and try again.

If the injectors are making the customary sounds then it's an inability to pump fuel in, which could be either a blockage, or a de-priming of the pump. The pump is as dear as poison - don't let it get too damaged.

When the thing next fails after 10 seconds, get out and try the primer bulb. If it's squishy, you've got air in there and may need to check the hoses all the way back to the tank. If it's not squishy, maybe there's a contaminant in the fuel pump seal. You could check the filter to see if there are blockages. It's something (at this point) that I'd either take back to Nissan if it were covered by warranty, or take to a diesel fitter/mechanic.

 

[Wibble]

Thank you all for your suggestions...
It sounds pretty normal when cranking with nothing untoward happening anywhere at all.
It's been checked out by a good garage (not main dealer - am wise to how crap dealers can be), and it's had them baffled.

Now for the update -

It's just been back in today for another issue (rotten exhaust clips that need the whole exhaust replacing for - not at this garage - custom clips made and fitted)... and they had discovered for themselves before I aired all the suggestions from here (many brains make light work and all that) the very suggestion by Dave, and so whilst there they tested the sensor.

It's "not within range" and so needs replacing regardless of whether it is the fault or not - but it seems a likely case.
Of course we wont know if it fixes it straight away as intermittent problems are .... er... intermittent =o)

It's been ordered, and like most things with this pickup isn't cheap and should be at the garage to be fitted sometime next week.

So thank you all, and especially Dave for your help... and I'll keep this thread updated with how it all goes.

Now I feel I must vindicate myself (probably unnecessarily) from what I'm guessing some of you are thinking... why not do it yourself?
My truck is my wife's disabled vehicle (high seat position for ease of getting in and out, big bed for when she used a wheelchair - plus we didn't want something as namby pamby as a people carrier).
So it needs to be out of action as little as possible. Thus eliminating me from ballsing something up on it is the safest option =o)

 

[thirdbounce]

Wibble, I hope for your sake that is all it is. The issues that have been described in this thread are exactly what I had. Every now and then the wouldn't start. I could do 10,000km between these events. Sometimes it would stall starting on a slope and it would not start again straight away. I dealt with this for 35,000km until the car just wouldn't go altogether. It ended up being the injector pump. Not cheap.

 

[Wibble]

Well without changing the sensor it wont do well, so first thing is to change the sensor. After that if it still hasn't sorted it, we can go through the other suggestions and eliminate them one by one til we get it.
I don't intend to not get it fixed, and the garage owner is determined to sort it as well.

 

[Dave]

No worries mate.

I had to go back a page to remember what I said.

Hope thats all it is, good luck.

Dave.

 

[Jason]

Intermittant problems, the bane of the electrician/mechanic's existance.

Hope you get it sorted mate.

 

[Wibble]

Finally (after some internal confusion over ordering it) it now has a new sensor on it!
Now we wait...

=o)

 

[Dave]

Hope it fixes the problem.

How long till its back on the road ?

Dave.

 

[Wibble]

It's on the road now... had the sensor fitted yesterday in about 15mins, but of course bringing it back meant it was warm and haven't driven it today yet... so will have to see in the coming weeks and months whether it does it again.

 

[Wibble]

10 days down with plenty of use and no problems so far.
It seems the sensor was the problem.
A rarity it seems, but, problem solved!

=o)

 

[Dave]

Good to hear that mate.

Dave.