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2003 350z cranks but won't start VQ35DE / FIXED * partially [ Stock / DC intake / Straight pipes ]

(11/11/2016)

My Cousin is a certified mechanic and took over the repair!

-Car idle rough and After moving the front cable harness the car would shut off

  • +Ground wire was loose and would cause the car not to turn on.
  • +Replaced Throttle body / slightly a bit better performance ( brand new OEM )
  • +He also found a minor leak on the manifold and order a gasket to fix it (:
  • -He tested compression and got a low reading but the vehicle was cold

    However Car is still sluggish with the P0300 / I can smell unburned fuel in cabin Now I'm left with the P0300 code

  • I drove it around and it doesn't accelerate beyond 5-6k RPM's on full throttle =\

    = Last thing to do is re-test compression when the car is hot, otherwise it's bad coils since I ordered aftermarket ones, and are shorter than stock. If the compression is good, my cousin suggested to order performance coils.

Car: 150k 2003 350z Car cranks won't start
Engine: VQ35DE
OBD2: P0335, P0300
(salvage, back right bumper dented frame)

(10/10/2016)

  • BACK TO WHERE I STARTED AGAIN =\
  • -I'm still getting P0300 (multiple random cylinder misfire)
  • +Car was working fine, however I started experiencing loss of power after several minutes and It smells like unburned fuel in the cabin.
  • -Took the car to (3 corner garage) nissan experts and after an hour of diagnosing they said the A/F are not reading correct.
  • =Bought the 2 O2 oxygen upstream sensors

  • -After installing them, THE CAR TURNS ON THEN DIES. when I try to turn on the car: -1st time it starts then it idles hard and it shuts off after a few seconds -2nd time it starts then dies right away (It seems that fuel gets cut off) -3rd time it just cranks and it won't start.

    ( I replaced the fuel pump and it's the same problem ) It does prime. I also went back returned the old O2 sensors and nothing, same problem. -I had a conversation with a staff member from the Nissan dealer and he said "if it was the NATS, it would only crank but not start at all." And I'm able to start the car the first time but it idles rough then it shuts right off. I'm at a halt on this project =\ but I'm not giving up >:D

(9/10/16)

  • -All spark plugs are fouled with gas O_O WTF?
  • =Checked injectors resistance and they're all at 17 Ω Ohms

(9/9/16)

  • -Car engine performance has slowly decreased, it feels about 30% power
  • +Replaced cat with straight pipes (same power no improvement)
  • +Replaced PCV Valve
  • =Checked All coils with multimeter @ 200k OhmsΩ\

(coil 1)+1,-3: 123.4 Ω / -1,+2: 1.5 Ω

(coil 3)+1,-3: 122.9 Ω / -1,+2: 1.5 Ω

(coil 5)+1,-3: 124.1 Ω / -1,+2: 1.4 Ω

(coil 2)+1,-3: 1 Ω / -1,+2: 1 Ω (faulty coil?)

(coil 4)+1,-3: 122.7 Ω / -1,+2: 1.4 Ω

(coil 6)+1,-3: 122.3 Ω / -1,+2: 1.6 Ω

  • +Checked Engine compression @ 190 PSI ( all cylinders)
  • =Currently checking fuel injectors

(9/2/16)

  • +Replaced all coils and car idles better

(7/30/16)

  • +Got the car checked regarding the leak and found out the catalytic converters are bad and are holding back the car's performance.
  • -There is an oil leak near the catalytic converter and is causing fumes inside the car.
  • -Starter went bad on the car, need replacement
  • +Replaced the starter and car turns on with the first crank :)

(7/21/16)

  • =I Read the EC Manual for this vehicles till 5am and in the troubleshooting process it recommend to wiggle/shake the cables.

  • +I Moved the cables around an pushed the car a bit before attempting to turn it on. (AND THE CAR STARTED UP!) I was told that perhaps the Gas Pump is not reading gas correctly.

    So I'm still trying to figure out if the movement of the cables might of helped? By the cables shorting out and not causing the engine to turn on, Or the gas pump is not reading gas correctly and it just needed more gas Lol~. Since the car is salvaged and was rear ended it might of messed up the gas pump reading.

  • -However I'm still getting low RPM fluctuations. I was also suggested to buy a SeaFoam and fill up the Tank for engine cleaning.

  • -Now I'm getting P0300. So now I need to continue driving the car until i get further codes or the P0335 codes comes back.
  • -And finally I need to fix exhaust leak

(7/20/16)

  • +Checked for spark and Spark plugs do light up
  • =I Added more gasoline to the car just to make sure
  • =Gas Pump Primes, We do hear it turning on (My dad managed to turn on the car twice then it shut off; we attempted to start it up again and it only cranks. So I still think there is an electrical short going on here that wont allow the car to turn on =\

(7/17/2016)

  • +Replaced the 2 camshaft sensors to test them with a new battery I just bought. and No results, Car keeps cranking

  • = I went to the Nissan dealer and asked one of their technicians and they said it could be 1 out of the 3 things: Throttle body, Sensors, or Computer. So now I definitely think it's something electrical.

(7/2/2016)

- So before I continue to do other diagnoses I tested the the battery with a multimeter for certainty and I'm only getting around 10 volts when I'm suppose to be getting 12.6 volts

  • -The gauge inside my 350z also marks 10 volts

  • =I decided to test for parasitic battery drain with a multimeter by disconnected the negative cable and I'm getting .56 ~ .80~ amps so nothing is really draining the battery.

    -= I might have to proceed with a replacement battery before I continue with other diagnostics [ And thank you for your kind responses I hope to figure out this problem since it's a difficult one otherwise I will have to get it diagnosed by a pro shop =\ ]

(6/30/16)

  • +Replaced the Cranksaft sensor
  • =I charged the car with jumper cables from my other car
  • +After 2nd try the Car STARTED UP
  • =I had to maintain it at high RPM to keep it on
  • -Car shut off at low RPM :(
  • -Car wont start, it's having trouble now cranking
  • -The RPM Needle doesn't move when cranking
  • +OBD2 throws code: P0335 Again even though I replaced the crankshaft position sensor

It seems like the battery is not giving enough power to crank up the car
Please help ;( I'm trying to fix this car so I can get some work
( To do list: Try a different battery or Camshaft sensors?

-Also the car is running rich because of an air leak since I can smell exhaust fumes when I'm on the road inside the cabin

2003 350z cranks but won't start VQ35DE

Here is my short history:

  • Flywheel and clutch installed 1 month ago =Car worked fine

  • +Cranksensor was added =Car worked fine

  • -Car started to shut off while driving once in a while

  • =Autozone tested the battery and it's fine.
  • +Changed the spark plugs and Oil change Haven't driven the car much
  • =No problem starting up the car

  • -Car started to shut off on neutral more often

    When turning on the car the RPMs go down to 500, Once in a while it fluctuates a little low then goes back to 500.

  • +I cleaned the MAF sensor with the special spray =Car worked fine

  • (same day )-Noticed the PCV valve hose was broken from the back of the engine, so I connected it to the intake and car ran ok, =Car started fine

  • (same day )-Car Performance degraded after connecting that PCV hose
  • -Car shut off while driving, Won't start :( Only cranks. = My father sprayed gasoline into the throttle body while i was trying to start it up, and nothing. It continues to crank. Gas pump sounds like it primes, I have 1/4 of gas on the tank, all electric windows/sound system/car lights work fine.
  • Checked fuse box and they all look fine = Machine codes none, ( I Noticed something must be draining the battery because I have to pass charge to the battery so the car gets 12 volts )
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  • 5
    Very detailed question ... The problem, I'd bet, still lies with the crank position sensor. Considering it is intermittent tells me it is electrical in nature. Getting a true fuel pressure reading would alleviate fuel for sure. There may be multiple issues happening here, one covering the other. Have you checked the circuit for the CPS? You need to trace it the entire route to ensure there is clean signal. I would doubt it's the sensor itself, but if a clean signal is not getting through, you'd be getting the same results as a bad sensor. It may be grounding somewhere along the line.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Jul 1, 2016 at 11:33
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    recheck the ckp sensor gap and put a scope on it at the ecm and at the sensor.
    – Ben
    Commented Jul 1, 2016 at 11:49
  • I assume you checked all the easy stuff (?) Like the battery, oil level, plugs... Although it doesn't sound like these are the main problems, it doesn't hurt to check, and it can help in later diagnostics.
    – Cullub
    Commented Jul 5, 2016 at 20:52
  • Yeah I did it all basics and they all check out fine.
    – Le0
    Commented Jul 14, 2016 at 19:23
  • 1
    If the car isn't setting any other codes than the p0300. You need to invest in a multichannel scope or some kind of data logging device. Find out what's happening first, loss of spark or injector pulse? Then work backwards.
    – Ben
    Commented Oct 24, 2016 at 21:31

4 Answers 4

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Could be stretched timing chains or a problem with the vvt gear, stretched chains will give an incorrect reading between the cam sensor and the crank sensor (essentially engine is out of time) and will usually fail to start once stretched to far, if the correlation between cps and crank sensor if different for I think 5 seconds car will not start

Could also be a weak signal in the starter motor circuit, eg poor grounding of the starter motor if it has been removed, or damaged wiring or an internal fault in the starter motor it self

The second is more likely if it's a crank position code and not a cam sensor code

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  • Thanks, it was a loose ground cable! however the car still lacks power with fumes going into cabin
    – Le0
    Commented Dec 17, 2016 at 18:55
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If you're smelling exhaust in the cabin, it's not due to an air leak, but an exhaust leak. You could be having some issues there if your leak is prior to the O2 sensor in your exhaust pipe. Your ECU would think you have too much air in the mix, therefore making you run rich and flooding the engine so it won't start. Check your O2 sensor and inspect for exhaust leaks using a spray bottle and a soap solution. Hope that helps!

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I thought so...Ran into the same a while back: There's a recall for both cam and crank sensor premature failures on the 2.5L and it looks like the same sensors. New ones have a metal shell instead of being all plastic.

Turns out there's a recall for the '03 350Z's too:

http://www.dealerrater.com/recalls/Nissan/350Z/#2003

Bottom of the list:

2003 Nissan 350Z Recall

Item Affected: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Date Announced: 11/19/2003

Description of Recall:

ON CERTAIN PASSENGER VEHICLES, THE CIRCUIT BOARD FOR THE CRANK POSITION SENSOR OR CAM POSITION SENSOR MAY HAVE AN IMPROPER SOLDER JOINT DUE TO SOLDER DEFORMATION CAUSED BY HEAT STRESS ACCELERATED BY THE EXISTENCE OF FLUX RESIDUE DURING THE SOLDERING PROCESS.

Action Need To Fix It:

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE CRANK POSITION SENSORS. CAMSHAFT POSITION SENSOR(S), AND IN SOME CASES, THE VARIABLE TIMING CONTROL SENSOR(S). VEHICLES INVOLVED IN A PREVIOUS RECALL CAMPAIGN, 01V357, ARE ALSO INCLUDED IN THIS NEW CAMPAIGN. THE REPLACEMENT SENSORS USED IN THAT CAMPAIGN ARE ALSO AFFECTED. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN ON DECEMBER 22, 2003. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT NISSAN AT 1-800-647-7261 OR INFINITI AT 1-800-662-6200.

Sounds like it would at least be worth calling and seeing if yours got the recall treatment.

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  • 2
    Thanks but I did go to the dealer and they looked up my VIN but there was no recall for this vehicle unfortunately. I already replaced the camshaft sensors and cranksensor and nothing.
    – Le0
    Commented Jul 20, 2016 at 20:35
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I had the same problem on my 03 350z. I by chance took mass air flow sensor out and cleaned the metal prongs with acetone and it stopped the power loss. My car did the same thing would not rev and had bad performance. Now it's great. Not the prongs where it plugs in but where the air is passing in intake pipe before throttle and after air filter.

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  • While I couldn't agree more with cleaning the heating element in the MAF, using electronic or MAF cleaner would be a much better way to go. Acetone will work just peachie, but the delivery method (cotton tipped swab or what have you) can damage the sensor. You'd have to be very careful (beyond what most people are capable of) to do it without damage. A spray on cleaner would work just as well without physical contact.
    – Pᴀᴜʟsᴛᴇʀ2 ♦
    Commented Sep 4, 2017 at 11:32

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