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The car will crank but not start. I can "HOT" wire the fuel pump and it does work. I tried plugging in an OBD2 code reader and it displayed: "error" several time.

I have come to the conclusion of:

1. Replacing crank and cam position sensors
2. Replacing ECU
3. Replacing the car

Don't want to sell it for scrap with so much invested in it. I can sure use a hand in this tight situation if any one can help. I even bought a Haynes repair manual and have Nissan's service manual. Manuals makes no sense to a novice like me.

must have spark and fuel to

Submitted by jerryh20 on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 05:18.

must have spark and fuel to run - check timing belt and verify that is not the problem - check fuses - sounds like could be wiring issue - don't throw parts at it without find the cause first. how many miles on it?

Jerryh20, Thank you for your

Submitted by Clueless Mechanic on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 00:51.

Jerryh20,
Thank you for your reply. I do understand air, fuel, and spark creates BOOM! My car has about 130,000 miles on it. Also, it has a timing chain not a belt. I was told timing chain rarely have problems..? All of the fuses for the ignition and fuel pump have been replaced. Speaking of wirig, I purchased a fuel pump assembly that has 4 prong but my connector has five wires. I did some research and noticed the new pump does not have connection for fuel temperature. I traced all the wires to the fuel pump relay and they were also good.

Clueless, Hot and ground into

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Sat, 01/21/2012 - 05:50.

Clueless,

Hot and ground into the ECU doesn't rule out:

Blown fuses
Blown master fuses
and blown fuses links. These are the things you gotta CAREFULLY rule out first.

Next thing your gonna do is take your Nissan service manual and use it to determine which connections in the DLC are power and ground. DLC (Data Link Connector) is the port that a scan tool gets connected into to read codes. Using test lights on the ECU and ECU related circuits will damage the ECU, so when checkin the DLC for a circuit make sure you use a digital voltmeter. With regards to the fuel pump, and it not coming on just because you replaced the relay and the pump doesn't mean that the pump has to work. The relay and pump are only one part of the fuel pump circuit. In other words your not factoring in that the circuit (wiring) for the fuel pump could be the problem here. Look at the bottom of the relay and you'll see prongs right? Well these prongs plug into a connection at the power distribution box under the hood right? Well, isn't possible that there is NO circuit (voltage) at that connection that the relay fits into? In other words the fuel pumps circuit has top be troubleshooted to confirm there is a fuel pump circuit from the relay up front all the way back to fuel pump in the rear. Remember, the fuel pump is not commanded via the ECU. When you crank the engine (and if the fuel pump circuit is operational) the pump will begin to circulate fuel to the rail. At that point the ECU will send a signal for spark and to fire the fuel injectors. With that being said using a Noid Light (to confirm firing of the injectors) and using an In-line Spark Tester) to confirm spark delivery would be a good thing :-). Yes you could have a failed ECU, but at this time don't replace it. There's much more repair info to be posted here, but I don't wanna confuse you. Take this information for now and post the results.

Thanks Big, My uncle is an

Submitted by Clueless Mechanic on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 01:04.

Thanks Big,

My uncle is an ASE mechanic and also suggested the noid light and inline spark tester. The only problem is he isn't close to home to were he can come over and help. When I gave my symptoms, he suggested crank and cam sensor. I will go locate some testers and also check my fuel pump relay and DLC for proper voltage with a volt meter, I do have that. I will get back with results.

Another question, if I do

Submitted by Clueless Mechanic on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 01:09.

Another question, if I do have to replace my ECU will I need to reprogram to the car.
I asked Nissan and they said I would have to bring it in to reprogram. I was also told that it doesn't need to be brought in if their is no security chip. My key does not have a chip in it because I can get cheap copies made at Wal-Mart. I am stuck between money sucking dealership and unreliable sources.

Clueless, If it were a cam

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 05:47.

Clueless,

If it were a cam (and or crank sensor) problem you would be reading error codes, and not the word ERROR as you are. Of course it could be a cam (and or crank sensor problem) but that raises the question if the scan tool you are usin is defective or not. Try usin another scan tool to see if you get the same ERROR message. If you don’t, and you actually read error codes, then it means that the tool you were usin is defective, and if there are codes you should post them so we can see them. If you do have to replace the ECU, and you wanna save money you should consider buyin a refurbished unit online. Here’s a link.

http://ecmoutlet.com/

Clueless, Does your engine

Submitted by drivability on Sun, 01/22/2012 - 23:25.

Clueless,

Does your engine MIL work? In other words, does the check engine light come on when you turn the key on?

The check engine light does

Submitted by Clueless Mechanic on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 11:29.

The check engine light does come on when I turn the key to on. All of the lights that comes on seems normal as to before the car died. I used the OBD2 scanner on my car and received ERROR. I tried the same OBD2 reader on three other car and it worked fine. Boggles my mind...

Clueless Mechanic, It's not

Submitted by Old Pete on Mon, 01/23/2012 - 11:51.

Clueless Mechanic, It's not really that mind boggling if you stop to think that you could have a bad computer. You have to do what Big Block and the other pros here are telling you to do. Just listen to Big Block and the others. Answer all their questions and do all their tests and get back to them with the results. For the noid light and inline spark tester just remember that Auto Zone has a free loaner tool service. The way it works is you go there and pay for the tools you need you use them for the job then when you're finished you bring the tools back to the store and get your money back. Why don't you go to an Auto Zone store and get the noid light and inline spark tester that Big Block told you to get so you can do the tests and post the results? Both tools will have instructions for using them. Then there is your uncle. He's only a phone call or e-mail away. Between your uncle the pros here and Big Block there's no reason why you can't get this car running again.

I would like to thank all of

Submitted by Clueless Mechanic on Thu, 02/02/2012 - 22:11.

I would like to thank all of the people on this website who have given mechanical and morale advice. Today 2/2/12 I have fixed my car(somewhat). I slept on all of the suggestions and ordered an ECU from Ebay a few days ago. It came in today and I plugged it in and the car STARTED right up.

I came to this conclusion because it doesn't make sense that the OBD2 reader could not communicate with the car.

I checked the rating on the Ebay seller and it seems like every other ECUs he's sold goes to this generation Sentra.

Now I have a check engine light on and when I start the car; it starts normally with the rpm moving up normally but it comes back down and the car dies. I can give it a little gas and it will stay on and idle. But little worries... I think the ECU needs to be relearned.

Remember my problems fellow 10W40 mechanics:
2002 Nissan Sentra GXE
1.8L QG18DE Engine

1. Fuel pump relay is good but not pumping
2. Engine cranks but not start
3. No spark
3. No fuel
4. OBD2 reader reads: "ERROR"

This might be due to a bad ECU like my case.

Let it be lesson learned:
"Nissan, Drive the Unreliability"

Not all imports are the same. Found out this car was made by Mexicans and engineered by Americans. No offense to anybody.

Again, a big THANK YOU to everybody!!!

Clueless, (You Said)Found out

Submitted by Big Block 409 on Fri, 02/03/2012 - 04:26.

Clueless,

(You Said)Found out this car was made by Mexicans and engineered by Americans.

That's where you're wrong man. Remember the scarecrow in the wizard of oz? Well it was him that designed your car, then it was built in chinese sweatshops by 8 year girls.

Just glad to hear you got it fixed and our advice helped.