Questions and Answers
200-SX Cold Start Problem
Q. Mr. Ciulla, My wife has a 1995 Nissan 200SX SE with 4-cylinder engine and automatic transmission. Currently it has about 72,500 miles on it. We now have a recurring problem with this vehicle that I would like to run by you.
The first instance occurred in 1996 when it was still a low mileage vehicle. One morning after a cold front blew in, the vehicle would not start. We had it towed to the dealership where they checked everything out and told us it needed new spark plugs as they were fouled out. (This was at around 15,000 miles.) We were skeptical as we had problems with this dealership on another issue, but went along with it and didn't really give it a second thought.
We then moved to Houston, TX for the next two years and did not have a problem. We moved to Salt Lake City in June of 2000, and since moving here, the car has had this "no start" problem three times, all during the cold winter months. The dealership here has been more helpful, telling us there is a problem with the computer in cold weather situations that causes it to reset the base idle each time the car is started in a cold weather situation.
After doing some research on the internet, this appears to be a common problem in Sentras, Maximas and 200SX's form the mid-nineties. We have followed the dealership's instructions regarding cold weather starts and to always allow the car to come to "running temperature" before turning off the engine. However, the problem keeps recurring despite these measures, costing us at least $200.00 each time the car needs to be serviced with towing costs, throttle chamber cleaning, and resetting the base idle.
My question (and frustration) is this - is there something else that can be done to fix the problem permanently? It seems that a 1995 vehicle could have a computer reprogrammed to have a set idle or fuel/air mixture. Also it seems that this is such a common problem with these vehicles the Nissan should have worked out another solution by now. I hate to mistrust the dealership as they seem to be fair and honest, but I can't help feeling like I am cash cow for them giving them $400.00 each winter.
Any help or information you could provide about this situation would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you in advance,
BruceA. This has been a problem with Nissan for longer than the mid 90's and all fuel injected cars in general. In theory, if you start the car without touching the gas pedal, the engine will start no matter what the weather. However, some people tend to hold down the gas pedal which confuses the computer and just dumps more fuel into the cold engine.
I routinely go to a local used car lot almost every day in the winter to start cars of all makes and models that are flooded.
Here in Minnesota where winter temperatures normally go down below 10° F in the winters, I recommend a block heater. This keeps the engine warm and will start no matter how cold it gets. I have a block heater in my car and I can tell you from personal experience, there is no piece of mind like walking out of the house when it is 30° below zero and knowing your car will start.
Since there are no signs of this problem being resolved on any car any time soon, I think you would benefit from a block heater as well. It will cost about $150.00 to install, but you will never have to have it towed to a mechanic to get it started.
Additional Information provided courtesy of ALLDATA
