Hi Everyone,

I have been having starting problems lately with my '05 6MT Up-Rev Sedan. A few weeks ago, especially in the morning, the vehicle would crank slow and eventually start. Following a couple of week after, I was getting fuel at Costco and started my vehicle up to drive to one of the fuel stations. As I started up my vehicle to drive, it shutdown soon after. I tried to restart but all I heard was a click and the starter not cranking. I attempted this a few more times and was not successful. I had to have some folks help me push my vehicle and had to have it towed home.

The next few days I found that I had the following issues.

1. The car’s fan would turn on as soon as I put the ignition switch to ON, meaning the ECU was not getting power. I could not connect to the ECU to read codes.
- SOLVED: I found that the “IGN and ECCS CONT” fuse in the IPDM was blown.

2. Once I put in a new 15A fuse, the ECM was getting power and could read the check engine code which was showing P01078: Exhaust valve timing control position sensor. I had replaced the passenger angled position sensor not too long ago but was getting this code with the lazy starter start a few weeks prior.
- UNRESOLVED: Still showing P01078 even after resetting the ECU by disconnecting battery for one day and resetting with Torque scan tool.

3. Also, found that the 10A “ENG SOL” in the IPDM was blown which is routing power to the STARTER RELAY. Once replaced, the car started up again (but with a lazy start).
- SOLVED: Providing signal to engage the starter once ignition switch is on START
- NOTES: Also, had the starter rebuilt afterwards to see if this would fix the lazy starter. Had negligible differences.
- NOTES: Also, tested (by providing load) and charged the battery. Battery tested GOOD at Autozone and no corrosion around the battery terminals.

4. After driving for a day, I am having the same issues again. The car will not start (only hear the starter solenoid clicking). I did not see any of these fuses blown. I manually jumped the starter by putting the car ignition switch to ON, bypassing the clutch switch with a paper clip, and providing 12V signal power to the starter solenoid through the harness. The car starts and runs for about 5 secs and the “IGN and ECCS CONT” fuse blows shutting down the car and the ECM.
- NOTES: I do hear the STARTER and IGNITION RELAYS clicking as I try to start with the ignition switch but the starter does not crank.
- NOTES: I had replaced the relays with the others (LOW & HIGH BEAM RELAYS) since I knew these are working and am having the same issues.

I need some assistance troubleshooting this problem. There may be a short somewhere. I may also think this may be a defective IPDM. The STARTER and IGNITION RELAY area is showing some rust (see pics below). The drain area near the battery was clogged and some moisture was captured under the battery area. We had some rain in the SoCal area the last few weeks.

Sorry for the long post, I wanted to capture as much detail as possible. Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!


Bottom 4th Relay on Left = STARTER RELAY Middle Relay = IGNITION RELAY




IPDM Fuse Decoder

IPDM Relay Decoder

 

Sounds like you have a bad battery, regardless of this supposed "passing" test you had, you've had multiple solenoid click but no start, almost always the battery but you should clean up both terminals, wire lugs, including both sides of the fusible link just to make sure it's not a resistance issue.

If it's a persistent battery issue you might have a failing alternator that's not charging properly.

As for the IPDM, I would unplug/remove it, take a good picture of the location of everything, disassemble completely down to the printed circuit board and put EVERYTHING (relays/fuses included) into a bag of rice overnight to dry it out just to verify it's not a moisture issue on the inside.

Put the battery on a charger every night to see if it's taking additional charge, this can help diagnose if it's an alternator issue with the battery.

As for the cam sensor code, use only a Hitachi or OEM Genuine Nissan Parts sensor. Well known that these cars don't play nice with aftermarket, Hitachi was the OEM manufacturer. A failing cam sensor can cause a long-crank-to-start issue, or just a fail to start.

 

As an update, I replaced the IPDM with a used part and got the car to start up again. The battery is tested good and all four cam sensors are original Hitachi.

I definitely do have some electrical gremlins. There is a short somewhere since the positive and negative terminals are showing continuity at times. I have an aftermarket stereo with an amp installed so I unhooked the amp power wire which helped but seems like there is a short somewhere. I need to take this to an electrical shop. Any recommendations in the South Bay area in Los Angeles, CA?

The car was running fine, and I drove the car about 10 miles on the freeway trying to get it back home. A CEL came on eventually which I was not able to check. Then things started to get bad. I felt a big jolt and the CEL was blinking with a bad misfire. I got off the freeway and shut it off by a nearby parking lot. The rear engine near the firewall was smoking really bad. I let it cool down for a bit and restarted again, and it was misfiring bad. I checked all the spark plugs (they are NGK Iridium with about 8k miles), and they are in good shape. I pulled the following codes:

P0223 - Throttle/Pedal /Switch "B" Circuit High Input
P0123 - Throttle/Pedal /Switch "A" Circuit High Input
P0113 - Intake Air Temp Circuit High Input

After checking the plugs, I tried to restart. The engine is cranking now but does not restart. When I turn the ignition switch ON and OFF, I do hear the fan running at times like the ECU is not communicating. All the fuses in the IPDM is good. I cannot connect to Torque to read any codes now. Any thoughts?

 

I would find the cause of the smoke, was it burning oil or did it smell like burning electrical? The positive battery cable is routed down the right side (passenger) and may have worn through to metal and arced out, superheated the wire, melted the insulation.

 

Appreciate the response. It smelled like something electrical was burning. It was coming from the cat converters/bell housing of trans and was very hot. I thought the car was going to catch fire. I am wondering if this was caused by the car running lean?

I am thinking about tackling the throttle body and ignition coils next.

 

any updates?

 

PROBLEM SOLVED: The issue ended up being a burned ECU. I was able to obtain a used 6MT RevUp ECU and got it reprogramed.

I replaced the IPDM and still had starting issues. The ignition coils kept burning (plastic would bulge) when the key ignition switch was in the ON position. I also used a noid light on the fuel injection plugs and found that I was not getting any fuel. Spark was good.

With the radiator fan running and the OBD2 not connecting, I determined that the ECU was not communicating. The smoke coming out from the rear of the engine/near bell housing is what I assume to be the car running rich and flooding the catalytic converter with fuel. I also had to replace one of the O2 sensors.

CAUSE OF BURNED ECU: The black roof molding on the passenger was missing for some time, and this was during the winter time where we got some rain showers. Water got into the glove compartment area where the ECU is located. The plastic panel/cotton insulation under the glove compartment was damp when I removed the ECU.

Make sure you all have your roof moldings on the vehicle and the water drip area near the IPDM clear so that water is able to drain out.

Hope this helps someone in the future.

 

Well, as they say, Better late than never!