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Nissan Quest/Mercury Villager Starting & Stalling Problems
shanedonna
Member Posts: 2
Has anyone heard of any problems with a Mercury Villager spontaneously starting itself while sitting overnight in the driveway? My 2000 Villager just did that. I looked out the window and saw the parking lights on, went out to shut them off, saw the switch was in the off position, but the dash lights were all on, and the engine was running with no key in the ignition. My husband came out to see, and the darn thing shut itself off, including the lights. Help!
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I'm not sure what this will prove, but it may alleviate the symptoms for a while.
Steve, Host
First, an apology - I'm new and this might end up as a double posting.
Quest 1999, 61,000 miles ran well. Now it stalls after 20-30 minutes.
Fuel pump pressure at fuel filter - 38psi - stable, even when stalling. Not able to measure pressure after fuel pressure regulator.
Replaced: fuel filter, cap & rotor. Plugs look good.
Is there a way to test the oxygen sensors with a meter? If replacement is suggested, which one (there are two) both? Any way to test the MAF with a meter? Any other ideas on finding out what is causing the problem is greatly appreciated!
Many thanks,
Druid
Good suggestion, but fate is against me. I found an AutoZone store near me that has the equipment (in fact, very helpful) but the van now dies after about 5 minutes and won't restart after 40 minute "cool-down." So, a short mile or so walk home did me good <smile>. Will head back later to see if I can get the machine running....maybe making it to AutoZone.
Appreciate the help!
Druid, a.k.a. John
I once had a VW Beetle that had the same problems - would run for a while and then die. Letting it sit would temporarily solve the problem. Turned out to be a (severely) clogged fuel filter. I would also test the fuel pressure at the throttle body to ensure that fuel pressure there is OK.
An update. I put in a new fuel filter so I was wondering about the pressure regulator.
Went back to vehicle and started it - very bad idle, can't drive the van. Decided to go to the Nice Fellows at AutoZone and confessed my problems. He said that it sounds like a bad throttle position sensor or a grounding issue. Throttle rang a bell.
Bought large can of Gumout and flushed out the throttle plate area - a load of "stuff" came out, black and several shades of brown. Started the van - real rough but smooth out at high RPM...ran for a few seconds and it started to idle... pack everything in the van fast...head home...4-way flashers...a green traffic light...made it home...van is running smoothly.
After it cools down, will look to see how much more "stuff" might need to be flushed out - but it seems to be the problem (I hope).
Thanks for pointing me to AutoZone !!!
John, a.k.a. Druid
Though the initial cleaning of the throttle plate area did get the car running, the problem returned (never left) and just took a little longer to show itself.
To recap: After 15 minutes or so, the engine gets very rough and will stall. It needs to cool down to run again. New fuel filter; 38PSI pressure at filter; new cap and rotor; plugs look good. Will try to get to AutoZone to see if I can get a diagnostic (didn't make it two days ago and walked home).
Anybody see this engine problem before? Any ideas would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks,
John
Steve, Host
Didn't know of the area - will post a note - Thanks!
John
Owners Resource (scroll down a few sentences)
Steve, Host
Good link. I thought about this, I even have a spare fuel pump but I would not like to drop the tank if it can be avoided. The item here is that I put an gauge on the line and the pressure was a constant 38psi even in the process of stalling. If the pump was dying or if the screen (tank filter) was clogging, the pressure would drop.
Here's something - I tried running the car and it was rough, very rough. I sprayed the throttle area again (Gumout) and restarted, after initial roughness, it smoothed out and ran Ok for about 20 minutes. It appears to be someting in this area that is acting up. Any thoughts on this?
John
Let us know what you find.
The fact that it happens when it gets hot should help the diagnosis - reminds me of the old vapor lock days. Maybe something shifted and now gets too hot.
The throttle body clogging up sounds like a sensor issue, like it's running rich and finally stalls out.
Steve, Host
I don't see how spraying cleaner into the throttle body would help out if the O2 sensor was bad as I would think that the cleaner would fully burn prior to getting to the sensor to make any impact on it. But, you never know. There is probably a sensor somewhere that is sending a message to the ECU which causes the car to run rough and stall.
Two quick issues that I have had in the past -
My '99 BMW recently had the check engine light come on and started running rough. I didn't realize at the time that the problem occurred when the A/C was on as I run the A/C quite a bit in the summer. Turns out that the A/C compressor was starting to freeze up, which put a strain on the engine. The electronics on the car sensed the problem and tried to compensate by providing more fuel to the engine which caused it to run rich and stumble. BMW must use a very strong belt on the A/C pulley as it would have broken on most other cars in that circumstance.
A few years ago I had a Merkur XR4Ti that would stall when I made a quick right turn. It turns out that the battery was not fully secured and by taking a hard turn, the battery would shift causing one wire to pull loose and cut power to the engine. No sputtering here - only a quick stall. The problem arose after I replaced the stock battery with one in a smaller case which did not secure quite right with the factory hold-down clamp.
Troubleshooting can be very frustrating and you can almost always look back and say "yeah, why didn't I figure out that problem" after you shell out big $$ for a professional evaluation and repair.
A good thought and something now being investigated.
In traveling yet again to AutoZone to get a diagnosis the van failed, and failed, and....
Gave up and hobbled along to an auto mechanic. Five days later and several levels of shotgun technology (replacing non-defective parts that "needed" to be repalced) we don't know what is causing the problem. The mechanic is now looking to replace the computer as he can't get consistent readings. My suspicion is a bad connection, not a bad computer - as your point points out. Don't have an explantion for the "cleaning" - coincidence...?
This is going to be expensive.
Thanks,
John a.k.a. Druid
Yep, being a tad on the older side, I understand your points well.
Let's see if the mechanic can find the issue before I have to take out a loan.
John, a.k.a. Druid
I love the logic in your note - it makes sense.
As it turns out, the system was checked with A/C on and off to see if there was any interaction.
As for the battery and wires - I replaced the battery because it needed to be replaced and manipulated more wires than one would care to note. However, a secure wire doesn't mean it is making a good electrical connection.
The real bad news is that the auto mechanic got the van to run for most of a day (great) and then after many hours the problem started again.
Yes, I understand $$$ (the lack of it) rather well. But knowledge is sometimes expensive (ouch, sorry).
John a.k.a. Druid
Was trying to get to an AutoZone for this very purpose - ended up making it to a local mechanic.
The computer readings are not saying much and have been unreliable - the mechanic is thinking of replacing the computer (a procedure I would really like to avoid as I don't believe that is the core problem).
Thanks,
John - a.k.a. Druid
Could it be a slipping timing belt? I'm not certain if the vehicle would intermittantly work and not work with the timing belt slipping, but may be worth a look (if it is easy to get to).
Are you using a dealer or a non-dealer trusted mechanic? Sometimes a dealer can be the best option as they are familiar with the car and may have seen similar problems on another car. Their higher hourly rate is still sometimes cheaper than the independent mechanic who spends more hours troubleshooting.
Thanks for the update. We're pulling for you to get this fixed.
I agree that once the local mechanic admits they can't tell and starts shotgunning parts, it will be cheaper (usually) to pay the higher hourly rate to the dealer.
2020 Acura RDX tech SH-AWD, 2023 Maverick hybrid Lariat luxury package.
Thanks for the continued advice - greatly appreciated.
OK - the problem 'looks' like it is resolved "timing" is everything....
The distributor bearing (it appears to be a sleeve bearing) was grinding away and the mechanic believes it was throwing the timing seriously off. I did examine the distributor and the bearing was in miserable shape! In any event, replacement of the distributor seems to solve the problem. The distributor assembly is $600 but more importantly - the vehicle is running.
Again, thank you one and all and add this one to the database!
John a.k.a. Druid.
I agree and would have headed in that direction but geography was against me and a tow truck would be needed.
I did call a Nissan Dealer to arrange for service and he was not the nicest person I ever delt with; I assume it was an off-day for him.
I may head over for a "check-up" in a month or so to make sure all is well before winter sets in.
Thanks!
John, a.k.a. Druid
Do you have an electronic heat control (this may be a dumb question if all Quest models have electronic heat / AC) or manual control? If electronic, it may be the control unit. If manual, it could be a control flap that is stuck open or closed.
Have you had heat in the past (since you have owned the Quest) and no longer have heat? If yes, see above. If no, are you operating the heat control properly (another dumb question, but some problems are user error - I'll give you the benefit of the doubt, though and assume that you are using the controls properly).
My bet is that it is a control unit problem since you have no heat or AC. Does the fan blow air out of the vents OK?
On a 94 the OBD1 reader interface is inside the engine and guess what, even the biggest Mecury dealer in the area did not have a connection for it. So using Haynes manuel made a jumper wire to read code on dash, It gave a 32 (egr control soleniod). Took to Ford and they said that was bad so order new one for $107 and ended up paying 20% restocking fee as the old one in fact tested good. Dealer said fuel pump was prob, bought at Autozone for 132 and installed it, not the prob. Finally after reading post #1566 I called junk yard to see if one I could test with as Ford stated remanufactered distributor at 755.83 and O'reillys/Autozone was 189.99 reman w/ lifetime warranty. When talking to the ol timer at the salvage yard I told him about the post John wrote and he said one way to test it was to get the van warm until it started acting up again, then very slowly pour luke warm water over it and see if it smooths the idle back to normal (or if it will start normally if it has already died) and if it does and then warms back up and you redo the test then either your distributor is bad or the ignition control module located near the dist. is bad. In most cases it would be the ignition control module which is about $65 aftermarket w/ lifetime warranty.
In my case I tool the ICM off and to O'reillys and they tested in good about 4 times until it warmed up and then it would test bad. It would cool off, test good 3-4 times and then when hot it would be bad. I changed it out and have driven about 150 miles without any problems. So if anyone else has simular problems it may be worth looking there first as the dist & the ign control module does somehow regulate the timeing/fuel injectors and when malfunctioning it dumps more fuel making it run lean and causing the above mentioned problems. To late to save me or John much money but maybe it can save you. PS..After I cleared the intial code (32) it came back on with a 21 (ignition system fault)which is when I checked the dist. & control module.
Of note: I also replaced the rotor cap ($6) on the dist. as the lil metal tab was not rivited in place anymore, (i didn't figure it boucing around helped and who knows that may have been the problem?) Good luck all!
Try stopping by an auto parts store that checks engine codes for free and see if any codes are stored.
Try asking in the Got a Quick, Technical Question? discussion too.
Steve, Host
Thanks again,
Steve, Host
Thanks,
My mechanic said it sounds like a fuel pressure regulator. Does that sound reasonable? Have other quest owners seen this type of issue. The mechanic said the fuel pressure regulator is a 4.2 hour job, or in other words $386. DANG!!!!
Steve, Host
Are you suggesting that if the hard starting dosent happen if I/we/her give the system time to pressurize and then the vechile starts normally that it is a bad fuel pressure regulator? In your experience have you seen this costing almost 400 bones to replace?
I am trying to be proactive, as this is my wife's car, I shutter to think of the phone call I would get if the car strands her somewhere with 3 kids.......
Pat
I'm not sure if anything will be proven by testing it this way, but it may trigger some help by someone who does know. I'm curious as to why a bad pressure regulator wouldn't cause roughness driving around (the gas mileage seems to be your only other symptom after it cranks, eh?). I'm guessing your mechanic ruled out a bad injector, fuel pump, cracked fuel line, etc.?
It certainly looks like a dinky part :-): type2.com
Anyone?
Steve, Host
Other than roughness at startup and bad mileage there is an occasional odor of gas. The mechanic did mention the possibility of a cracked fuel line.
I'm bringing it in on Friday night. I trust my mechanic, but I like to be informed before I bust open my wallet for a huge car repair. Thanks for you advice.
Steve, Host