2004 Nissan Altima SE from North America - Comments

The engine does not start in the mornings, need to turn the key at least 10 times.

Loud squeaky noise from under carriage.

Loud noise coming from front passenger tire.

Screechy noise from passenger window.

Stock in dash Cd player skips music with brand new Cd's and reverts back to the previous songs by itself.

The car has a great performance and quick acceleration pick up.

Definitely a little bit bumpy on the ride.

For those of you who have this recurring problem with engine turn over in the morning, either warm or cold temps, I may have a helpful suggestion for you all. My father owns a Nissan as well, albeit a Nissan Frontier. Every now and then his engine also cranks, but doesn't ignite. What some of you might be experiencing is vapor lock. It happens when there is leftover/unburned fuel vapors in your piston chambers, causing a "flood" of gasoline. Since all engines have a specified fuel-to-air ratio mixture programmed into the computer for engine tuning and performance characteristics, if there is too much fuel (a fuel rich situation) the engine may not start. Or it may result in very tough starts with excessive vibrating. In any case there is a limited amount of oxygen available to the engine at idle and at cold start that compounds this problem, but what can you do. When this happens and the engine does not start, don't panic...yet. Try this simple procedure. Gently, and I mean gently, press down half way on the accelerator and simultaneously turn the key. However, DO NOT, DO NOT, hold the key for more than 2 or 3 seconds if the engine does not turn over. Cut off the engine and try again. The worst case is it doesn't start yet and you have to try again. Repeat this process as necessary. If not and you hold onto the key for a long duration, your starter will go south much sooner than later. Not a wise thing to do, and it's pretty costly to fix. When the engine does start, don't be alarmed when your tachometer reading revs excessively high and you see a thick black cloud of carbon behind the car. It is just burning and expelling all the excess fuel and vapors from the engine in the form of unburned carbon fumes that were inside of your piston chambers. Also afterward your tach should come back down to "earthly" idling RPMs. One way I learned to avoid this "vapor lock" situation, is try to drive a bit longer to allow your engine to get warm, generally 10-15 minutes in warm temps, about half an hour in cold temps before bringing the car back into your driveway. It happens particularly easier, but not always, when you take short trips and cut off the engine for a few hours. When you are about to cut off the engine, pay particularly close attention to your tachometer (RPM gage). Sit there and idle for a couple of seconds to allow your engine to settle and reach a steady state (constant idling RPM). Then turn off the engine. If it turns over on its own with no apparent problems after plenty of hours of engine cool down, then you'll know it is not a quality or manufacturing problem. If the problem persists, take your car into the shop for diagnostic. It could be a sign of something serious, mechanically. Keep these tips in mind and you shouldn't have this problem too often. If the problem persists, take your car into the shop for diagnostic. It could be a sign of something serious, mechanically. Thanks for reading and hope this was helpful to you all.

It is unlikely that the fuel injected engine in your Altima is experiencing vapor lock. That was a problem that plagued carburetor fitted engines in the past, more so in hot climates. The problem you are experiencing sounds more like what I experienced on my early built (Nov 2003) 2004 Nissan Altima. Nissan recalled all 2002 -03 Altimas due to a faulty crankshaft sensor. This sensor tells the engine management computer on what position the crankshaft is in order to execute the injection of fuel as well as ignition timing. If you are the lucky owner like me of an "early" 2004 model, you car may have one of the faulty units. You should check with your local Nissan dealer (Be persistent, they are not the best taking your word for it) and have them check the computer codes for this problem. Good luck!

This is happening to other cars as well. We have two Camrys in the family and just recently replaced an oxigen sensor on a 99 Civic EXG due to engine flooding. The check engine light comes on & off on the 99 Camry we have and the 98 Camry CE, 4-cyl does not start in the morning when it feels not to. This is completely random and diagnostic tools are unable to determine the cause. Rest assured, Nissan is not the only car having these issues.

...are you sure this should be happening???...1989 Pontiac 6000...starts whenever I want it too w/no problems, or arguments! Maybe you have poor electical systems for the ignition? Have you checked the fuel pressure?