Jhurkmans Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 So ive got a 1992 nissan pathfinder x3 v6 3.0l. I know that vehicles need to warm up in a cold start to run properly but this is strange. If it sits and gets cold and i try to run it the engine doesnt have any power. I can floor the pedal and the rpms stay between 500 and 750. It takes about 15 minutes to warm up and even then, until i get going its jittery; High rpms for a low speed on acceleration. After a cold start it barely moves and sometimes backfires. But after it gets going and is actually driving for about 20 minutes, it runs fine. Any suggestions? The timing is alittle off so it gets alittle higher rpms than usual and i havent had time to fix that but until seasons changed its been running okay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCWD21 Posted December 14, 2019 Share Posted December 14, 2019 Have you done a tune up recently? Could be a fouled plug or clogged (partially) fuel filter. Does it smell like it's running rich or lean when it's doing this?Sent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhurkmans Posted December 15, 2019 Author Share Posted December 15, 2019 No official tune ups but i replaced the fuel filter about a month ago if not alittle less and same with the spark plugs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Reverse Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Try checking the engine coolant temp sensor. It is the one with 2 wires. If it is blue, there is an updated one to help with cold temp/high altitude operation. The updated part is yellow (or is it the other way, can't recall). Either way, it is simply a variable resistor that changes with temperature to let the ECU know the temperature of the engine to control the air/fuel mix and ignition timing. If it is showing the wrong temperature, the engine won't be happy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jhurkmans Posted December 16, 2019 Author Share Posted December 16, 2019 12 hours ago, Mr_Reverse said: Try checking the engine coolant temp sensor. It is the one with 2 wires. If it is blue, there is an updated one to help with cold temp/high altitude operation. The updated part is yellow (or is it the other way, can't recall). Either way, it is simply a variable resistor that changes with temperature to let the ECU know the temperature of the engine to control the air/fuel mix and ignition timing. If it is showing the wrong temperature, the engine won't be happy. Thanks! So how do i check that? Im still learning about nissans, ive usually owned a chevy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RCWD21 Posted December 16, 2019 Share Posted December 16, 2019 Thanks! So how do i check that? Im still learning about nissans, ive usually owned a chevy. Try unplugging it, the eco will go to a default value and if it runs better you can go from thereSent from my SM-G965U using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr_Reverse Posted December 17, 2019 Share Posted December 17, 2019 As with the GM, you can test the sensor by measuring the resistance at certain temps to confirm it is accurate. The service manuals give the details. I just know about the revised sensor because I live in northern Utah where my local elevation is about 4400 ft and I am in the bottom of the valley. It doesn't get particularly cold very often, usually doesn't drop below 10°F here. But I did come across the revision because it was in a TSB. When I bought my Pathfinder almost 21 years ago, I also bought an Alldata service manual for it. That included recalls and TSBs for the truck. The sensor was inexpensive and easy to replace, so I replaced it to prevent problems. Don't know if it had an effect, but haven't had any problems in 20 years related to that and that does include a lot of time spent over 7k ft and temps down to -35°F. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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