Trouble with my 2005 Nissan Altima.

Question

I have a 2005 nissan altima 2.5S. A couple days ago, I was on the streets when my car turned off by itself. When It turned off, all the lights on my dash were on so I didn't loose power. The check engine light came on. I took it to auto zone and they did a diagnostic check. It showed that my crank shaft position sensor was defective. I took it to pep-boys and they replaced it. When I picked up my car today, the check engine soon light was still on and when I turned the ignition it made a struggling noise before it started. It struggled to turn on before I had the sensor replaced and it is still struggling to turn on after it was replaced. I had the battery checked and its a good battery. Pep-boys did not disconnect the negative battery cable to reset the computer. Could this be a reason why it is still struggling to turn on? Any ideas would be gladly appreciated. I'm taking it to the dealership this weekend, thanks.

Answer 1

Isn't your car still under warranty? You should've taken it to the dealer if it is. You could've voided your warranty and wasted money at Pep Boys when the dealer would've done it for free. This is a clear example why I don't like newer Nissans: Timing chains beginning to fail on the Maximas, ignition and build quality issues with the Altimas, and engine failure on the Sentras. Trust me on the last one. I know three people that have experiewnced engine failure on their Sentras and each of them are 2008 models. Luckily, Nissan backs their products. Take this car to the dealer!!!  

Answer 2

CKP sensor code # P0335. The sensor is not part of the recall however there is a new reprogramming of the engine control available free at Nissan. This addresses the stalling issue. Most of the time the PEP -BOY does not see these cars every day. So they are not as well equip to deal with several issues that cause the car to stall. And after they find and change the sensor did they clean the connections properly? did they get it plugged back in? See the crank sensor is behind the motor and difficult to even touch much less work on. If there was oil inside the connector the new sensor may malfunction. I would really recommend taking it to Nissan then giving the bill to Pep-Boys if the Cam sensor was replaced by mistake. New crank sensors from Nissan are protected with metal so the oil on connections won't be an issue if the proper sensor was replaced correctly. Some long crank conditions may be caused by fuel pressure problems.

Answer 3

Have you also noticed a loss of power?  I mean does it feel weaker than it normally does.  For your sake, I'm really hoping this isn't the case, but the Altima with the 2.5L has defective catalytic converter that fails prematurely and eventually causes the engine to fail.  If replacing the crank shaft position sensor didn't fix the problem, that wasn't the cause of the problem.  If it was, the problem would have been cured, even if they didn't reset your check engine light.  The light alone would not cause the car to run bad.