[LisaMarie73]

I have a 2005 Nissan Sentra, Im not sure if there is water in the tank or the fuel pump is going bad.

Going in to late fall as it was getting cooler in Cincinnati, my car did this junking when I was driving, like the gas wasn't flowing, did it once and I was good to go. Once it hit the lower numbers and frost started showing up, it junks like the gas isn't flowing again and it has died on me a few times. If I let my car run for 5 minutes or so, everything is OK. But if I let it sit for more than 3 - 4 hours I have to let it warm up again. If is a nice day here and the temp is over 40 it doesn't take as long to let it warm up.

Should I try the dri-gas stuff first and see what happens or just hunt down a few hundred bucks (which I don't have) and let someone look at it?

[ma0641]

I believe your car has had cold waether issues but it's always a good idea to keep a full tank of gas in the northern states as humid air can condense in the empty tank. In this case, run until the tank low fuel light comes on, put 2 cans of dri gas in, bounce the car up and down, let it sit for a while and then refill the tank. It might be a good idea to replace the fuel filter if you haven't done it in a year or two. Do the dri gas thing a couple of times. Check with a good engine tech, they can sometimes reprogram the ECM for different climates.

[TxGreaseMonkey]

Read the link below:

E15 and Engines - Can Ethanol Damage my Engine - Popular Mechanics

[LisaMarie73]

Thanks! Im once I have posted Im off to read!

[LisaMarie73]

Thanks for the info. The are a few auto parts stores around here offer a to test the car on some kind of machine, would that give me any idea what might be causeing this to happen?

Thanks again for the info!

[RickMN]

If I let my car run for 5 minutes or so, everything is OK.

I'm wondering if you're focusing on the wrong system. Water in the gas would make the vehicle run bad all the time--at startup and at full operating temp.

The problem you describe is a dead ringer for a bad engine coolant temperature sensor. It's what tells the computer the temp of the engine. If it's off, the air/fuel mixture will be off at startup. So if the sensor is reading too warm, the computer will lean out the mixture, making a cold engine sputter and die. But once the engine warms up, that leaner mixture may run fine. That's what gives it away--that it runs OK after 5 minutes.

You can test the coolant temp sensor with a DVOM meter. But they're really cheap (less than $20) and it may be easier to slap in a new one and see how it works.

[ma0641]

Maybe maybe not. Most of the diagnostic testers are for "check engine" code situations. You need to find someone who can read your computer settings and possibly make adjustments.

[ma0641]

I thought the same thing but wouldn't a bad sensor generate a "check engine" code?

[RickMN]

The coolant temp sensor will set a check engine light if it's completely dead or so far out of spec that it makes no sense. I've seen plenty of these that were bad without setting a code.

[LisaMarie73]

Thanks everyone for all the info!

I did take my little car down to Advance Auto, they hooked up this little tester thing (sorry all I have are girls terms!) The tester showed... camshaft position sensor. First think I heard was we would like lots and lots of your money for this part! It wasn't to bad, 30 bucks for the top of the line, now I just need to find where the camshaft position sensor is or find someone who works really cheap!

I think I should be able to do this, Ive changed my own oil, did a tune up, changed 3 window motors and it took me 4 hours replaced the brakes on an old car I had.

Anyone have an I idea were this camshaft position sensor is or how hard this will be, please post anything!

Thanks again! :o)