[amc49]

PULL CODES. And release the parking brake.

Pick one place to post your problem and stay there, you clutter up the site with multiple posts of the same thing.

 

[PDXDiamond]

Hey all, I have an ‘08 Versa and twice when I have been out of town for 5+ days it would not start. Cranks and revs but won’t start.
Have tried charging the battery though it was recently tested as OK. Not sure if battery-related. After a couple hours and a few attempts with giving it a lot of gas while starting, it will turn over and start. Any ideas what’s causing this and suggestions for a solution?

 

[scarecrowdjinn]

Hello Diamond,

So it's hard to start, but once it's started it runs ok?

Is it hard to start every time? or is it occasionally?

 

[PDXDiamond]

*Edit: it was sitting while I was out of town

 

[PDXDiamond]

Hey Scarecrow, only happened these 2 times when left sitting for several days. Once it’s started is totally fine.

 

[amc49]

OP says 5+ then 'several' days. If over say 25 then the battery has run down enough possibly to not crank fully and power the ignition and ECM at the same time. Cars absolutely cannot sit as long as they used to unstarted, the battery has to keep power to the ECM to keep the memory powered and the same for fancy radios and other modules now. You are asking for trouble past 2 weeks sitting.

Incidentally, letting them sit is also now the fastest way to kill batteries, I used to sell them and if you let that go on you can pretty much count on the battery not making its' full life.

As well, the time element is what also allows the ethanol in fuel now to pull water into it and another problem they don't tell you about.

Uh, 'revs' is not an accurate word in the use there, the engine can only rev if it is already running. Starters don't rev.

 

[SlickVersa]

When I off for more than a week, I usually disconnect battery's negative terminal. Then I have to reset a clock and radio, but it is nothing compare with a pleasure of having my car start right away. Too lazy to get a trickle charger...

 

[scarecrowdjinn]

Dimonnd I would't do anything at this point unless it starts giving you problems during your everyday drives.

A sitting car can weaken the battery, especially if the battery is old.

Next time you let the car sit for a few days, do the following as an experiment.
1) If possible, use a multi-meter and get the volts off the battery before attempting to start the car. Hopefully it's 12 volts or above.
2) When you go to start the car after it's been sitting, try cycling the key a 3-4 times before attempting to start it. Just to make sure the fuel system is primed.

*In case you or someone else reading does not know what cycling the key means, see below *
Cycling the key means turning the key from the off position, to the "run" position and back to the off position. The "run" position is the last key potion right before you start the car.

So....in your case,
a) insert the key
b) next, click the key forward 1 position, this should turn on your radio and unlock your steering wheel.
c) Then click the key forward again 1 more position. This should activate all the lights on your instrument cluster (also known as the Run position).
d) Then, click the key all the way backwards to the off or beginning position.
e) repeat steps b, c, and d two or three more times.
Your goal is not to start the car during key cycling. It's to make sure the fuel pump has fully primed the system.

Give us an update if you let the car sit again, or if you start to have the problem more frequently.

 

[amc49]

'When I off for more than a week, I usually disconnect battery's negative terminal.'

Likewise, it will extend battery life like forever. Can be a problem though on newer cars that lose memory to things to have to go through more involved relearn processes like TB idle learning or even transmission relearning. What you gotta do though.

I should point out that 'cycling' the key off as in the post above requires that once the key goes to on that you leave it there for at least two seconds, or how long the fuel pump commonly primes for. They spin up for a second or two and then stop. If you cut off before that you aren't priming anything.

And learn to 'read' that initial spinup as to the quality of it, it will often tell you what kind of shape the pump is in and any problems can show up there before the car comes down not running if you pay attention. I've caught several bad pumps just by listening to that, but you need to hear what is normal before you can tell what is not. You can commonly tell when the pump spins too fast that there is no fuel in tank too.

 

[amc49]

Another helpful thing to know is battery volts that are useful. After testing hundreds of cars while in parts and before after years of work, I came to the conclusion that any car that measures at 12.2 volts or less is likely to give trouble starting, if not then then really quick. I rate all batteries at a 12.3 volt minimum as being good and of course anything higher is better. Up to maybe in a few cases 12.85 or so volt (new, what they read in the lab). Anything past that is surface voltage that just has not sunk into the plates yet due to the time element to do that, the car would have been just shut off. That can be up to 13.5 volts but is NOT real, it WILL disappear. Talking about a battery sitting in car and not being used or charged.

So................12.3-12.8 volts and good to go. That last number is killer, the car will NOT start at 12.0 volts in 90% of the cars out there and 11.99 is considered a dead battery by battery associations.

 

[PDXDiamond]

Thanks guys. I am def not a car buff, just a girl with a Versa (so thanks for breaking it all down for me). Now I know what to check up on for next time!