Hey scotty,
And fellow car enthusiasts,
I have a pretty weird situation (for me at least). I have a 2005 Nissan X-terra SE, 4.0 liter, automatic transmission. These last 3 weeks the car shuts off when I come to stop, but once a day and that is it.
There are 2 situations that are occurring here:
Situation 1: happens 99% of the time. The car just shuts off. Doesn't start shaking or dropping RPMs, it just shuts off. It starts back up instantly when I crank it and drives normally for the rest of the whole day. Today it tried to shut off when I was coming to a stop, but the stop light turned green and I let off the brakes and the car just went on normally, but situation 2 occurred, since the car has to meet the daily quota of shutting off.
Situation 2: happened twice during these 3 weeks. The first time it shut off when I was driving and the second time, today, the car shut off when I came to a stop and started to reverse. The thing is, when I cranked it, it took a long time to start up, as if the started motor was cranking and everything else was dead. Also, after this, when I let off the throttle the car would add throttle for a split second, like instead of letting off I added a bit more. This happens only when the RPMs reach 1000 and only when in first gear. Doesn't matter if I push the paddle and then let off, or the car is rolling down the hill without any throttle, as soon as it reaches 1000 RPMs it adds throttle on its own accord for a split second. After this, if I turn off the car and let it sit for 30 minutes, it just goes back to normal and drives normally for the rest of the day. With out shutting off, or anything else.
When I had the car scanned it only showed the P0710 code and as I found out the code shows a bad transmission fluid temperature sensor. Could that be the culprit here? The thing is, I have no idea what that sensor looks like, is it a separate part, or integrated in the valve body? I don't know.
Overall, I only have this P0710 code to go off of and nothing else. I have no idea what else might be causing this.
So yeah. Turns out that the OBD scanner, with which I had my car scanned, several days ago, was garbage. Today, at my mechanic, I found out that the crankshaft position sensor is going bad and is causing all the problems I am having with the car shutting off.
@spicetea Glad the problem was found and thanks for letting us know. If you want a better scan tool there are recommendations in the site FAQ, the "Tools" link at the top of the page, and you can see Scotty demonstrating scan tools in a lot of his videos.
Yeah, I'll have a look. I do want to get a scan tool for myself, so that I won't have to run to a mechanic every time a check engine light comes on.
Overall, I only have this P0710 code to go off of and nothing else. I have no idea what else might be causing this.
It does not seem likely that a problem with a transmission temperature sensor. It's not listed as a common symptom for that code.
There's a lot more to diagnosing a problem than pulling codes, in fact that's just the bare beginning. Have you tested fuel pressure? Checked filters and spark plugs? Cleaned MAF sensor and throttle body? Analyzed live data for problems?
@chucktobias Yes. The filters are all good, spark plugs are pretty much new, ignition coils are also pretty much new. The throttle body is clean, MAF sensor is fine and the fuel pressure was fine, but I might have that checked again. Maybe the pump is going bad, or the injectors need cleaning. The fact that this occurs once and never again during the whole day keeps me puzzled. I had a bad fuel pump and dirty injector problems with my old car, but the symptoms were really different.
Could be the fuel pump is dying. You might want to record a live data session while driving and the problem occurs. You can then play back the data to look for problems.
@chucktobias Yeah, I'll do that and I also haven't checked the wiring at all. Could that be a possible issue too? It did show a steady voltage on the OBD scanner when I had it scanned. I'm not good with electronics at all so...
Could be bad wiring that loses connection due to being jostled around while driving. Also check your grounds. That thing is 20 years old and a lot can go wrong in that time.
@chucktobias Yeah, I do have to check that, since the car is letting in the alternator whine through the speakers. That problem has been here for a good while now. Didn't have the time to get that checked out.
Vacuum leak in brake booster maybe
@imperator Maybe? haven't noticed any change in braking or anything. Well I am taking the car tomorrow to my trusty mechanic and hopefully we'll be able to pin point the actual problem that causes this. Hopefully I won't have to take the car apart. But if I'll have to I'll do it. I'm not planning to part with my dream car that easy.