Checking For A Lack Of Fuel
If the ignition system is not behind the no-start condition on your 1.6L Nissan Sentra, then there's a good chance that it might be due to a lack of fuel. Checking for a ‘lack of fuel’ condition involves checking the fuel pump's pressure with a fuel pressure gauge.
The cool thing is that if you don't have a fuel pressure tester, you can borrow it from your local auto parts store (AutoZone, O'Reilly Auto Parts, etc).
The fuel pressure gauge is placed between the rubber fuel pressure hose and the fuel injector rail with a special T adapter. Once safely in place, the engine is cranked to see what the fuel pressure reading is on the gauge.
The correct fuel pressure specification is 35-43 PSI. This tells you that the fuel pump is good.
If the fuel pump has failed and not delivering fuel to the fuel injectors, the most common fuel pressure result is 0 P.S.I.
You can find the fuel pump test explained in detail here: How To Test The Fuel Pump (1995-1999 1.6L Nissan Sentra)
Checking Engine Mechanical Condition
One of the most overlooked areas, when testing a hard to diagnose no start, is the engine's compression.
If a compression problem is behind your 1.6L Nissan engine's problem, the cylinder's value will be at 0 PSI. A 0 PSI compression test result usually indicates:
- Broken timing belt.
- Blown head gasket.
- Blown engine.
A compression value of 120 + is usually considered normal for these older 1.6L Nissan engines. You can find the engine compression test explained in detail here:
More 1.6L Nissan Tutorials
You can find a complete list of tutorials here: Nissan 1.6L Index Of Articles. Below, is a sample of articles you'll find in this index of articles:
- How To Test For A Blown Head Gasket (1.6L Nissan).
- How To Test The TPS (1997-1999 1.6L Nissan Sentra).
- Front O2 Sensor Heater Test -P0135 (1995-1999 1.6 Nissan Sentra).
- Mass Air Flow (MAF) Sensor Test Nissan Sentra 1.6L (1995-1999) (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
- How To Test The 2000-2002 Nissan Sentra 1.8L MAF Sensor (at: easyautodiagnostics.com).
If this info saved the day, buy me a beer!
