newest problem?

robertc · 02-03-2004, 08:53 AM

Before I take my Titan in to be checked by the Dealer's service dept. maybe some of you can help me understand the symptom my truck is experiencing.
The last couple of mornings as I was getting on the freeway from a dead stop at the top traffic light on the freeway ramp the following occurred.
I punched the accelerator so I could get up to speed and merge into traffic
and the truck hesitated like it was starving for something. It even jerked a little and the speedometer jumped to about 75mph. At this point I took my foot off the accelerator and the speedometer immediately jumped back to 20mph(which was probably the speed I was actually going). The tach also immediately jumped down but I didn't have my eye on it soon enough to see where it peaked. I hate to take it in only for them to find nothing wrong.
Later on down the freeway I was able to punch it and get into passing gear as normal. The symptom was so strange that I even double-checked to make sure I was in drive gear. Could this be a computer problem, fuel filter, etc?
What do some of you more knowledgeable people think is wrong if anything?
Should I take it in for service or wait it out awhile?
By the way the truck should not have been cold being that I have wait in line about 10-15 min. to get on the freeway do to the damn traffic lights on the entrance ramps. The temp gauge was almost in the middle.

Thank You
Robert

pluckyew · 02-03-2004, 09:26 AM

robertc: may i suggest that you bring a letter, itemizing your concern, to your dealer (and keep a copy)

ttz32 · 02-03-2004, 10:05 AM

I know this is a silly question, but you said you punched it to get up to speed. You didn't break the tires free, did you?

robertc · 02-03-2004, 10:13 AM

No I really didn't punch it hard. I just pushed down the accelerator about half way( leaned into it). I didn't notice that I spun the wheels. I had to be careful 3 or 4 CHP officers were standing at the side of the road keeping an eye on everyone for some reason. Could it be the cheap Arco gas?

RedMunsta · 02-03-2004, 11:24 AM

I think the Titan has an electronic throtte with a cable instead of the ordinary linkage. If this is so, this could be the reason. I have driven larger trucks,(commercial) that have this type of throttle, and they would do the exact same thing. This is considered normal for that type of setup. I haven't had this happen to me yet, but again I'm sort of used to being light on the accelerator.
Since it's electronically controlled, the computer will try to compensate for the drastic "pedal punch". Like I said, I'm not sure that Titan is set up this way exactly, but I have had this happen in other applications.

Bluto · 02-03-2004, 12:20 PM

Wait it out, try a different brand gas or location. Maybe some dry gas.

Mention it during you next service (if you use the dealer for service). Or wait until the problem is repeatable or a safety issue.

I'd never let a dealer try to solve a minor intermittent problem. Only thing they will do is put miles on your truck, put you in a crappy loaner, and replace things that aren't broke.

BTW, how many miles on your truck?

JetTech · 02-03-2004, 02:41 PM

was the road wet Robert? If your tach and speedo spiked after you nailed it than a guess would be you were spinning the heck out of those nice Goodyears. If you have traction control than we can throw that idea out the window because it will back off the throttle and start grabbing the brake of the spinning wheel. Heck, even if it was dry out you still could have been roasting them without knowing it. I've noticed the goodyears on my truck don't squeal, they just make a zizzzing sound. Of course that would be with the VDC switch off.

robertc · 02-03-2004, 03:48 PM

I'm almost convinced it is the Arco gas that several people have told me to stay away from in the past. The first tank was filled with Chevron then Mobil. This is the first tankful of 100% Arco. My Frontier also ran crappy on Arco
87 octane. So rather than being smart and going elsewhere for gas (the Arco station is 1 block from my house) I started using 89 octane. I'm not going to make the same mistake with my Titan. As soon as I use up this gas
i'm going for a better brand. I'm 90% sure this will fix the problem. If not then I can eliminate one possible cause.
By the way the road was wet and I had my stereo cranked up.
Who said it never rains in Southern California?

bg478 · 02-05-2004, 07:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by robertc

Before I take my Titan in to be checked by the Dealer's service dept. maybe some of you can help me understand the symptom my truck is experiencing.
The last couple of mornings as I was getting on the freeway from a dead stop at the top traffic light on the freeway ramp the following occurred.
I punched the accelerator so I could get up to speed and merge into traffic
and the truck hesitated like it was starving for something. It even jerked a little and the speedometer jumped to about 75mph. At this point I took my foot off the accelerator and the speedometer immediately jumped back to 20mph(which was probably the speed I was actually going). The tach also immediately jumped down but I didn't have my eye on it soon enough to see where it peaked. I hate to take it in only for them to find nothing wrong.
Later on down the freeway I was able to punch it and get into passing gear as normal. The symptom was so strange that I even double-checked to make sure I was in drive gear. Could this be a computer problem, fuel filter, etc?
What do some of you more knowledgeable people think is wrong if anything?
Should I take it in for service or wait it out awhile?
By the way the truck should not have been cold being that I have wait in line about 10-15 min. to get on the freeway do to the damn traffic lights on the entrance ramps. The temp gauge was almost in the middle.

Thank You
Robert

I have heard about this on other vehicles that control the throttle electronically. In the other cases, the problem was caused by a bad throttle positioning sensor.

Coolhand · 02-05-2004, 09:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banned

Hey RobertC,
Go out and get yourself a OBD II code reader, you can get them well under $100 or even less on ebay.... it will tell you if dumb little things break like TPS's.... I don't know why people pay the dealer 70 bucks an hour or waste time taking the car in to read a code.... Thats all they are going to do anyway is plug it in...

Or go to Autozone and they'll read it for you for free. But if the check engine light wasn't on, would the code reader actually pick anything up?

bg478 · 02-05-2004, 10:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by banned

OBD II does and will pick up things that it senses are going to fail, before the engine light comes on..

Will a generic OBD II reader work on the titan since it is so new? Or will you need the NISSAN CONSULT II?

dd564 · 02-05-2004, 11:24 AM

Any recommendation on what OBD sensor to buy?

Thanks!

aws316 · 02-05-2004, 03:28 PM

yes it will work...by law, obd2 is present in all vehicles 1996 and newer. The connector has to be within a certain distance from the steering wheel, so look up under the dash for a 16 pin-connector like this right here

Now theres a few different interfaces and I believe all Asian and European cars use an ISO interface...