Stalling out in wet weather

Asked by pickupchick Sep 13, 2008 at 10:43 PM about the 1996 Nissan Pickup 2 Dr XE Standard Cab SB

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

This has been an issue of mine for a long time -- my 96 Nissan pickup stalls out in wet weather. (Bought the truck
new in 96 and I've put 217,000 miles on it.) It used to just happen after a good rain, but lately being really humid is
enough to bring on symptoms. Tonight I fueled up and ran it for a couple miles, and it stalled out completely. I got it
running again and sputtered my way home, checked under the distributor cap and it was completely dry. All the spark
plug connectors seemed dry (dark out when I checked) and my wiring is less than a year old. My mechanic has
suggested that I need my valves reground. Has anyone else had this done, and did it help? Any other possibilities?

6 Answers

485

I wonder if the ignition module is going bad, gets damp then dies? When I worked at the nissan dealer, we had a customer who has a 98 pickup, 4cyl, 5spd with over a million kms on it, and it's never done anything like that before.

1 people found this helpful.
21,135

I would inspect all sensor plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coil, and distributer cap. Sounds alot like an ignition issue to me, so I would work through the typical things (wires, cap, coil, etc). If you have not recently replaced the distributer cap, I would try replacing it first. Typically if you get any moisture in the ignition system it will not run, and if it does it will run very poorly. If the problem persists, I would look at sensors like air/idle control valve valve, knock sensor, map/maf sensor, etc. All would cause your problem. I had a coil pack in my cavalier with a hairline crack that was not visible when cool, but it gave me the same problem you are experiencing with your truck early dew mornings or when it rained. Your truck is fairly bullet-proof so I would look at the simple things first.

2 people found this helpful.

my 96 always stalls out and i still havent figured out the problem we just had the motor rebuilt so its brand new and it also sounds like its sucking alot of air. Any suggestion??

40

Have you ever found an answer to your problem? I have the same pickup, same year, same problem. Bought it used last year w/74000 miles. Other than that it runs great.

2 people found this helpful.
10

My 1997 did this and it was the fuel pump going out. Replaced that and no more problems

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

Pickup

Looking for a Used Pickup in your area?

CarGurus has thousands of nationwide listings and the tools to find you a great deal.

Postal Code:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    beater
    Reputation
    510
  • #2
    tibags55
    Reputation
    390
  • #3
    Larry Larsen
    Reputation
    360
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Toyota Tacoma
43 Great Deals out of 682 listings starting at $9,975
Used Ford Ranger
19 Great Deals out of 533 listings starting at $6,500
Used Mazda B-Series
8 listings
Used Chevrolet S-10
3 listings
Used Jeep Wrangler
136 Great Deals out of 5,920 listings starting at $8,995
Used Nissan Pathfinder
31 Great Deals out of 1,726 listings starting at $285
Used Nissan Sentra
56 Great Deals out of 1,895 listings starting at $2,288

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.