what would make the engine have to spin for about a minute to crank

2003 NISSAN ALTIMA
140,000 MILES
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SCOTT1909TAYLOR
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about three days ago at a traffic light car shut off it was hard to crank back and it still takes the engine turning over for about a minute to crank. once cranked engine runs fine at all speeds with no hesitation or power loss. the engine still stalls about once a day but only when idling at a light or something. the engine spins fine it just takes a long time to crank usually 30 seconds to a minute
Oct 2, 2011 at 7:54 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
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I would start by checking fuel pump pressure and fuel filter. If pressure is weak, it could cause this. Also, if the vehicle hasen't been tuned up for a long time, it should be checked for that. There are directions for checking fuel pump pressure on our homepage under the diy section.
Oct 2, 2011 at 7:57 PM
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SCOTT1909TAYLOR
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the service engine light is on as well. could this also point to the fuel pump
Oct 2, 2011 at 8:54 PM
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JACOBANDNICKOLAS
  • CAR REPAIR CONTRIBUTOR
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It could if there is a random misfire caused by a weak pump. What I recommend doing is take the vehicle to a nationally recognized parts store and have them scan the computer. Most will do it for free. That will identify trouble codes that are stored in the computer. The trouble codes are specific to what is causing the problem. Get the codes from the store and let me know what they are so I can better direct you.

Let me know what you find.
Oct 2, 2011 at 9:48 PM
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