Cars.com

Dear Tom and Ray:

I have a 1986 Nissan Pulsar NX with a five-speed transmission. It's in really great shape and usually runs well. Recently, though, it has developed an annoying habit of dying a slow (30- to 45-second) death, complete with shivers and shakes. But up to that point it seems to run perfectly. I took it to the nearby Nissan dealer, but it was no help. I don't get it. What would cause the car to run just fine for a few miles, and then start bucking, kicking and die? - - Theo

Ray: A sudden lack of gasoline would cause just this kind of behavior, Theo. And that could be caused by a bad fuel pump.

Tom: The Pulsar is mechanically identical to the Nissan Sentra. And Sentras are famous for failing fuel pumps.

Ray: And you don't say how many miles are on this car, but since it's a 1986, I think we can safely assume that you've got at least half-a-bajillion.

Tom: Ah, technical terminology!

Ray: So, assuming that your dealer already checked the fuel filter, the next thing to do is ask your mechanic to check the fuel-pump pressure. If it's below spec, put a new fuel pump in there, and that should solve the problem.

Tom: If the fuel pump is OK, the next thing to look at would be the secondary gas filter located inside the carburetor. In this car, that filter sometimes gets plugged up and causes fuel interruption, mostly at high speed. You have to take the carburetor apart to change that one. Good luck, Theo.

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© 1998 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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