Nissan Repair: 1995 Maxima Hard Start, nissan service manual, coolant temp

Question
Jay, I really need your help.  The Maxima cranks at a variable rpm and will not start cold or hot unless the throttle is opened.  Sometimes backfires during cranking.  Once it starts,it runs fine. I confirmed resistance for the Coolant temp and Inlet air temp sensors at room temp.  The Thermal Transmitter sensor is 1,500 ohms and has an 80 ohm spec in Chiltons, but I think the sensor is for the gage only - not the same as the Coolant temp sensor.  I checked resistance and smooth operation of the Idle valve and the 2 idle solenoids. HELP!

Answer
There are about 15 no start tips for this vehicle in the Nissan service manual. Lets try to eliminate some of them. However if you do not have a Nissan Consult 2 scan tool this is going to be extremly difficult. First variable cranking? Does it sound like the starter is binding? These vehicles are sensative to eng cranking speed. Also the ignition switch sometimes goes bad. This is easy to identify using the Nissan scan tool. There is a start signal reconized by the computer to fire the engine. This signal comes from the ignition switch. Try this. When you are starting the vehicle use a little more pressure on the key when cranking. Let me know if this helps and I will be able to direct more info.