97 Maxima will crank, but won't always start, usually happen during cold start, will start if I give it gas?

Question

what could be wrong?

Answer 1

It dcould be the coolant sensor, try grounding it out and see if that solves the starting problem.If so, replace the sensor.On cold starts this sensor tells the brain that the engine is cold.The brain compensates to make a richer fuel to air ratio,advance the timing to raise the engine idle RPM. Once the sensor detects a certain coolant temperature, it then signals the brain to change the fuel to air ratio and for the engine to operate at a lower RPM.