Digitalis

Hello
My friend has a 99 GLE with a weird problem. It is an automatic with 167k.
Sometimes the car doesn't start ( no crank, click heard from fuze panel but nothing else). Other times it stars fine.
The car is sort of beat up and has a few problems. Problem number one is flashing AirBag light. It's flashing constantly.
The second is obviously the starting. When the car does not crank, check engine light stays illuminated. (When sometimes car starts just fine it goes out)
Also when the car doesn't start, I've noticed that the SECURITY light is constantly on. When you try to start it (when it doesn't decide to crank), you can hear the starter engaging (low pitch humming sound), but not spinning. Similar to what it would be to try and start the car in gear.

We have tried shifting gears manually and it doesn't help. Wiggling the key around does not help either. The battery and the alternator are good.
I know about the ECU self-diagnoses but I wanted to get your opinions on it first.

Thank you very much.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

The click from the fuse panel is there all the time, it is the ignition relay. You just don't hear it when the engine cranks.

This is normal.

I think this is normal for a no-start condition. But if the NATS security system is activated, the engine will still crank. The fuel injectors are shut off to keep the engine from starting.

If the starter is humming or whatever and not cranking, this may be the main clue. The starter is most likely bad. Take off the air cleaner box and give the starter motor a few taps on the end where the brushes are. If this is the original starter at 167K miles, it is amazing that it lasted this long.

With an auto trans, the car will start in neutral as well as park. But the point above this one makes me think this is not the problem.

Unless I'm having a brain fart, I never heard about this.

Digitalis

It's when you play with the screw in the ECU to get engine codes. But according to you there is no check engine light, so it might be pointless.

I'm not sure of the starter is original, but when the starter does engage, it does so at normal speed (no slow crank). The no crank condition is really random. We can park it, come back, not have it crank, wait 10 minutes or so and then it might decide to crank.
I think he also had a problem where his car stalls going up hill (not bogging down, just engine shuts off)
How is the airbag light flashing normal? I would figure once the car is running it would go off.
His ABS light is on as well.

Thanks

JoshG

ABS light is on? need to check that.. thats part of the brake system.. As for the airbag, it could just be a disconnected wire underneath the seat.. or has to be serviced, either way in an accident the airbags will still deploy. So all u have is just a flashing light..

CS_AR

There a link in my signature line to information about the immobilizer for 99 models and up.

Take a look at the link for information on the security light being on. As Dennis stated above the security light being always on indicates the security system has shutdown the injectors.

Be careful to not constantly run the starter (e.g. attempt to start) with the drivers door open. As you will see in the link, the system will immobilize after repeated unsuccessful attempts. It takes being towed to the dealer to get NATS reset after immobilization.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

Turning the screw on the ECU is not a diagnostic. There is no testing or diagnosing being done when you do that. Turning the screw just allows the ECU to display what ever error codes are present. There are not any codes in the list that apply to the starter not cranking. But since the check engine light is off when the car does start, there are no codes to be read by turning the screw on the ECU.

Not all problems are solid, constant situations. They may start out as intermittent, become more frequent until they finally become constant. The starter is not immune to this. The brushes in the starter motor hanging up and not making contact with the commutator is a prime example of this. Another part of the starter that could also be intermittent is the planetary gear set.

I am not going to address this at this time. Since you aren't sure on this, let's temporarily put this to the side.

The airbag light flashing is not not normal. I did not answer that and that left a vagueness that you took to mean I was categorizing it with the check engine light answer. I should have clarified that better.

If the car has side airbags, check the wire connection under the passenger seat. The wire harness has a tendency to somehow tighten up and pull the connector apart.

A lot of possibilities on this. There is a diagnostic built into the system that you can run. See page 41 in section BR (brakes) of the service manual.

section BR - http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/1999/BR.pdf

entire manual - http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Nissan/Maxima/1999/