I have a 1989 Maxima Brougham which I got from a friend of the family. Now here's the delemma: The car just won't start. I tried painstakingly to figure out what it could be but to no avail. I noticed that there was no spark coming from the ignition wires. I thought it might be the coil so I replaced it with a brand new one, but still no spark. The engine turns over fine but it just won't start. I've checked all the fuses, relays, distributor, as well as the electrical connections leading to the coil and they all seem to be OK. I even did an ohmmeter test on the power transistor and that checked out OK too. There was gas reaching the engine when I turn it over so I'm pretty sure that isn't the problem. Funny thing is that the car was sitting in our friend's driveway for a good while (about a year) and when I went to jump start it for the very first time, it started up with no problem. When I got it home and parked it for a day, my dad went to start it and it started fine for him as well at first, but then it stalled and we couldn't get it started after that. I've run out of ideas. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

Seems like you tried a lot but no lucks, huh? Well, you might wanna make sure that each spark wires doesn't max out beyond 25K ohms or it would needs to be replaced or you can't start during harst weather. Might wanna change the battery wires, they whole things, not just the end cap. Make sure the battery gets exactly 12.6V or higher, or you're not getting 100% full charge, remember that 12.5 is only 75% charged, so you could imagine what the percentage would be if that voltage drops even lower. Then check the alternator to make sure it's alive. If all of the above still doesn't work, then it's mostly like it's the starter's pinion teeth are getting worn, solenoid played, or the starter just simply died. I would just buy a Bosch starter rebuilt and put it there.

 

I just wanted to add another tip. If a new starter still doesn't solved the problem then you might wanna put in a new ignition module (NOT cheap).

 

oh yeah, make sure the spark plug gaps are set to 0.038-0.042 inches, anything higher will cause misfiring or even worst, backfires or won't start at all.

 

To check ignition wires can I just start car and pull it off plug or will that cause damge to plug or engine?

 

By no spark, I am assuming you are checking at the plugs. If so, then I would go backwards from there- i.e, wires, distributor cap, rotor, etc. You say you just replaced the coil, so I would also assume for now that it is good, so to me, your problem has to be between the coil and the plugs, so again, cap, rotor, wires, or the distributor itself. If the car will turn over, I don't see what the battery or cables would have to do with it, but maybe I am missing something. That's all I know to do..