Yesterday my starter died on me so i bought a remanufactured starter. When i put it in I started the car and it started perfectly. I turned if off and tried again and it wouldn't start (no sound of anything running). Now it sometimes starts perfectly or doesn't run at all. I dont like the idea of a starter only starting when it feels like it. It also usually doesn't start after i havent started the car for a while or overnight. Its a manual. I was thinking starter relay, but could it be something else? Any help would be appreciated.

 

stick or automatic?

 

I have an auto and I usta have the same prob, If you push the shifter all the way on (P), then tap it a litter high than (P), does your car start then?

Sometimes you have to adjust the shift linkage, (not sure how its called) So that trany goes all the way into (P), even thought the shifter is on park the trany might not be, dont know if that makes sence?

Also, when you press on the break you should hear a tick, or a tap from the shifter. There is a switch that lets the car know that the break is depressed so it wont start on any other gears besides (P) and (N). if that switch is stuck or malfuctioning it would also prevent starter from engaging.

Hope this helps, and hope you have an auto....never thought I'd say that??

 

The starter may be bad.

Batt contacts?

Battery might have internal intermittent disconnection under load. Check voltage while starting.

Tst the voltage on the solenoid while key is turned to start position. If u get 12V there, starter is bad. If not, its maybe the tranny inhibitor sw or ign sw bad.

 

check the shift lever switches like lalo said, but the starter could be bad. The brushes may be sticking and not making solid contact with the commutator. If you tap the starter at the end away from the bell housing with a hammer, it may work if the brushes are at fault.

 

Jiggle shifter while trying to start. Then report back. We will proceed from there.

 

haha, had the same thing happen to me (my vg).. thought it was the starter then, i had the batt. tested .... 4 times!!! 1st test showed a bad batt. the next 2 shows a good batt.. and then the last one said bad again.. i replaced the batt.. returned the starter that i installed, turned out the batt had 3 week cells... and they sometimes charged and worked fine, some times didnt even let the car start, eventhough all my electronics worked.

get that battery tested!

 

I have the exact same problem. Original starter died after 164,000 miles. Put the new starter (rebuilt from O'Reilly Auto Parts) in last week and it periodically will not start. Like yours, it mostly occurs when the car as sat for a long time (overnight or after work).

The battery is less than one year old. Mine is also a five speed manual transmission. I have not had a chance to test the current to the starter when this occurs. I'm hoping to test it this weekend.

I'm thinking it could be a bad starter because I will sometimes hear a brief click when I have the window down and everthing else is off. I've also tried this at night with the lights on. When I turn the key, the lights do not dim, e.g. no pull on the battery.

Could the starter relay have gone bad while trying to start the car with the worn-out starter in the car? If so, were is it. I cannot find a reference of it in my Chiltons book.

Thanks in advance for any helpful tips.

RHopkinsInBama

 

As told already, hit the starter endplate to loosen possibly stuck brushes.

Battery internally/intermittently disconnects? (no dimming speaks against this)

On some models ign start signal goes via inhibit relay (under water reservoir), its contacts may be oxidized. Clean, add contact grease as on all =ALL contacts all over....

 

The starter solenoid is on the starter itself. The solenoid is that approx 2" round thing that sits piggy-back on the starter and has the battery cable attached to it.

 

Solenoid yes, relay not. If you have no relay, the solenoid draws so much current that it will definitely burn the ign key contacts; install one.

 

I recently found out that it maybe it could be the switch on the clutch petal. Would that cause the starter to click but not run somethimes?

 

No switches on clucth pedal, only brake pedal. Anyways, car has to be started both clutch up & down.

= no

...all your options have been just about all given by the forum.

 

I thought I would follow up on the solution to my problem. As a recap, my car is a 91 SE with a five speed manual transmission. Turns out my problem was with the clutch inhibitor relay. This relay is located in the engine compartment on the driver side (u.s. models). Specifically, its located on the strut tower. It's a blue (not light blue) relay that has two wiring plugs that go into it.

The part number is 25230-89981. At first I bought a replacement relay from a local parts store (not a national chain) but one of the wiring plugs would not fit all the way into the socket. I figured I would just eat the $12 and pick up another replacement from the local Nissan dealer. The relay from the dealer fit perfectly and fixed the problem. It cost $16 plus tax. Lesson learned.

p.s. On my car there is an electric switch that is toggled when the clutch is fully pressed down.

 

Yes, youre absolutely right. I was wrong, sorry, EU cars dont have that, this sw existence is based on accidents; US ladies revving through garage doors...

The inhibitor relay is inhibitor. Used by clutch switch AND alarm etc... Maybe bypassed (temporarily to get going )with shorting ign sw pins 4&5 -or- by this relay contacts with a jumper wire.

 

I thought I was done with this whole thing until this morning when the car wouldn't start after dropping the kids off at school. Same as before, after the third of forth try the car would start. Before each attempt to start, I would release the clutch and then push the clutch back in. I'm now wondering if that clutch switch is going bad too. Hmmmm.

Wiking, you're absolutely right about ladies accidently driving through garages. However, I doubt that many of them had manual transmissions. Some government regulations just don't make sense to me!

Besides testing out the clutch switch, do any of you have other ideas? I'll check the battery for dry cells this afternoon but I don't think it is the problem. Battery is also only 6 months old and starter was just replaced.