Yeah my fuuckin' starter is giving me sum fuuckin' problems!!! Everything is charging properly, battery has good charge, cable looks good. This is what seems to be happening; it feels like the battery doesn't have enough voltage 2 operate the starter, so if I hook up some extra juice with some jumper cables/another battery it starts right up and the starter sounds fine. I'm thinking it's the starter solenoid right?. This is my diagnosis but I'm looking for all U Maxima Enthusiast opinions.

I turn the key in the morning 2 start and it barely cranks some times, like a dead battery, I check the voltage of course and it's atleast 12.6-12.8. I cleaned everything up, checked positive battery cable, ground wire 2 starter, ect. and everything looks good. So like I said, if I jump it starts up immediatly no problem like new, also if I drive around for a while and get the battery all charged up it will usually start back up when shut off for a little while. I really don't wanna buy a new starter if I can just replace the solenoid(that's if I can find a solenoid somewhere). It's always something , I'm at a 150,000 miles on the odometer and everything is starting to fail that's still original.

 

So lets make this simple:

If you jump it and its fine, how the heck can you blame the starter itself? ............. and exactly how do you figure the solenoid to be the culprit at all?

Its quite obvious that you have a funky battery irrespective of voltage measurements that seem to indicate its health - get it tested with a carbon pile load tester so that you can see if the battery voltage falls flat on current production

 

I'm with LvR - how in the world do you figure it's your starter?

You've clearly got a battery and/or alternator issue..

 

pulling the starter and battery is easy. take them to autozone, get 'em checked.
when my starter went poopie, it would just click (reminicent of a dead battery), but otherwise wouldn't turn. I thought it was my battery, but the charger said it was good.
ever since i replaced the starter, I have started with no problem.

a bad battery can say it's 12v, but not have the CA it needs to turn over the starter. seen that happen plenty of times.

 

I had an issue with my car starting right after getting a tranny installed. Autozone or advance auto parts will test everything for free. I would go to start my car, and it wouldnt do anything, so I would tap the starter, and everthing. I even went as far as tearing the thing apart, and replaceing the positive cable, and even replaceing the starter with a junkyard one. After installing the junkyard starter, the car did the same thing( wouldnt start sometimes) SO im like what the heck is wrong with this car?? Then I remember someone said to push the shift lever up somemore, and that was what the problem was! LOL ! Havent had anymore starting problems since!

 

Moderator note... swearing in the thread is bad enough (yeah I do it too... shoot me for setting a bad example), but please don't swear in the thread titles.

 

I would like to respond to all the post, I have 3 auto's and have tried changing the battery out with same results. My alternator is charging properly, cables are good, she runs great. I replaced the battery about a year and half ago, so the battery should still be good and I've installed this battery in other vehicle(which is a Volvo and requires more power to start) and it was fine. The Volvo battery is more powerful and I was still having this problem. When you have a bad/worn solenoid you will use more power to get it going and that's how the heck I've come to this conclusion. Even with out changing batteries like I did, how could it obviously be battery/alternator issues? I've done all the checks on both and there fine, you've never heard of a starter on it's way out using more power to get going or a fuel pump doing the same thing on it's way out. I did try the shifter thing already and unfortunatly it's not something that simple. I did pick up a used solenoid today but this one was worse than mine I think cause it didn't work at all, atleast I didn't pay 4 it.

 

My bad for the language 2 anyone who was offended, I'm coming here for assistance/opinions, sometimes forget that not everyone talks like I do. I appreciate all the feedback and honest opinions, whether I agree with u or not you are helping , good looking.

 

In that case you need to start reporting ALL facts properly because what you just said simply doesn't agree with your earlier "so if I hook up some extra juice with some jumper cables/another battery it starts right up and the starter sounds fine.".....................

No use getting into a hissy-fit with us when all we do is comment on your own reporting of the situation.

You seem to be comfortable around the motor so can I suggest using a stout screwdriver and shorting out the two fat terminals on the starter the next time this happens ....................... if it starts normally, it will immediately exonerate the starter and battery and point to a possible solenoid or associated cabling/termination failure as you suspect

 

just in case ,check the short fat wire that connects the solenoid to the starter

my 91 se came with a damaged wire there and i got a cheap starter from the
local pull a part
before then i had to wiggle this wire when it wouldnt start
by reaching down past the fans or pop starting

 

Like I said, I appreciate all comment/suggestions, if I sound like I don't appreciate your help I appologize, that's just the way I talk. I did leave out some info, I tried to explain what was going on in my first post as short as possible but I guess sometimes you have to write a short story to give a good explanation of what is going on . Good lookin' with starter/battery test, I will use that if ever necessary. Anyway I just ordered another starter, I don't want to deal with installing a new solenoid(there a pain in the ****), I don't want to deal with starter problems either, so I'll just try getting a new one. Probably will try and replace the positive battery cable/all it's connections, I found a good fog light switch though on the Maxima in the junk yard where I got the solenoid. It was a 90'SE I believe and the body/paint was in excellent condition, except for the fact there was another car on it's roof. What a waist of a good shell, I'm assuming the motor was shot cause It didn't look like an accident sent it to the yard. I will be visiting it often for little things like the fog light switch. My GXE didn't come with fog lights but I hooked up some led style fogs lights like the new Porches/Mercedes, I refuse to install the aftermarket style on/off switch. I think the factory switch looks best, thanks again guys and please don't be offended by the way I chat.

 

In reading the original thread (and yes, all that followed) my first thought is the battery...just as the first and simplest test/rule out. So, as long as you are taking a volt meter and measuring voltage as someone tries to start the car. If it dips real low...it's the battery. Depending on meter and battery, voltage might drop to 12 or 11 volts. If the battery is bad, will drop into 10-9 volts or lower.

With that ruled out, my second thought is right with Shiloh. When starters go bad, they will pull more power in order to turn over the car. I always thought it was a commonly known mechanic rule that an alternator or battery going bad...especially if premature... you should check the starter becuase either (or both) alt and batt going bad is a symptom of a bad starter.

I thought original post was clear...unless it's been edited by the time I read it.

 

Thank you my dude, no the original thread wasn't change but in writing it I assumed that others would understand that I had already ruled out battery/alternator. I just didn't explain fully how I ruled out battery/alternator. The wiring is in healthy shape, my Max is very healthy for her year w/only 150 thou on odometer and garage kept by original owner. When I install the new starter we'll really find out but atleast the direction I was going with diagnosis has some of you in agreement with me. I come here to see if what I think is correct and most of the time I'm right. I also just like talking about my Max, I like starting threads here on the 3rdgen forum, which has fallen off lately. Sometimes I can be a little aggressive in my post but it's all in good fun. Anyway, my starter's on the way and I just ordered the whole thing. I didn't want 2 fuuck around wit the solenoid again, I installed a used one that was bad, I didn't pay for it but wasted some time, unless I installed it wrong but I doubt it. The 3rdgen Max it came out of was such a shame, it was a 90'SE and the body/interior is in great shape except 4 the car on top of it. I'm guessing the engine seized up or something and they didn't want 2 fix. It was that Maroon color and the paint was literally mint, I copped a foglight switch out of her though.

 

Not sure why you didn't take the starter to autozone for bench test.....do they not still do that? Of course, I've found they're bench test is not always 100%. But, a relatively simple diagnostic aid none the less.

 

Yeah at first I should have but I already ran some checks/tests and came to the conclusion the solenoid was bad, just wanna replace the whole starter anyway, Ive been replacing everything else, so why not.

 

Yes that is correct, I installed another starter today and she started right up like the day she rolled off the factory line, seriously. With that said, my fuel pump fuse issue which I haven't been able 2 check because of the starter is good money also, knock on wood. I put the correct 10 amp fuse back in, started my ***** up and were good 2 go. I also took out the cheap *** Auto Zone thermostat and replaced with a new Nissan stat. The auto zone stat had my motor running at about 20 degrees higher than proper operating temp should be and we just can't have that. Now that all the BS is outta the way I can get back 2 where I left off trying 2 enhance my suspension/WHP.

 

if its not a weak or dead cell in the batteries then possibly you have a dead short