Hi everybody - my 97 SE won't start - the battery is fine.
when i turn the ignition on - all i hear is click from relays
the engine won't even attempt to turn.
i think is the starter - this morrning - it strted - but felt kind of "lazy"
i'm trying to troubleshoot now - but any ideas would be apperciated
I need to go to work tommorow morning !

V/R
Nick

To get it started you need to have somebody hold the key in the start position while you hit the starter with a hammer or other object, but yes your starter is bad, the soloniod has probably gone bad.

thank's a lot 96Se 5spd - I tried everything - checking relay's and fuses - but finally i gave it a blow from a hammer and car started right away - You shoold see my face expression !!!!
THANKS A LOT !!!!!
btw - i'm buying new starter next day !!!!

lol - u really slapped it with a hammer???

sure did !!!! and it worked like charm !!!!

Did you think I was kidding, the reason why the starter wasn't working was there was a dead spot in the copper connecting plates in the solonoid if you tap it, it will sometimes move the starter just enough to miss that dead spot and work, but you need to have it replaced.

If the battey doesn't have enough voltage to turn the starter it will also click, so if you think it's you battery try and jump it off before you go replacing things.

If I have enough voltage but doesn't click, then what? Bad starter?

About the voltage... CHECK ALL YOUR WIRES. After a while, wires tend to corrode... and if you have an aftermarket alarm system and have this problem... i suggest you check the "starter kill" relay and the wires used for that. In my Celica, i've had the "click click" problem for such a long time and i thought it was the starter relay... but in the end it was the WIRES because they were too thin... so i rewired using 10 gauge and it works fine. If your car starts everytime w/ a jump, the wires aren't conducting well... especially when the engine bay is hot. Check wires!

Okay, I have a 97 SE also, and my starter (or siliniod) just went out. How many miles did you have on your car when your starter went out? I am trying to decide if I should replace the siliniod or the whole starter, we tapped on the siliniod and got it to start.

Also, whatever I need to replace I plan on using aftermarket parts, my Nissan dealer wants almost twice the price for the factory part. Any reason why I should go to the Nissan dealer to get and install this part??

Thanks,
Steph

My max has been sitting in the garage for 5 days.
This ASE guy at Autoparts did the test and told me the alternator is bad, so I replaced it, and the new alternator does nothing.

At first the car was hesitating to start, so I go WOT on gas and it worked...then it would only click click.

And the weird thing now is that when I turn the key to ON position (not cranking up the car but just turn key 1/2 way), I hear the constant tick tick tick tick tick noise.

I changed fuel filter, air filter, and spark plugs and they do nothing to help the problem. And I checked all fuses and relays and they're fine.

So I'm guessing it's the starter solenoid or the fuel pump...most likely solenoid.

And about alternator, BEWARE! some auto stores just want to rip you off by selling a $200 alternator without adequate testing. Make sure to take your alternator to at least 3 different auto stores.

And when you're installing alternator, give it to alternator guys for $107 labor...it's well worth it. It took me close to 6 hrs and I'm an intermediate level enthusiast with some experience.

What a coincidence! My 95 Max SE is beginning to have starter problem too, at 156,000 miles. Question: How much does the starter cost? How hard is it to replace?

Thanks?

My 97 SE only has 74,000 miles on it and the starter (or silinoid) just went out, haven't figured out which it is yet. A brand new (full warranty) starter for my car from AutoZone is $139.99 with a core charge (you have to bring in the old starter), and takes about 1.8 hours to install. Or I can just replace the siliniod for $61.99 with no warranty. So I think I will just replace the whole darn thing, and hopefully take care of the whole problem for a while.

I'm not sure on the exact price of the starter.... 120 maybe? you can buy a brand new on or a rebuilt one.... depending on how much u wanna spend. Anywho, the replacement of a starter is actually really easy for the max.... meaning you can do it yourself. I read a post here on the ORG about replacing it and it had a nice diagram and all to it. Search for it. I believe it just required disconnecting the starter wires... unbolting it, sliding it out, then just puttin in the new one and plugging it back up. It's not hard at all. Good luck

I just bought mine from them the other day since my starter went bad at 121K miles. Its really worth getting since it comes with a lifetime warranty. Took me a little less than an hour to replace. I used the following link for some help.
http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/starter.html

Do you guys it could be just this:

http://www.motorvate.ca/auto/maxima/starter/starter.htm

I lubricated a starter on a 95 SE. Now 4 months later the car has a starting problem. Do I need to buy a new solenoid?

the tick tick tick noise has somehting to do with your wires/voltage......

True, but it could also mean its a sticky soleniod.

Thank you all for your inputs.

or starter Relay there are a number of things that click when starting your car, you need to diagnose them all.

hey, i have an extra starter from my 95 maxima GLE which was running fine. Instead of spending who knows how much u can buy mine at a good price. Check prices out and then hit me up and tell me what you think would be reasonable and it will be yours for that price.