HarrisH

iTrader: (1)

I'll try to make this as clear as possible as it is somewhat hard to describe. My car is a '97 Maxima with 121K on the odometer now here's the story.

I was filling her up at a gas station about 1 week ago, and I had the car turned off as I usually do when I'm filling it up. I go to start it and it didn't start the way it usually does with just a turn of a key, instead I had to turn over the key 3 TIMES to get her started. That's when it started, the car would not turn over with one key. It took sometimes 2-3 keys to start her. I did not smell any fuel or other odors, I did not hear any weird noises. Often I would hear the starter like make a "clink" type sound when I consistently kept turning it, but the starter was turning over the car the engine just wasn't turning over. Then all of a sudden the problem disappeared the car was starting just fine up until tonight.

I go to start the car and I hear the starter overcranking while attempting to start the car for e.g. it went (Ch Ch Ch Ch Ch overcrank overcrank) and the car had started. I parked the car attempted to start her again same scenario just that this time it didn't start I heard a pop from the exhaust. Now I kept turning it off and trying to start it and then I heard like a metal to metal clunk type sound I'm assuming the starter. Now the car was not starting at all, I would turn over the key and nothing like the car was in fail safe mode or something, no click, no sound no nothing. Then I took out the key waited a few seconds and it started up but again not the way it should, it was having a hell of a time starting up. Now I'm getting EXCELLENT gas mileage, I don't smell anything, my idle is fine, she's running absolutely fine, I don't understand what it is. I'm praying it's either a crankshaft position sensor, or starter relay switch. I really hope it's not fuel related. But I still don't know why I heard those pops, maybe because I kept trying to start it and fuel was getting dumped? This is really starting to worry me as I want to keep the car as long as possible as it's the ONLY car we have in the house, and I have insane amounts of $ dumped into it. Any and all input is grealy appreciated.

One more thing, I remote started it and it tried turning over but it didn't it sounded as if the battery was dead or something because it was turning over EXTREMELY slow. So when I go to manually start it with the key again it turned over but not normally the starter overcranked and turned over way to many times.

azmaxipad

iTrader: (4)

dude sounds like your starters going... mine did the same thing. one of the guys on the org is selling a 1 month old one for 75 shipped I would pic that up.

HarrisH

iTrader: (1)

I do have an extended warranty with another company so they should cover that. Why do you think it's the starter? Do keep in mind it consistently keeps cranking often overcranking in an attempt to turn over the engine. You think it might also be a sensor (Camshaft POS or REF)? Maybe fuel injector, maybe bad ground? My symptoms are exactly as I've described.

1.) Long cranks, sometimes a clunk sound
2.) Pop from exhaust after attempts to start it
3.) Often overcranks

Keep in mind

1.) Really good gas mileage
2.) Runs real smooth
3.) Idles perfect
4.) No hesitation or power loss
5.) No Codes
6.) No odors

azmaxipad

iTrader: (4)

mine did the same thing sounds like it's gonna crank and doesn't then will crank right over out of no where. no loss of power from the battery.

19Maxima93Se

Might wanna get you ignition coil/ignition coil relay checked out...my car wouldn't start and eventually just would click when I went to turn it on so I replaced the starter and nothing turned out to be the ignition coil relay.

HarrisH

iTrader: (1)

Would that not throw a code?

Nismo3112

iTrader: (12)

Anyone know where the ignition coil relay is ???