Just want to share my experience regarding fixing the starter in my 97 GLE, this is a somewhat detailed account:

Prelude:
* Woke up one morning and my max wouldn't start, and I said "sucks" in my head.
* With hind sight I should have expected it, since two weeks ago the car had one of those one-click-only-but-no-starter-crank episode that lasted a couple of key turns. Well, that was the writings on the wall to tell me something was starting to fail.
* Conclusion: I did nothing until I had to, lazy eh.

Symptoms:
* Definitely the starter motor was not cranking.
* I can for sure hear the starter relay's single click whenever I turned the ignition key.
* At first I could hear the starter solenoid's single clunk-click when the key was turned, but after a few times even that stopped. All that was left was the relay's click.
* Conclusion: I decided that one way or another I will have to remove the starter unit.

Diagnostic:
* I followed a combination of motorvate's and Haynes instruction for removing the starter unit, a lot easier than I thought. The best thing was that I didn't even need to crawl under the car, unlike some other cars that I have seen before.
* Motorvate's "Starter Noise Fix" instructions was great and applicable, except that I didn't just remove the starter motor, but the whole starter solenoid unit. http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/516
* After removing the starter unit, I did a quick bench test and knew that it was screwed.
* Then I took the whole unit apart as much as I can, Nissan Service Manual's break down diagram was helpful in this. I did this to see if I can identify any obviously worn components.
* NOTE: All motors require two magnetic fields, one produced by the stationary part of the motor (the stator, or field), and one by the rotating part (the rotor, or armature).
* There was so much black powder everywhere inside, I guess this starter has been working hard for 7 years. After I cleaned it up, I had a mountain of black powder.
* The brushes seemed good, but the black magnetic stators are worn beyond recognition. The armature also looked pretty well worn, I extrapolate that someone along the road had replaced the brushes alone.
* I put the motor part back together and tested it for fun, after the clean up the motor did work but not reliably. By itself, the solenoid also only worked intermittently and was very weak.
* Conclusion: I either need to fix this one or get another unit.

Sourcing:
(All prices in Canadian $)
* I first called my local Nissan dealer. They only offered one option, they wanted $460 for a trade in rebuilt unit.
* I then visited Canadian Tire, also had to trade in mine. It costs around $300 something for a Bosch rebuilt depending on how long a warranty you want.
* I then called a small auto parts store, they had brand new Bosch units for around $350. No trade in required.
* I then called a local alternator/starter rebuild shop, they said the solenoid cost $46. I brought the unit to them and they tested it, and decided that the motor is also no good. They gave me a quote of $186 for a complete rebuild and with two years warranty, all new parts, not just fix what needs fixing.
* Conclusion: I considered for a moment that I could try and order all those little electrical parts from Toronto and rebuild the darn thing myself for under $100. But having visited the rebuild shop and seeing the quality of their work, I decided that it is a good option. The rebuild unit came back looking like brand spanking new, repainted, greased and all.

CONCLUSION:
* I took advantage of having the intake components off, so I cleaned the throttle body as well.
* I put everything back together and the car started like a charm.
* Canadian winter is fast approaching, I will see how well it keeps starting this winter.
* If I had just let the dealer work on it, like most of my friends would. Then it would have cost me 460 plus a couple of hours at $85/hr, which means over 700. Thanks to good info on the internet and asking around, I saved myself $500.

 

thats what the org is for - if you are willing to put in some effort to read/learn and DIY - you feel both the accomplishment of getting the work done/car fixed and save yourself some money for some fun when you are done

 

nice walkthrough

 

Great writeup! My question is how can you diagnose the solenoid? You mentioned that yours was "weak." My problem is that after a Saturday of running errands around town, my starter occassionally won't work at all. I can hear the click from the clutch interlock solenoid, but no other sound. If I then tap the solenoid with a screwdriver the car will start. When this happens my battery also seems to have a hard time cranking. I know from past experience that solenoids go bad on Chevys with age and heat, and people install an auxiliary solenoid from a Ford to engage the starter , so I figured that is the problem here too (resistance in the ignition circuit increases with age and there isn't enough voltage to trip the solenoid. Additionally, the solenoid may need more voltage with age to engage, so you have to forces working against you). Anyway, I have since wired in a relay so that full battery voltage goes to the solenoid wire when I hit the ignition, and so far my starting problem has only cropped up a couple times (it used to happen like 5 times on a Saturday).

Bottom line - any advice? I'm guessing a new starter would solve the problem, but I really think I just have a solenoid problem. Problem is I don't know how to diagnose a solenoid. What other parts besides brushes would I need if I took it apart for repair?

Lastly, do you think a bad starter motor would kill a battery? Its still a mystery why the engine will crank slower when I have this problem with the solenoid engaging. My battery is new, and my alternator is charging correctly.

Thanks,

GregS

 

First of all, I am really just a newbie in DIY auto work. I have only done a few things on my Max, starter repair, Budget Y-pipe, hacked intake box with K&N filter, and those regular maintenance items. When I need to do more, you will see me asking newbie questions here for sure I was playing with the motor since I "used to be" an electrical engineer before I started doing stupid software work.

My guess of how things work� (Please correct me if I am wrong)
* The solenoid really does two jobs.
* It thrusts the starter gear shaft forward to engage when current is applied to the solenoid.
* When it is trust forward, it also completes the circuit for the starter motor so it starts running, kind of acting as a relay.

How I tested my stuff...
* I did all the testing on a bench, using clamps to hold things tight. Be safe. And I was careful not to apply current to anything more than a second, no more, just in case.
* Since it is easy to test out the motor by itself, I would definitely do that too while things are apart. It is the perfect time to get it fixed. To test it, all you have to do is to take it out from the starter housing (two screws), then apply power directly to the motor. And also the motor itself can be taken apart into bits, no secret hidden anywhere.
* For testing the solenoid, I basically supply it with power while the motor is taken out. In my case the solenoid moves intermittently and sometimes only "tried" to thrust. The solenoid is manufactured in such a way to not let you open it up for fixing, but the whole solenoid itself only cost $46 CAN so why bother.

As to the question, "do you think a bad starter motor would kill a battery?"�
* I can't speak for all possible cases, but in my case I think it could've done damage if I kept on applying current to it. There was so much crappy conductive powder buildup everywhere that it could probably short something out, if the solenoid engages and completes the circuit.
* Since the solenoid moves and make contact to complete the circuit for the motor, if the solenoid is weak (or something is dirty?) and makes a poor contact, I think it is possible that the motor could function in a half baked manner.
* Plus if any motor is in as bad a shape as mine before it was fixed, then it would be touch and go, running intermittently and weakly.