maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

i think i need to replace my starter, my 96 GLE has 115k on it and i doubt the starter has ever been changed. it sometimes cranks for a very long time before it starts, the longest it took was around 3-4 seconds i guess. it usually starts in a second. should i get a stock nissan starter or a replacement from autozone/kragen?

also, could long cranking be caused by a dying fuel pump?

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

If your car still starts up, theres no need to change the starter... hard starting could also be due to a bad crank or cam sensor... I honestly wouldnt suggest just going out to buy another starter... however if you do need one, get an autozone one with a warranty

blkt

Have you taken it to the shop for a diagnostic? I just had my starter replaced two weeks ago. It coast about $290 parts not from Nissan. If you go to the dealer, it will be more money. If the shop you take it to is good then they will now where to get the right stuff cheaper than the dealer does. To answer your question, yes the car taking that long to start will cause other problems over time. I also had to replace the airflow valve for the fuel injection. When I fist started my car in the morning it would die if I did hold the gas. Hope this helps.

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

hey blkt, i see that you're also in oakland. where do you take your car to? i have yet to find a quality mech that i trust, i end up doing all of the repairs myself based on a haynes manual and the help from others on this board. i have not taken my maxima to a mechanic yet since buying it in june this year.

i'm not sure if the starter is dying or not. it usually starts up fine and quick. but once in a while, it will crank for a long time before it starts. i dont know what is causing it and have not been able to replicate the symptons on my own, it sort of just comes and goes.

unixadm

I got a reman starter from the Nissan dealer for $197.26 on a list price of $263. Core was $60 and you must have a Nissan OEM (new/reman) to return as the core.

Do yourself a favor and don't buy an AutoZone one. I work for 'em - have went down that road. You can think about it, but don't do it.

Lastly - if your starter cranks SLOWLY for 3-4 seconds, it might be your battery or the starter. If it cranks for 3-4 seconds like normal, but does not start then it sounds like your Camshaft Position Sensor is dying. A starter only turns over the engine, other things have to happen to get it to actually run.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

I used to work for an auto parts place.. reman starters arent as bad as people make them out to be... yea its not the same as a brand new one but its alot cheaper and will perform just as well

On the contrary I"ve seen a few people come back really pee'ed off when their reman starter got installed and it didnt work...

Its on you and your budget

Frank Fontaine

You can get the OEM from partznet.com for $184.93, it's a tough call. I'd say if you don't mind the labor get it from the autoparts store, if not, perhaps get OEM. The $60 core is a blessing and a curse. Perhaps it ensures that the OEM you buy is remanuf. from an OEM case, but then again, what isn't? Typical autoparts prices are $125 to $152, %-wise much cheaper, but $-wise what's $46 in the big picture, right? I'd probably go OEM.

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

the battery is new, well, 1/2 a year old i guess. it does crank for 3-4 seconds like normal whenever it is not starting up right away. how difficult is it to replace the camshaft position sensor? how much is the part?

thanks for all the help.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

hmm well I got mine for $100 reman...

however I see peoples points where they think Nissan ones are better. however a rebuild is only as good as the person who did it.

and the autozone ones carry a warranty... which is all that would matter to me anyway

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

The cam sensor is very very easy to change.. you dont have to purchase it though. Once you remove it out of the timing chain cover, inspect it and see if it has metal shaving on it.. thats almost always the culprit... clean it off and make sure its in one piece and put it back... it wont hurt to check it.. its VERY VERY easy to access.

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

how do i get to the cam sensor? i don't know what it looks like or where it is located at. i'll check the haynes manual tonight when i get home if its difficult to explain. thanks anyways.

Ant96GLE

iTrader: (4)

If you look at yoru car from the passengers side and have the hood up, you'll see on the timing chain cover to the right of the passengers side motor mount the sensor. It is plugged into the timing chain cover and has like 2 bolts... Its basically the only sensor and wires coming out of the timing chain cover near the heads

ybnorml

I just went through this on my 95 max. It would take way longer than it should to start and sometimes not start. I changed the crankshaft sensor and that wasn't it. It did end up being the starter. Take it to advance auto and have it tested, it's free. It is also very easy to change if you work on your car at all. Once you take out the air-box "stuff", it's 2 bolts and a wire, very easy. If you need a crank sensor, I can sell you the one I took out of my car for cheap.

Later,
Chris

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

sweet. thanks much.

97MAX2NV

wow u guys are paying crazzy prices for a starter. i paid 85 bukcs for mine, brand new. forgot the brand name ill try to find the recipt to find out. anything above 100 buks is crazy for a starter.

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

how much is a new one if i do have to replace it?

ybnorml

The starter I bought at Advance auto was $145 with my core. It is the same price at autozone. Either place will price-match. Mine has a lifetime warranty. They had this starter in stock for my car, if my new starter goes "out" for some reason, they will just swap it.

Chris

97MAX2NV

i got lifetime warranty on mine also, installed it myself its not that hard.

unixadm

I've went through 7 AutoZone Alternators, 3 Kragen Starters and 2 AutoZone Starters on various other cars in the past 4 years, mostly domestic cars where things are much simpler than these import cars. You guys do what you want though, I'll pay the extra money. The worst was on my 1994 Chevrolet Caprice Police. In 2 months, I went through 4 alternators. Because I work for AutoZone, I was put in touch with the manager of the remanufacturing facility where they custom built me a replacement 140amp unit and bench tested the hell out of it and that one lasted. The name of the game in the parts business is CHEAP. Cheap labor, cheap replacement internals, etc.

I work with about 85 ASE Certified Master Techs who all have major shop experience, both dealer and independant. I don't run into many of them at AutoZone buying parts for their own cars. Get a dealer hookup and use good OEM parts for critical things. Sensors and Electrical are really the only major areas of concern. However I've had issues with power steering pumps and such as well. Nothing beats the OEM. With that said, some parts are junk OEM or Aftermarket and in some cases, the aftermarket will address weaknesses in a parts design where the OEM will not. However I've seen that mostly in suspension parts, not engine electrical.

As the car gets older, it does not make a ton of sense to dump mad cash into it via OEM parts, but if the prices are close, go OEM.

newborn1281

I got my starter for 50 from another car it looked almost the same as original works fine no noises even better then original i guess another miracle for $50 icouldnt go wrong and you can change it your self its not hard.

96ItaliaSE

iTrader: (3)

I use autozone for my electrical parts only.

Max96GLE

iTrader: (2)

My starter went out on me around 120,000 miles. It was giving me problems for a year. It finally gave up on a rainy day. I would advice to change it before it's dead. Tow truck cost $$$$. I paid $160 with parts and labor. It comes with a one year warranty. I saw the poor mechanic replace my starter. If I have a choice, I would not change it. Getting access to the two bolts is a pain in the @ss.

Pappa Grande

Your starter will go eventually. Most will probably disagree with me, but I think its worth changing as preventative maintenance, if you still have the original. Specifically its worth doing if you are handy and plan on doing it your self. When I changed my starter years ago it was the first real wrenching around that I did on my car. Its a good stepping stone to learning how to work on cars, especially the good ol' maxima.

Having said that, I bought a pretty good reman off of ebay several years ago for about $100. It lasted me 3-4 years. Just recently it conked out on me and I bought a pep boys starter for $159 with core. It turned out that the reman they gave me didn't work and I had to go back the next day and get another one...and they didn't have one in stock...so I had to wait another day, but it finally did work. I was not happy that week.

If you are doing the work yourself, I recommend pep boys/autozone. Although cheaper quality for sure, you do have the lifetime warranty.

i30ds

iTrader: (8)

Those bolts are easy to get access to... just remove the intake and the two bolts are on the bell housing of the tranny... they are just on there tight as hell. A cheater bar is definitely needed.

I paid $160 for a rebuild and it did NOT solve the random long crank time problem... I think I am going to check the cam and crank sensors next. However, when that problem is not occuring, it cranks a whole lot better than the old one. So the replacement is still justified.

maximus_96

iTrader: (5)

what should i use to clean the cam sensor? can i use, say, brake cleaner?