TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

I neveer had issues with the starter. Always started the first time and no noises. Today i go try to start it and nothing. No cranking no interior lights. no radio nothing. So i assume its the battery. checked with my meter and caught 12.49 volts. Good battery so i think its my starter. I bang on the starter a couple of times and tryed to start it, it slowly started to move, not cranking speeds but just slowly. I bang and repeat this about 20 mins long and then finally it starts right on up. So i'm happy i figure i'll get a starter and i shouldn't have problems driving it, just starting.

I crusie down the road and as i go over bumps, my radio goes off and on along with dash lights. Car stayed on. I keep driving just hoping to get it to the store. I hit a red light and i think yes this is a good thing. no bumps and the car stalls out on me. i pushed it to the gas station. And start to bang and play with the starter. I moved the battery cable and i heard some actuators turn on. So i figure i might have a bad battery cable along with it. I'm sitting there playing with it and then finally got it started. And then all of a sudden it died out again.

Now i'm sure the starter is my main problem. But why would my car died out and have the radio flicker. Would that be the cause of loose battery terminal or a bad terminal as well. As i kept wiggling my postive cable, i kept hearing the actautors turn on and off.

intially when i walked up to my car i rolled the windows down 1/2 way thru the remote and that worked fine. and i put the key and i got nothing.no radio no lights no security light period. No cranking nothing. with 12.49 volts.

I'm going to the store to pick up a starter. What else should i be looking for as well. Maybe a postive battery cable/terminal and what esle.

hasei

iTrader: (5)

Something tells me it's more than just a starter issue even if it turns out that your starter has died out. Dimming interior lights and radio going off sounds more like an alternator. Also an ignition switch? But I'm guessing that you ruled out both.

(I re-read your post and figured your interior electrical problem doesn't seem to be consistent with symptoms of dying alternator.)

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

what would be the signs of the ingition switch. The instantly i turn the key to accessories the lights get dimmer but i think its cause of the physical battery draw from the lights itself.

The radio went off and on and it all seems like the ALT was going out. But i never had that issue either as well. I ASSUMING here and this is what i'm taking to the gas station tomorrow and attempting to fix. My starter and resecureing the postive cable. Because when you try to wiggle the switch it would turn the dash lights on every now and then. But i honestly have no clue, whats up with it. It could be the igntion switch as well.

HomerMAC

iTrader: (5)

its a common prob iwth the starter... they all go out .. mine lasted till 100010 and then went out... it happens and yea lights porb prolly alternator...

hasei

iTrader: (5)

I think having to wiggle the key to turn the interior lights sometimes is one of signs of dying ignition switch.

When my alternator died last year, it happened all of a sudden. I never had the problem before. After all we have pretty old cars and anything could happen though problems don't usually resurface after fix and they are still reliable compared to others....

206maxima

iTrader: (7)

i'm having the same problem... how much is the starter?

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

140 + 60$ core any place.

nissan has remans fo 178 with a core of 60.

You cant be having the same problems as me, because my car is at a gas station right now. Everything seems like it is a problem at this point.

I look at it, maybe my car died at the light cause of the ignition and the reason why it didn't start up for the first time. I'm mainly thinking that cause its only a $50 part. If it was my starter, why wouldn't the radio and climitronic work, nor did i get the ingtion key chime when i think about it. A bad starter would still allow my radio to work and other things as well.

Now i banged on the starter and held the ignition switch for a long while and then it started up. So there we have the possible switch again and possible starter.

My car died out at a stop light. That would have nothing to do with my starter. Alternator yes, but starter no. Again the possible ignition switch seems to come into play. What if my switch went faulty again at that point. Causing my car to die out. It was just like me turning off my car. And after no dash lights. I mean if my ALT. went out i would still have dash lights from battery power.

Now the radio going on and off i can't explain. I see either the wiggling of my postive cable and or my ALT would be the cause of this, Or actually maybe the switch again. It turned on and off, but my car didn't die out, when this happened i was going over bumps. So this one still has me in the dark.

Oh and i'm like 500 miles shy of 80K.

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

can someone confirm that i'm looking at this correctly. When i found out my car didn't start and no radio or dash lights i was jumping the gun condeming the battery and when tested i found 12.49v so i jumped to the starter. I just need someone to confirm that i'm thinking in a rational way and i'm not just throwing parts at it.

alpicone

My starter just died on Sunday at 142,000 miles. It was doing the wierd starting thing that everyone else is describing in the other thread. So last Sunday I added some grounding wires and the car started perfectly for a week.

Then Sunday morning the starting goes back to being crappy and it turn over but doesnt start, then barely truns, and then just clicks. Battery tested fine at 12.62 so I bought a new started and replaced it and problem solved. For now at least. (Fingers crossed)

Anyways when it wouldnt start, one wierd thing that happened was that the radio was working screwey. The antenna wouldnt go down. And then after 5 minutes it went back down. SO maybe when the selenoid is bad it does wierd things to the electrical system.

DBear

This may be asking the obvious, but are you sure the terminals are clean and the cable is tight? I've had intermittent problems like that a couple of times where it's been the cable-terminal connection.

HomerMAC

iTrader: (5)

Very true.... this is a possible cause for starting probs... also if u just hear clicking .... and no turn over...

but if good contact is made and still have prob. you can get somethign that can reach the starter and tap . or hit it while someone is starting from inside with the key... this will get u to a work shop...

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

well thats what i did to get it to intially start bang on the starter and do a whole bunch of other stuff as well. The car never turned over or clicked nor anything.

I found internal corrsion in my postive cable today. about 3 inches into it there was a bunch of black strands instead of gold ones. I grabed some left over amp cables and rig up a connection between my postive and starter and banged and it started up. I got it home. Time to find out postive cable wires prices now.

funkynx2k

You should check the fusible links as well while your at it. Since your going to be into the cable and stuff, might as will pull out those links and check that you have a good connection.

TurTLe*

iTrader: (11)

i honestly tried but i couldn't get the 2 tabs to release from the red connector. I was rather pissed off at this time so i didn't wanna keep trying, cause i know i would just break it.

dauntlessmax

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead.....but my 1995 Nissan Maxima also faces the same problems as described in this thread. I've lost all accessory power, and my motor doesn't turn over. Please help!!

nives86

I had a similar problem not to long ago, turned out to be a loose termial connection mixed in with rust on the battery terminal. eventually killed my battery. so i got a new battery and double checked the connection to the positive side. Bam fixed my problem. I would check the connections to the positive side making sure they are properly attached to the battery

nives86

check those connections to the positive side... haha i didnt even look at the date, i didnt even have this car back then lol

cashoit

Lol u do kno u bumped a 5 yr old thread right. Guy still comes by every now and then tho.

Its cool man. Nothing wrong with bumping a thread as long as its relevant.

First check battery and terminals. then check cables. Then check alternator. THen check starter.

nives86

Yeah i realized it after i posted lol

Leo_Koneval

iTrader: (4)

Yep! Check all the things mentioned in the thread because sometimes they all decide to go out at once!

A few years ago I had a starter grind and tried to deny it until the starter just outright stopped working. So after that got replaced my e-brake and battery light came on which means something is wrong with the alternator so that got replaced and during the process we found out the lower radiator tube I think its outlet or something was cracked and its been leaking coolant for a while so replaced that too, then I got a lean CEL and that took two weeks for me to pin down to the MAF which I also waited until it just outright died and my car wouldn't start anymore (although no starter grind, whoo!) so we threw on a new MAF and its all good ever since.

Although now my struts are blown and I think something is wrong with my fuel system. I think a 3 year time span between major problems is good enough hahaha

Mmmaxx

My factory starter died out on me 3 years ago. Since then I've had to replace the starter every 8 months or so as my car keeps eating through Reman's, or so I thought. Last time I bit the bullet and bought a brad new starter from Nissan, no oem **** or whatever and it's been fine for about 6 months then I noticed starting problems.

Problem ultimately ended up being a grounding problem. Talked to a guy that said starting problems are always Battery, Starter, or Grounding. Ignition switch is pretty unlikely given the symptoms.