Hey All,

Hope y'all can help. My 97 auto SEL has been having starting problems and I've researched this forum for answers but need to narrow things down because no one's car behaves alike, IMHO.

Anyway, nowadays starting the car anytime is a pain. Takes 4-5 minutes of key cycling to eventually get the engine to turn/fire. I used to think it was ambient temperature related, but now cold/warm weather, drive then restart -- the difficult starting happens in all scenarios.

1. Battery, starter/alternator, wiring still good and strong
2. Ignition switch only 1-year old
3. New spark plugs, air filter, 02 sensor
4. No CEL
5. MAF cleaned.
6. Only a click comes from the engine bay when trying to start the car.
7. When the engine does fire up, I'd have to pump the throttle rapidly or else it'll just stall.
8. I'm being led to be believe that it might be the fuel pump, but two things I'm not sure about:
- I should be able to hear the pump coming from under the back seat (assuming I'm alone and there's no one to help listen from under the car) when trying to start/turn the key, but am not sure how audible it should be. Basically right now, I don't hear anything. If the pump is the culprit, I shouldn't be able to drive the car at all, or the car should be stuttering occassionally while driving, right?
- I wonder if I should change the fuel pressure regulator first before tackling anything else, i.e. fuel pump. Or the fuel filter. Any thoughts?
- I don't have puff of smoke upon starting up, so that oughta rule out the injectors, right?

 

See my response to the other identical post you made. Just takes a little patience.

 

97 SEL, what is that?

 

That's an SE with all/most the options of the GLE, e.g. leather, etc.

 

There is no such thing as a '97 SE-L. If your car is an SE, it's an SE. Adding/deleting options don't change what trim level the car originally was.

 

True. It's just a matter of personal vs. technical nomenclature. I prefer to say SEL instead of SE with leather, Bose, yadda yadda yadda. Sorry if I confused anyone here.

 

If there was no such thing as an SE-L, then it wouldn't be confusing. However there is a '99 SE-L model, with it's own special additions.

 

Well, changed ECTS. Starting symptoms still exist. Takes 4-5 minutes of turning the ignition to start.

On a side note, strange thing is that when one pulls the ECTS, there should be some coolant that spills out even after sitting overnight, but in my case, the tube was empty. Clogged cooling system? If so, wonder if it would contribute to this starting problem?

Anyway, I also realized that my fuel filter hasn't been changed. But that can't explain the simple clicking (and some kinda vacuum sound coming from the engine bay) when I turn the ignition in my attempts to start the car, right?

 

Anybody got their 2-cents on this?

 

ignition switch. Wouldn't be surprised if it's bad again. I have noticed over the years that if your ignition switch goes bad, the new replacement will as well. My friend has 2 ignition switches that he uses for summer and winter. The fact that you said it takes 4-5 minutes of playing around with the key kinda points to the ignition switch. If the engine cranked or starter tried to spin, then different story...

 

could be something with the fuel delivery system.

 

^ he says it takes 4-5 minutes for the ignition to turn/fire. If it was fuel it would be firing right away but not starting due to fuel...

 

Only a click? Why even think about fuel system stuff? That's electrical. A lot of folks say they fixed that by adding ground wires from the negative battery terminal to the starter housing and the transmission bell housing. Oxidized aluminum becomes a bad conductor so the engine and transmission can loose conductivity. Also, be aware that there is a main body ground from the center of the negative battery terminal to the body that is almost hidden under the battery tray. The main motor ground at the end of the negative battery terminal is hard to reach, but I found mine very loose when I checked. It's best to pull the splash guards off and go at it from underneath.

Be double sure your battery, battery cables, and starter connections are clean and tight. If you are hearing a good solid click, the starter solenoid is probably pulling in, but there is a lack of current or the starter is failing. I wouldn't suspect the keyswitch at that point. If you are just hearing a soft, wimpy click it may be a bad Start Relay or bad keyswitch.

If the headlights, dash lights, etc. go dark when the starter fails to turn, definately look into the battery and cables.

That ought to keep you busy for a while. Good luck.

 

I'll give all y'all suggestions a look and report back with news.

 

The Click is definitely prominent. So I should add a ground from starter to battery neg. terminal? Anybody have any pictures on how it should look like or should be done? I'm a visual person (aren't most guys).

 

That's only the case if the trans and engine were separated.

 

What if the starter was separated?

 

If you search 4th Gen Discussions (advanced search) and put "C Max" into the "User Name" box, this thread comes up repeatedly. It's one of the better grounding discussions. If you scroll down, there are also pictures. Just remember to ground the starter MOUNTING bolt, not the starter electrical connection (poof). Here's the thread...

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generation-maxima-1995-1999/338918-another-starting-problem-replaced-just-about-everything-4.html#post3912200

 

The bolts going through the trans and into the engine are the ground for the starter. You could just sand down the outside of he bolt holes on the starter and problem solved...

 

Well, I had a similar issue recently that I fixed. I used to have a problem during cold starts. Sometimes, you would hear the engine cranking, sometimes it would just "click". Long story short, it was a combination of problems. Battery was low, starter was on its last stages. Here are my two cents:
1. You can also get a friend; take a long bolt of some sort and a hammer. Put one end of the bolt on the solenoid of the starter and hit the bolt with the hammer, while you try to start the car.
2. Take the starter out and take it to pepboys for testing. From your post, you say its "clicking". One of the problems could be that the starter solenoid arm is getting stuck and it takes quite a few cranks to start the car.
3. Check to see if you are receiving battery plus voltage on the start signal of the starter while you are cranking
4. Check to see if the car starts while bypassing the park-neutral connector switch

If you need any pics on how to do #3 and #4, find posts created by me (title-- not cranking..).

 

Wow, thanks for the overwhelming response!

 

my 99` is doing the same exact thing... when you find out your answer.. tell me please !!

 

Just a quick update: had the starter/starter solenoid tested at Autozone and it tested OK. The test doesn't tell me if the gear spindle is moving into the trans and engaging properly.

 

Have them check your battery also to determine whether it's holding it's charge

 

Took the starter in for a second opinion (hah!) at Kragen. They were kind enough to run a comparison test with my starter and a brand new one. Mine had a peak amperage difference of about 20A with the new one, and had way more free play with the spindle gear. Bit the bullet and bought the new one.

Once installed (with new starter body to battery negative ground), the irritating as well as disconcerting problem is GONE! The only thing is that after the engine cranks the first time, it doesn't keep its RPMs up and just dies. Second time, you need to feed it some gas before it settles in. Strange.

 

That's not a starter issue. You left something unplugged maybe...

 

Needing to give it gas once started could indicate a dirty/ bad IACV. If you haven't cleaned that you might want to give it a shot. Not hard at all to do.

 

Or could it be the fuel pressure regulator? Now that I've replaced the pump, I wonder if the efficiency of the fuel line/system has changed with it. All other components/hoses have never been replaced, BTW.

 

Now it sounds like the problem that I, and many others have had. There have been a lot of different "fixes" reported for this. For me, it was the Start Keyswitch. Here is my story...

Failure to Launch (Hard Starts)...FIXED!

http://forums.maxima.org/4th-generation-maxima-1995-1999/596258-failure-launch-hard-starts-fixed.html