Alright first of all, is the starter going out common in a 97? For like the past 6 months or so i'd say, it has taken like three cranks to start my car in the morning when it has been sitting cold for that long. Like on the third crank, it would usually rev about three times and on the third one it would finally turn over, usually making a spealling sound when it revs. However, a couple of days ago, when it was really cold, it took at least 10 cranks and pumping the accelerator to finally get my car to turn over. As far as I can tell my battery is fine and it is getting charged fine. Is this the starter? Second, earlier tonight I was racing and I was shifting the gears up manually on my automatic, but when I moved it to 2, it didn't shift gears. After I shifted it and I realized it hadn't shifted, I looked down and I was at 8000 rpms, then the needle popped up and the car jerked. I quickly put it in drive. As far as I can tell though, everything seems fine, but is there something I should now check or worry about after that umm... experience. thanx.

NiZmo311

 

8000 rpm?? maybe 800 u ment? I had problems with a car not wanting to start up and was the MAFS or fuel filter that was the problem

 

Any ECU codes/check engine lights associated w/ the starting prob?

I had a starter go out on my '95 SE - I've read that the starter on that particular year is a weak point, but unsure if that extends to the '97 or not. When mine failed, it did so gradually, eventually exhibiting the same 2-3 start attemts you described on your car.

Because the performance of my starter was deteriorating over time, I didn't notice how much slower it was turning vs. original specs. When one day it finally died and would no longer turn, testing revealed a bad starter solenoid. I opted to replace both the starter motor and solenoid together, because I was aware the starter was a weak component for this model year. When I did this, the difference in cranking speed between the new, fresh starter motor vs. the original was significant. Before the swap, my engine was taking 2-3 attemtps to start, with as many as 8-10 turns each before it would ignite. After the swap, the car was starting again as if brand-new: 1 attempt, in 2-3 turns.

I recommend you go through a complete electrical test of the starter circuit, the battery, as well as the condition of the battery cables. See Haynes or Chilton manuals.

Btw, never, should you pump the gas pedal when trying to start your '97 Maxima. That's old-school, pre-ECU, carburated vehicle starting technique. Fuel and air management are precisely monitored and adjusted for by the Engine Control Unit during both startup and operation of the engine. When you depress the gas pedal at startup, you're messing with the works and the ECU cannot do it's job as easily, properly. You may not only make the car harder to start, but flood it with fuel.

Mine's a 5-speed, so I have no insights to offer on the tranny hiccup.

 

If the starter is cranking, then it is doing its job. There is nothing wrong with it. The engine not firing is a fuel, air, or spark issue. When the starter goes bad, there is no cranking sound... Just silence.

 

Or a very loud hum/whine (with no cranking) if it's just the solenoid (had that happen on a previous car of mine).

 

EXACTLY what I was going to say!!!!

 

I respectfully disagree. If the starter motor is cranking, that does NOT mean there is "nothing wrong" with it. All it means is that the electrical circuit has been completed and is causing the starter to "spin" or "crank."

That has no bearing on the actual "performance" of the starter motor itself. A starter motor can be cranking at 100% efficiency, or 75%, or worse. Over the time it takes to wear to that 75% point, you probably wouldn't even notice the difference. (I didn't in my own car) But let me tell you - it makes a BIG difference to your engine!

Fundamentally, the starter motor is an electric motor like any other, but one that endures severe, repetitive loads over the course of it's lifetime. All electric motors lose performance gradually over their serviceable lifetimes. This "loss of performance" is seen in the form of a reduction in the cranking power or mechanical energy produced by the motor (Eg: slower spinning of the starter motor)

Any well-designed gas engine will start quickly & efficiently with a specified starting-crankspeed in mind. Once the starter motor's efficiency begins to decrease (through normal wear) to a certain point, that "minimum crankspeed" is no longer being achieved and it DOES adversely affect how easily/quickly the engine can ignite. (I'm not talking about a "barely cranking" starter. It doesn't take that much of a loss of starter performance to affect how easily the car starts, as I learned with my own '95 Max).

Btw, I agree with your point of not eliminating the possibility of a fuel, air or spark issue, and a thorough diagnosis involves checking all the possible culprits, but based on the symptoms described and my personal experience, I would start by checking the battery, cables & starter circuit first.

If there were a fuel, air, or spark issue, the engine might not run properly AFTER it was started. The post said nothing of the sort. (tranny issue is separate)

His story is a dead-ringer for what I went through with my '95.

Best of luck.

 

yeah, i have only had problems starting the car. i haven't experienced any problems with the engine once the car is running.