This morning after leaving the car in the garage all night, i put the key in the ignition, turn it to the on position and hear it grind for about 3 seconds before the engine actually starts. i turn the engine off and attempt it again and the car starts normally. after 8 hours of work, i start the engine again and it takes forever after the griding sound for it to start. there must be something wrong with my car. is it the spark plugs?

 

Sounds like you may need a new starter.

 

it could be that the teeth on the starter are worn out

 

what does the starter look like? how do i change it? how much does it cost? thanks in advance. i am very car illiterate

 

its an electric motor thats mounted next to your flywheel/torque converter which engages the teeth on the flywheel and thats what turns it over. not too shure on the price though.

 

This tells you how to fix the starter, but thats good enough to let you know how to replace it. An online shop manual says the starter costs about 250, but can be had for around 180 or less if you look around on the net (for a new one).
http://www.motorvate.ca/auto/maxima/starter/starter.htm

 

$299 + tax for dealer install and that is for a refurbished starter not new. Had mine replaced on my 98 at 40K. It made the same noise yours is making.

It is kind of a pain to do on your own unless you know what you are doing.

 

if you bring it to my place we'll look at it for you and figure if its really the starter then we can do it for you also. itll be cheaper then a shop and you get full waranty...PLUS, you get to check out TurboMax...haha