Hello im new to this site and im looking for some advise so i have a 95 maxima 5 speed just replaced the starter but my car does not start with the key on the run position to crank it so i jumped the starter and the car started fine with the key left on the run positin when i shut off car with the key cannot start car with bthe key somehow the key is not sending power to the starter to start security light blinks how can i fix this problem can anyone help.

 

Your ignition switch went out, unless the starter is not hooked up correctly, no offence to u man...

 

im thinking that as well but cant it also be the clutch switch a possibility as well no offense at all nah i sure the starter is in correctlly i jumped the starter with the powerprobe 3 and it started right up

 

If the starter is spinning then the starter is good.

Problem is the starting circuit.

you a 95, so u gotta check the to see if the clutch inhibitor relay is getting power. Its in the fuse box between the battery and the front fender. Test for battery voltage upon cranking.

If the relay is busted u can jump the relay until u can get another relay.

Either way start at that relay and work your way backwards.

 

ah ok ill try that over the weekend let you know what i come up with. how do i jump the relay some of these relays have 4 to 5 prongs just look for a ground and power right and jump the two correct.

 

nah no offense at all but yeah the starter is in correctly i bought the two parts the ignition switch and a clutch inhibit switch so ill test the wires see if there is current flow in the wires first thanks man

 

Two things first:
- You keep saying you are testing with key in "Run" position; starter circuit only activated with key turned to "Start."
- Most likely problem is with ignition switch on end of key cylinder.

Troubleshoot in this order:
To test the ignition switch, look for 12V on terminal 3 at the clutch interlock relay when the ignition is turned to "Start". If that is not present, ignition switch is faulty.

The clutch interlock relay is energized/closed by the anti-theft system thru the theft warning relay. If that system is working correctly, you should have 12V at terminal 1 of the clutch interlock relay socket. To jump the clutch interlock relay, you want to jumper terminals 3 and 5 in the socket together.

There is also a clutch interlock switch on the pedal that prevents the starter from operating unless the clutch is depressed. Test by unplugging this switch and jumpering the two teminals in the harness pug together.

 

Ah ok makes sense I hear you definitely will run these test as soon as possible thank you so much everyone who's been giving me feedback

 

There is also a neutral position switch in the transmission case that could also cause this if it went bad or became unplugged.

 

not on the 5 speed. It has the clutch switch in place of a neutral safety switch.

 

Man! i just want to thank and shout out everyone who gave me some good feedback with this problem i was having with the no start with key. I got my 4th gen maxima running with key the problem was the ignition switch after all milo2223,cashoit, bobflood and so on everyone who was involved thanks guys again whoever i didnt mention you was a big help as well so thanks all of you.

 

i have a similar problem in my 96 max. i can start it with remote start but key to teh start position only produces a click and sometimes starts. what diagnostic can i perform to see if the switch is faulty?

 

Manual or automatic?
If manual, follow the diagnostic posted above.

If Auto, try starting in Neutral rather than park.

 

automatic. no start in neutral either. there is a clicking noise under the dash right behind the fuse panel when i turn the key to start. is there a relay under there?

 

Yes, there are 3 relays just to the left of the fuses. The upper one is the Accessory relay, the middle one is the Ignition relay and the lower one is the Blower Motor relay. None of them have anything to do with the starter. If you feel ambitious you can swap the middle one with either of the other 2 but it won't do anything for this problem.

There is a relay used for starting, it is under the hood, in front of the battery. It is called the Inhibitor relay. If the remote start works all the time, the relay is good.

I would bet on your ignition switch being bad.

 

Goliath--

You may well have a bad ignition switch, or you may have the infamous slop problem. There's a slot in the ignition switch that fits into a little T shaped flanged in the steering column. As these cars get older, they develop a little slop between the flange and the ignition switch, and sometimes turning the key doesn't quiiiiite make the ignition switch go far enough over. I solved it by putting a tiny piece of electrical tape in the slot on the switch, like this:
http://s397.photobucket.com/albums/p...Ignition-1.jpg. But after a while I found that the tape would slip out of place, so I graduated to SlopFix 2.0. I cut a little piece out of a coke can and crazy glued it to the inside of the long edge of the slot. Someone else duck taped the **** out of it. You just need something to fill in that gap.

Ignition switches are pretty cheap, and easy to replace. So you might want to just throw that part at it to begin with. If you don't, one way to test is to expose the ignition switch and use a screwdriver in the slot to start it. If it starts every time, you probably have the slop problem. Just be aware that with the switch exposed you're making it a lot easier to steal your car...

 

thx for the advice. If the relay in the dash is clicking when the key it turned to the start position, doesn't that indicate that the switch is making connection? I will poke around this weekend. My suspicioin is the the aftermarket remote start is somehow interrupting the keyed start action.

 

UPDATE: took the remote start out of the loop and still had no crank condition. checked ignition switch for continutity of black and white wire out of harness when switch is in START position. No continuity!! Removed ignition switch and took it apart. "T" connection in switch had a black piece of plastic broken off and wandering around in there. Got new switch, installed it and all is well. cranks everytime. took me 4 hours of painstaking electrical debugging and it turned out to be the switch. I guess the advice here is if your 4th gen max has no crank condition, spend the 30 bucks and replace the switch. takes about 10 minutes. The only problem was the back screw on the switch. i needed a 90 degree screwdriver (which i had) to get that screw out. thx for the assistance!!

 

could I have ruined my starter or iginition switch by shorting it when I used a tool on the moon roof hex nut? Won't turn engine, all dark no power

 

I really don't think so. What you probably did was blow the main fuseable link in the fuse box that is under the hood next to the battery. It is either 120 amp or 140 amp. The cover on the fuse box calls it BATTERY.