Turn ignition, engine starts and then .. grrrrrrrrrrrrr..
and silence... engine running fine...

Common problem.. it spins but, but doesn't stop in time
or doesn't "go back"

I had it for over a 2 years and it does that especially in
the morning when it's cold cold...

i'm leaving for florida for new years and thinking wheather
i should change it or not.. so far it's working but...

MaxFan

Chciago,IL

 

I have the Same problem.... Turn Ignition...Grind....Then Works Fine after that. I live in Miami, Fl. Nissan had a recall on the starters of the 95's, but no one had that knowledge so they lost no money. I think you should definetly buy a new starter either aftermarket, rebuilt or stock.

 

I have the same problem on my 96 gle, it only happens in the morning, when its cold. It only happens after my car sits for more than 6 hours.

 

Same problem here...

 

time to get a new starter buddy! i had the same problem before.

 

How much is one new?

 

$70 - $120 depends on what brand you want. you can do it yourself, easy installation.

 

I have the exact same problem as everyone else. My question is do I have to replace the starter? Is this a sign that it's going to die soon? I don't want to replace it if it's just a noise in the morning, but I don't want to get stuck somewhere or wait for a starter to come in, if it dies.
What about replacing the brushes or something? would that help this or is it unrelated?

 

i cant belive this, im not crazy afterall. I thought that my car only made this noise. It only happens early in the morning when its madd cold out. I start it then grrrr and then it goes away. The rest of the day its fine.
IM gonna call Nissan about that recall on the starters. If they say NO then im not touching it!!

 

I called the nissan dealership and they said no recalls on starters....(that was the bad dealership...they always mess up parts i order and service i have done....i try not to go there, but i got my car from them)
So i called the good dealership and told them about the grinding in the morning and they said it sounded like the start was going....i'm not going to bring it in and pay like 400+ for a new starter...(it's not really dead yet anyway) but i might as well replace it if i can find a good starter at a good price. Does anyone know any places online? I tried parts america, but they keep saying my zip code is not in thier records

 

I'm about to replace my starter for the same reason. My question is any suggestions on which one to get? A rebuilt one from nissan is like $140 or something like that or should i go aftermarket? If so what's the best brand to get and how much, where to buy etc.....

 

PartsAmerica lists remanufactured units from $140 (Brand X) up to $360 (Bosch).
If done by a shop the labor charge ought to be one hour.
This is a job which can be done by the home mechanic.
No need to jack the car, the starter motor is accessed from above.

1. Disconnect the cable from the negative terminal of the battery.

2. Remove the air intake duct and the air cleaner housing assembly.

3. Disconnect the battery cable and the solenoid terminal connection from the starter solenoid.

4. Remove the starter motor mounting bolts and remove the starter from the engine.
These bolts may be really tight!

 

95 SE 196823 miles. I had the exact same problem. It is the easiest installation you will do.

 

I just put in a new starter a couple weeks ago. I had the grinding before and it is still there now. Like others have mentioned, it's most noticeable in cold weather (I am in the Twin Cities - hasn't hardly been above zero the past week). I assume it's normal. The most common way to tell the starter is out is slow cranking according to the dealer, which mine definitely was given I have a 1000 amp battery. I have a 95 SE with 109,000.

 

Exact same thing. If cold, starts than grrrind.
The additional symptom is, sometimes on first start, turn the key and _nothing_. Second turn, vroom, grrrind.
Is the starter dying? What's a "recommended" starter if the Nissan one's doing this? This is my 3rd 4th gen. 1st time I've had this.

 

your starter is definatly going

 

I think I'm having the same problem on my '97 with 60K. This is crazy! I can't believe these starters are going bad so soon. Doesn't happen every time, but mostly when COLD. It has been "New York" cold down here in the south for the last two weeks. I replaced the original battery last month with one with a higher cold cranking amp rating...wonder if that is burning these things up. Didn't have the problem before I put in the new battery.

 

I think all of you may be talking about a different symptom that a lot of Maximas exzibit. My car does this also, and i'm pretty sure it's not the starter. After my car has been sitting for over 12 hours, when you go to start it, there is a harsh "griding" type sound for about 1-2 sec. This is because the oil has flowed back down into the pan. Then for that brief amount of time while it's getting pumped back up, it makes that sound. Now some people suggest that it's a faulty oil filter, but I have been using Nissan Oil filters since day one and it still does it. I think this is what you guys may be hearing.

 

Is any easy thing to replace. Check This out

<a href=http://www.http://vbxmaxima.8m.com/starter.html>Replacing a Starter</a>

 

Folks, you may not have to replace the starter. I had the same problem last year, and I got rid of it in less than an hour. What causes the grinding noise: after the starter engages the flywheel, normally it will quickly release it once the engine is started. However, if there is gunk, it will not release as quickly until it is heated up. Most likely, the grease in the starter has gone south due to overheating/extended cranking, dirt, etc. First, take the starter out (15min). Lay it on a cloth, carefully disassemble it (5min). You will notice a lot of gunk inside; clean it with WD40, then wipe it dry (15min). Make sure the assembly is moving smoothly. I use high-temp Moly grease (blue stuff) on all internal parts. Put it carefully back together (15min) and you will may not hear that noise again. Good luck!

 

Excelent! Love those Zero Dollar fixes!

Can you estimate the additional time required to replace the brushes, as long as you are in there?

[Edited by Daniel B. Martin on 12-22-2000 at 02:11 PM]

 

That was my first guess and I was a little freaked out. I used a Fram filter last time I changed the oil and was afraid it was causing the problem. So I changed the filter to a Nissan filter, but still have the problem. All good filters have a valve to prevent the backflow of oil which prevents a "dry" startup when the car has been sitting all night. I'm still going to try to determine if it is the starter. Thanks for the comment!

 

I've got a similar problem. When its below 20 degrees F and the car has been sitting, to start it I have to turn it over, let it pop, then step on the gas and rev it a few times (like its carbureted)so it will stay running. Is this the starter?

 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by botzm

Quote:

I've got a similar problem. When its below 20 degrees F and the car has been sitting, to start it I have to turn it over, let it pop, then step on the gas and rev it a few times (like its carbureted)so it will stay running. Is this the starter?

No. The starter's job is to crank the engine (Rrr-Rrr-Rrr) until it fires (Vroom!). As soon as the engine fires, the starter's job is done.

If your engine fires and then falters, the problem might be low fuel pressure, a bad Engine Coolant Temperature Sensor, or a bad Idle Air Control Valve - Auxiliary Air Valve. It's not the starter, because at that point the starter has retired from the fray. It's not the Oxygen Sensors because the Engine Control Module ignores the signal from the Oxygen Sensors until the engine is warm enough to go into closed loop mode.

 

My 95 has 90k on it and the starter overruns sort of---when I release the key after the engine starts is buzzer for a second or two when cold. Wierd. Hope it doesn't leave me stranded somewhere.

 

I believe the buzzing sound is the starter drive, spinning its guts out because the solenoid didn't retract quickly. This problem could be caused by grease made thick by cold weather. If this speculative diagnosis is correct, the problem could be solved by the procedure described by 96 VQ30. Disassemble, clean, lubricate, re-install.

I suspect many Maxima starters are replaced because of stiff or inadequate grease, not because the windings are burned out.

I've seen plenty of things discarded when all they needed was cleaning and lubrication. This is not confined to car parts. I've rehabilitated tools (e.g. electric drills) and household appliances (e.g. fans, food mixers).

 

Tried the "re-grease" fix to my starter and it has fixed the problem. Did notice that there wasn't any grease left in several key areas...especially those that were driven by the solenoid. As Daniel stated, this can be a normal thing for anything that has bearings... I fixed a 15 year old clothes dryer the same way... just had to clean out the old bearings and re-grease them!

Thanks 96 VQ30...you da man!. My only question is ... how in the world did you do the fix in less than an hour???? You win the "Max Wrench Head" award for December!

 

Glad it worked, goldmax! I take it you spent more than an hour on it?

 

i've had a few of thoese problems too...i guess it's just the age of my maxima (96). i don't really think it's worth it to spend anything on a new starter. maximas are reliable overall and i trust it haha. (i hope i don't regret what i just said)

 

Unfortunately yes. I think I have changed a strut out faster than I did that starter! It really was pretty straight forward, but I had a few problems with all those electrical connectors that Nissan had "epoxied" (haha) in place when they built the thing plus had to remove the FSTB to be able to get the torque wrench in there! I guess my excuse is that I didn't start it until later in the evening (about 9:30) and I was a little beat from a long day. But it was definitely worth getting it done that night so that I wouldn't have to do it the next day. The fix has worked great. The starter even seems to spin up faster, which makes sense since some key parts are a little better lubed now. Thanks again for the help!

 

I'm experiencing almost the same problem, but mine does this almost everytime I start the Car. Either in hot or cold weather same thing (start, then grrrrr, then runs fine.)

95 Max
110,000 miles

 

Wife says that the Max did not want to start one day, but I've never had a problem yet, so I told her to wait till all the beeping is done B-4 starting. May work for now.??

 

I have no intentions on having it fixed until it't 100% broken...