my starter went bad, so i got another from Advance Auto. Same number of teeth as the original. The starter grinds, and sometimes just gets stuck. It just sounds horrible. I checked the flywheel teeth, and they all looked good. Before i hear any "advance auto starters are garbage", i tried 2 of them and they both sounded the same, so although very possible, i think its unlikely. Also, i tested it on the bench tester, and it tests good, so im thinking its something to do with actual fitment. Someone suggested shims, so i used a washer, and while it sounded better, it got stuck more often. Are shims still the answer here? just maybe more, or less? The washers i used were maybe 1/4 inch thick. Any help, sometimes it takes a good 5 or 6 cranks before it decides to crank up.

 

My old starter made grinding noises like that prior to failing. This was due to the starter not getting enough power to engage properly. Changing my starter fixed this problem.

First why did you replace your original starter was it making noise the same way the new ones are? I doubt you got two bad starters and I doubt you need shims. Many of us have replaced starters and I don't recall anyone needing shims. Seems highly unlikely.

Let's assume your starter is fine. My guess would be that you may not be getting enough power to the starter for it to engage properly or the signal that turns on the starter solenoid is having a problem.

1) Make sure your battery is good, if it's fairly new you are probably OK. You could get it tested or try another one. If the headlight are obviously bright you are probably OK.
2) Check your battery connections are clean and tight.
3)And probably most likely. The signal for the starter solenoid goes through the clutch interlock (if manual trans) or inhibitor relay (if auto). Switch that relay with another of the same type such as wiper relay to eliminate that as a cause. Most rebuilt starters come with instructions to do just that but I don't think most people understand

4)If # 3 does not help You can also eliminate this part of the circuit by jumping the two leads of the starter, the one with the thick wire running from the battery to the same size lead that is next to it with a screw driver. Doing this bypasses the solenoid circuit of the starter and the vehicle. Not sure of your capabilities but that is what I would do.


When you bench test the starter you are using a different power source (battery) for the starter and you are using a different circuit to activate the starter solenoid. Your problem is almost surely due to one of these items and not the fit of the starter. All the reman starters I've seen, including Advanced auto's are actually OEM starters made for Nissan by Hitachi. They are just rebuilt/remanufactured by different companies. Most of these companies do a good job, if they produce crap rebuilds they will not be in business for long. Sorry for the long response guess I was on a roll.

 

hey, thanks for the response. i replaced the starter cuz it just went bad. left me stranded a few times, and banging it was the only way to get it to crank every once in a while. this problem started happening from the very first crank with the new one. i figured maybe there was slight variation between the oem one and the new remanufactured one. i dont believe its the actual starter, i work for advance auto, and theyre rarely faulty (atleast i never see them come back right away). im pretty good with this car, i did the tranny, clutch, engine swap, u name it, this is just something i cant figure out and im lost. the battery is good, the connections are fine, i'll try the relay ur talking about and see what happens. otherwise, i have no idea whats going on.

 

Try swappping the relay, if that does not help try carefully jumping those two leads with a screwdriver. The starter will crank, just see if it cranks normally or not.

 

i swapped the relays. that did nothing. as far as the other method, would remote starting it essentially be the same thing? cuz i had one of the mechanics next door to my job use a remote starter on it a week or so ago, and it sounded the same way... crappy.

 

Your remote start circuit could also affect the starter solenoid circuit. Jumping with the screwdriver is worth a try just to totally eliminate that part of the circuit.

If that does not help then you may be looking at a power issue to the starter motor.

There are two electrical circuits that can effect starter operation. One is the circuit that activates the starter solenoid and the other is the power supply from the battery to the starter motor.

Another poster had a similar problem and his starter appears to be stuck in his engine now. This is a strange problem especially with a known good starter. Just trying to help you to narrow it down.

 

alrighty, ill try that tomorrow. the end of the bendix (i think thats the proper term) has some marks on it, so im thinking that the starter is hitting the flywheel dead on first then spinning (very quickly of course) sometimes it slides into place and starts the car, sometimes it just gets stuck. if that makes any sense? it makes sense in my head, just dont know if thats likely.

 

Also clean the trans case and starter mating surfaces for good elec contact.

 

ok, update. both of you were kinda onto it. the starter i had, and two others from Advance auto had a coating on them, or paint, or whatever its called. Basically the mating surface had a coating on it. We got another one in stock, and i looked at it, and the mating surface on that one was nice and shiny, basically sanded down. So i tried that one and voila! So i believe it just wasnt grounding good enough. Maybe or maybe not, there were some very very slight differences in the shape, but probably not enough to make a difference. So there u go. if u buy a starter, sand its mating surface down, even if its new.

 

If that fixed it that's great. If the starter is not grounded properly you could have problems getting enough current to crank properly.

I still wonder if that was the cause of the problem because I would expect the two bolts that mount the starter to the engine to provide a very solid ground even if the mating surfaces were coated.

 

I checked the battery and alternator (checked voltage before and starting the car) - all seemed OK. How do I know if starter is on its way?

Thank you.