So when I try to start my car I all I get is a click. If I move the key from "start" to "on" repeatedly (8-9 times) then it will start to crank. My first thought was the starter so I pulled it and took it to autozone and he said that it was bad so I replaced it and that didn't fix it. I've also got a new battery. Right now I'm thinking it is something to do with the ignition switch. Any ideas? Thanks.

 

i would personally get another ground on the motor mine wasnt the starter issue at all but it prolly wouldnt hurt to get a 4 gauge wire from the negative battery terminal and run it to the bolt on the front side of your tranny where the tranny meets the engine and charge the battery up and see if that helps if so then you just saved yourself some time and aggravation.. if not then at least you have an extra ground on your motor.. try it out and keep us updated but to check the ohms on the coils there is 3 prongs on the coil when you disconnect it, IIRC the first and middle prong are the ones you need to check ... also IIRC they should be somewhere between 10.0 and 14.0 ohms but more importantly check all of them then check your injectors, if you pm me your number i can give you better instructions.. im able to talk just about anytime after 7 or on weekends unless your a at&t customer which im always available to talk.. let me know

 

sounds like your ign switch is bad.. i'd replace it.

To test for this, just turn your key on, then go to the starter and jump the two copper nuts with a screwdriver. Your starter should engage and start your car.

 

it could be your neutral switch, if the car doesnt think it's in neutral it wont turn over.

 

Probably the ignition switch, it's a common failure item.
Props for the salesman at AutoZone for the sale of an unneeded item.

 

I replaced the ignition switch on my 96 and the best price was at the dealer. I do have the advantage of getting it thru a repair shop, but it was still cheaper than auto Zone.
Randy

 

How much does an ignition switch cost?

 

I have the same issue with my 96 maxima i been thru three starters atleast thats what the mechanic told me. my car sat in thru a winter i was told it might be the transmission ground to the starter, i was advised to remove the transmission and sand it and clean up to have a good ground. is that true or can it be the starter still and is their other ways to go before removing the transmission?

 

ok IMO i would switch mechanics, but go to advanced auto or auto zone and get a wire brush spray a little degreaser on the bolt area that you want to ground to .. run a (at least 4 gauge) wire from the negative side of the battery to one of the accessible bolts on the front side of the transmission housing right beside the driver side motor mount.. if you have a problem finding which bolt im talking about ill take a picture tomorrow so you can see the one im referring to so theres no confusion.. then scuff up the area on the top side of the battery terminal so you get a good connection.. then tighten both down super tight(not tight enough to strip out the bolt though)

 

I chased the same problem for months, and finally figured it out. 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:
.
If you're having the problem frequently, you can also test by taking the ignition switch out of the column and using a screwdriver in the slot to start it. If it works every time, this is probably your problem.
Someone else here thinks it's just dirty contacts in the ignition switch, but I replaced my ignition switch early in the process and it didn't help.

 

I tried the electrical tape and it still did the same thing but i never tried starting it with a screw driver and see if that works. also i just got my starter tested and it is bad auto zone said so i have to purchase a new one and go from their i will be grounding it with a 4 gauge wire and i will look at the swicth again also i see some leaks coming from my transmission i dont know i just put in a new clutch maybe its coming from somewhere else

 

I would try the screw driver first. Autozone said my starter was bad and now I have a brand new one AND I still have the same problem. Goodbye $120 that could have bought something cool... Although having a new starter doesn't feel bad either.

 

i changed out my starter from the remanufactured to a factory starter i bought from a salvaged yard the my car started right up i was amazed. i also cleaned up the area where the starter meets the transmission maybe that helped also. it still a little funny start but 20 times better than before i want to take the ignition switch out and see if can put a better brand in their what its their now is made by dura last.

 

If you could take a picture that would be great. I looked under the car and nothing jumped out at me. I've never added grounds on a car before. Thanks for your help.

 

Update: So I got a 4 gauge ground wire and ran it to a bolt that I thought was safe ( I want to see a picture of where to hook it up on the transmission before I do that.) and that didn't help. I also took apart the ignition switch to check it by turning it with a screw driver. It still clicks ( there is also a clicking sound coming from somewhere in the engine compartment, maybe the starter, I'm not sure). I didn't get a new ignition switch because they said they were non returnable and if that wasn't the problem I didn't want to buy a new one. Could the ignition switch still be bad? I know sometimes new starters are bad but the symptoms are the same as before I put the new starter in. When I touch the two copper bolts on the starter with the key in the on position the starter spins, however it doesn't crank the engine. I don't think it engages.

 

Assuming you get the same spinning when trying to start it with the key, then I'd say that lets the switch is off the hook. However, if the ignition switch doesn't make the starter even spin then the switch could still be a problem. If you're still not sure, "hotwire" the switch by putting a cliplead, or other substantial piece of wire, between power (White/Purple) and the starter wire (Black/White). If this turns it over just fine then the contacts inside the switch are bad.

 

Open the hood, turn key to ON position, and place a screwdriver over the two leads on the starter to start the car. If it still clicks, your starter is done. Get it replaced!

 

Trini when you say "if it still clicks, your starter is done" do you mean if the starter clicks? When I did that the starter spun just fine, but it wasn't engaged and turning the engine. Should the starter automatically crank the engine when you connect the two copper bolts coming out of the back?

 

Yes, your engine should have started up right away. Do you hear it spinning or clicking??

 

I hear it spinning. What problem does that indicate? I really appreciate all the help guys

 

I used to have a problem with my key and ignition and every time I started my car I would have to jiggle the key around till it turned over. I used the electric tape to tighten the slop, like in the picture, and it works smooth as butter now. Thanks a lot!

 

You hear the starter spinning but it is not starting your engine. It means that the starter is not engaging the flywheel. Remove the starter and inspect teeth on starter and through the hole on the flywheel.

 

ok i finally got around to taking a picture to try to end this phantom ground wire issue here is a cell phone pic that i took the other day

and heres a close of up of where the bolt is.. if you look at the front of the engine where the motor meets the tranny there are some bolts that connect the motor to tranny and thats where i installed mine

hope this helps ppl

 

Starter relay. Nissan Hardbody pickups are notorious for these relays to go out.

 

FYI, that is not one of the bolts that is used for the tranny to meet the engine. That bolt in the pic is on the tranny itself.

 

I'm having similar (and even weirder) issues. But first, when you short out the two starter terminals with a screwdriver the starter will only spin and not engage the flywheel because you've bypassed the solenoid. This is a recent lesson I've learned. To check the solenoid, pull the single wire connector that comes attached to the starter; use a jumper between the spade lug in the connector and the positive battery terminal. This should pop the solenoid and operate your starter.

On to my issue and thanks in advance for any help:

It started with a no-crank/no-start situation. Battery is good, so replaced starter, ignition switch and starter relay - no change. Checked neutral safety switch by trying to start in neutral as well - still no good.

Determined that there is no power going out of the starter relay to the starter solenoid although the relay tests good (or seems to, anyway).

Ok, here's where the weirdness starts: The trans now all of a sudden cannot be shifted out of Park. Plus, the key fob will lock and unlock doors normally but the security warning light on the dash will NOT stop blinking.

I have to wonder if this whole thing wasn't originally caused by the OEM alarm malfunctioning. I also wonder if the key mechanism (can't recall the name of it) was faulty if it would not disable some alarm functions and prevent the trans from being taken out of Park.

The car has been towed to an electrical shop and I'd really appreciate being able to furnish the guy with some answers before he charges me up the kazoo for discovering the same info.

Can anyone help me out? Many thanks!!

 

Hey guys. Thanks for all the advice. Especially the pictures. Is the starter relay in the fuse box under the hood? How would I test it? Gary, my bet with your problem would be an alarm malfunction. Did you try leaving the battery disconnected for a while and resetting everything?

 

Thanks for the tip, Burt. No, that hasn't been done but will give it a shot.

 

Well I finally figured it out. Stupid, I was stupid. I never got the battery tested. When I finally did, it was bad. I got a new one and put it in but still had the same problem. So I thought I would check the ignition switch again after a new batter and that was it. So check for corrosion and a bad battery. Good simple advice that I was too dumb to think about.

 

Where are you hearing the clicking? IF the starter is clicking you have bad contacts in the solenoid, these are a wear item like break pads or spark plugs. Replace starter or starter solenoid.

 

put the car in neutral (or park if you have an auto) turn the key to sthe start position on the ignition, and arc the starter nubs, if it doesnt spark at all or even attempt to start the car the starter or starter solenoids should be replaced.. it should spark a bit and the motor should attempt to start, let us know on your progress and we can help further

 

x's 2 on this issue, "Gary Mastro" did you ever resolve this? Did it also drain your battery?

 

I have the same problem where all I get is a click when trying to crank. So I did what you instructed but still get the click (not multiple clicks like the battery's dead). I assume the Neutral Safety Switch can't be bypassed by that? I had to leave my car @ work since I couldn't crank it via screw driver to nubs of starter/solenoid.