got a 4th gen that will not crank. it has a new ignition switch in it, a new stater and a new fuel pump, it suddenly decided it does not want to start. I hear the starter click as if the gear is engaging but then nothing happens.

 

sounds like the starter might have not been installed right, or the battery is dead, I would start with making sure the battery is fully charged, if it doesn't crank then something went wrong with the new starter

 

i installed the starter which i have done hundreds of times and the battery is fully charged, starter was tested before i bought it. Its something with the car not the starter.

 

Never assume since it was good when u bought it that it's still good now...it is possible for it to go bad quickly....take it off and have it checked again...you will find that many big box auto parts companies sell reman units that fail prematurely... It happens...

 

I watched the starter get tested before i installed. For a new starter to go bad with in an hr of being removed from the box......yea, its not the starter like i said.

 

I have seen parts bench test good...but not work on the car..but if u say its good ok...retrace your off and on procedure...maybe you missed something

 

there have been instances where the starter brand new doesnt work out of the box. would bench test just fine but as soon as a load was applied, it would not spin. Dang reman or AZ starters, cant remember which, but jsut do a SEARCH on it.

could be immobilizer in a 99.

Could be the starting circuit too. From P/N switch to inhibitor relay.

 

Last time I changed my starter I went through 2 aftermarket ones that bench tested fine, but wouldn't start the car. I think it may of had to do with them having fewer teeth on the starter than the OEM. I ended going with an reman Nissan starter which worked.

 

Get the voltmeter and check the battery voltage while you are trying to crank the engine over. With a good battery, the voltage will drop down into the 11 volt range. If it stays up at 12 volts, the starter solenoid is not making a connection.

Then connect the voltmeter onto the starter solenoid that goes into the starter motor, Test Point B in the photo below.Crank the engine again. The voltage should be the same as the previous step. If it is, the starter motor has a problem. If the voltage reading is less, then the solenoid has a problem.

 

make sure you also put the washers on the right sides, but I do think that the problem may be with how many teeths are on the starter, chances are that the starter can not spin because the teeths don't line up with the flywheel, thus it gets locked up, and won't move

 

Ok guys again it is not the starter. I replaced the starter becuase i thought it was my last starter that was bad it turns out it was good. the gear was not retracting they way it should so i went ahead and replaced it. The starter is not the issue. I'm trying to figure out what on the car is causing it not to starter. the only click i hear now is from under the dash from the ignition switch, so it is getting signal to turn over but nothing happens. also a few lights on the dash cut off as if it is trying to turnover but silence.

 

The click from under the dash is probably the ignition relay. You don't normally hear it because the sound of the starter drowns it out. But this relay is not part of making the engine crank over.

To make the starter work, the sequence of events is:
ignition switch --> inhibitor relay --> starter solenoid.

If you look at the photo that I posted (post # 9), connect a meter or a test light to Test Point A. When you turn the key to the START position, you should have 12 volts at Test Point A.

If you have 12 volts, the starter is the problem.

If no voltage, then the ignition switch or the relay or maybe wiring is the problem.

Pull out the relay. It is in the group by the battery, 2nd from the left along the battery.
The cover calls it INHIBIT/CLUTCH INTERLOCK. In the 99s, the name changed to PARK NEUTRAL/CLUTCH INTERLOCK, but it is in the same spot.

Auto trans and manual trans use a different relay from the other. Auto trans uses a 6 pin relay and manual uses a 4 pin relay, so checking things is different.

For Auto trans -
Put the volt meter or test light in pin # 6 of the relay socket and turn the ignition key to the START position. If you get 12 volts here, the ignition switch is OK. If not, either the relay is bad or the circuit that makes it work has a problem.

For Manual trans -
Put the volt meter or test light in pin # 3 of the relay socket and turn the ignition key to the START position. If you get 12 volts here, the ignition switch is OK. If not, either the relay is bad or the circuit that makes it work has a problem.

 

Jump the 2 wires on your nuetral saftey switch together, itll trick the computer into thinkin its safe and itll start assuming that im correct on the switch being faulty

 

Or you could just swap it with another relay that fits and save yourself the bs.. essentially turn your ignition on and work your way back from the solenoid back to the IS, also clean your grounds btw ive NEVER had a brand new part not work for me out the box, if a starter bench tested fine and then didn't work when installed then the problem is with your vehicle.. lol it doesnt work then not work after install because its faulty

 

What is your voltage drop on the battery when trying to start the car? Is this a problem that has suddenly developed or has it slowly been getting worse? Have you tried jump starting the car? Are the battery terminals clean and tight? Have you tried running 12 volts (please be careful) straight to the starter signal terminal to rule that out?...just throwing things out there

 

It was suddenly the car went from starting perfectly fine to dead silence starting. I tested the relays moved them about swapped the inhibitor relay for the sunroof relay and the sunroof worked so the relay was not the problem.

One of the problems i thought i had solved was the PO installed one of those stuppid clifford alarms. That POS would prevent me from starting the car from time to time, so i disconnected its main unit it never did that again. So this weekend I started to cut it out of the ignition harness under the dash luckily it is just spliced in and runs an interference instead of a interception if you can understand what i mean so i just have to cut the wires, i do not know the technical terms for it. I'm now getting a strong audible click/cluck from the starter but no cranking. I'll try cutting out more of this system see if it happens to be the problem. For the love of God never install one of these bullsh1t alarms.

 

lol that is what i am saying, ok big box stores like autozone do occasionally spew out some crap parts but if the starter works it works. Period. i did not drop the starter or cause any physical damage to it. The only condition where a bench test could be inaccurate is when a car does not start when hot, because starters react differently when heat soaked but this is not the case.

I've had a new starter not work because of a faulty solenoid that extends the gear but it bench tested bad and again thats not the case here.

 

I was just going to suggest car alarm, but you beat me to it. The starter kill creates a voltage drop that is too much and the car won't even crank.

All car alarms have tapped wires, and at least one to two intercepted wires. If you haven't ripped out the old alarm completely, do so now and see if that fixes the problem.

 

Try to jump the starter from battery positive terminal directly with a screw driver, if starter spins then it is not the starter. Next, jump inhibitor replay pin 6 and 7 if you have auto trans with a wire, next, swap anti-thief relay with windshield wiper relay.

 

It was the stupid alarm system. Don't ever buy an aftermarket alarm. Just get lojack, its a lot more effective. Save yourself the bullsh1t.