So I just replaced water pump and few days later the car has developed this no start no crank issue, always has single click when trying to start. It is intermittent and only when car is cold. After the car started and turn off, then start again, no problem. When it won't start, I have to move the shifter back and forth between park and neutral several times, then the car might start.

This morning, the car won't start, turning on the key and one click, that's it. So I shift to neutral and back to park couple of time, when in neutral, I let the car roll back a little, then I was able to start the car with couple of more tries. But it is getting worse, this afternoon, in my company's parking garage, I literally spent 25 minutes trying get the car fired up, moving shifter back and forth between park and neutral, pushing the car forward and backward, and finally the car fired up. So when I got home, I immediately starting checking the battery which is only 1 year old, good, has 12.83v, headlights are bright, grounding is good too. Then I removed ignition switch, the switch looks fine, T slot is pretty clean, lock cylinder tab is clean too, don't see any wear, using a flat screw driver to turn the ignition switch, car starts right up.

So what could be the problem then?
1. Starter and solenoid should be fine because ultimately car starts
2. Battery and grounding are fine
3. Ignition switch is fine
4. Inhibit relay?
5. Neutral safety switch?

I searched forum and didn't find definite answer, what does it means with a single click? Beside battery/grounding issue, what else causes starter "click once" but not turn? I would think a bad ignition switch won't produce click at solenoid, right? So what else it could be?

 

Sounds like Neutral Saftey Switch to me.


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When you had the ignition switch off, did you try to start the car by using a screwdriver in the ignition switch?

I really doubt if moving the car is doing anything other than adding time between tries at starting. I would check the wire to the starter solenoid for voltage. You would probably have to remove the air filter box to get to it. Read the thread below. In the 2nd post, there is a photo of the starter and the solenoid wire is labeled "TEST POINT A".

http://forums.maxima.org/5th-generat...rt-thread.html

Read this entire thread. It is all about diagnosing a no crank condition.

 

Thanks Dennis. Yes, I can start the car right up with a screwdriver. I followed advice from this forum, cut a piece of soda can and inserted into the T slot of ignition switch and put it back. It started right up this morning, so hopefully it will fix the problem, will see.

 

OK, after I inserted a piece of soda can sheet in the T slot of ignition switch, yesterday afternoon, this morning, the car fires up no problem, so it is the ignition switch I guess. Will give it few more days to see if this problem goes away.

 

Big ups on this thread!!!! ive had the same problem too, and didnt know of the soda can trick till now, gonna try it tom after i get off and let ya know how it goes

 

Subscribed for later use

 

It's not your switch its the cylinder slot getting worn from what you Explain.

 

OK, this morning I was going to do the brake job for my Titan, trying to move Maxima out of the way and again, the problem comes back, no start, single click, but this time, I hear some sound that looks like starter was trying to make effort to turn, but did not crank. So I am going to remove the ignition switch and is going to try to use screwdriver to start the car, if the car still won't start, then I will tap the starter with a hammer to see if I can start it, if not, it could be the starter, right?

 

OK, I removed ignition switch, but I still cannot start the car with screwdriver, tapping the starter with hammer didn't do anything good. Now the shifter is locked in Parking position, I cannot shift it out of Parking position.

 

I don't have a test light but I do have a multimeter so I went on test on the power connector on starter, when ignition is at OFF position, it has 12.69v, when is at ON position, it reads 12.38v, but when trying crank it at START position, it reads 11.97v, not a lot drop of voltage, so is that indicates the starter is bad?

 

OK, in order to eliminate one possibility, I cleaned battery terminals with sand paper, and also sanded mating surface engine block and bracket that connects ground cable to the engine ground, measured with multimeter, everything is good. But I still cannot start the car, a single click from starter solenoid, that's it, I really think it is a bad starter problem.

 

OK, I did one more test, short the two big connectors on starter solenoid with a screwdriver and I can hear starter turns, so it is not the starter but solenoid?

 

The 2 bog connectors that you touched, were they the ones that had 10 or 12 mm nuts on them? I so, then that has bypassed the solenoid. One of the nuts holds on the cable from the battery (the one with the boot covering it) and the other nut goes to the starter motor windings. This should have made the starter spin and you say it did.

It definitely sounds like you have a bad solenoid. You can replace just the solenoid if you want to, but I don't know how easy it will be to find one. Then there are all the other parts of the starter. Who Knows how good of a condition they are in. It may be better in the long run if you replace the whole starter.

 

Thanks Dennis, yes, when I shortened the two big connector, starter definitely span and I tried few times.

Advanced Auto has solenoid for $55 and ToughOne rebuilt starter with solenoid for $113, but eBay has this new starter with solenoid for $55, is it a good replacement starter?

 

I have no experience with that starter, so I cannot answer that question.

My opinion is that you should not buy it. That is a very cheap price for a new starter. It is most likely made in China and quality does not seem to be a priority for Chinese manufacturing companies. It will probably fail after too short of a time.

 

When I shorted the solenoid switch I replaced it with one from autozone I got for $45. That solenoid was half the weight of the OEM solenoid so it took twice as long to start while holding the key in the start position. I returned that cheap solenoid and got a rebuilt starter from Advanced Auto at a discount rate. It has been 2 years and it still cranks quick and easy. Like Autozone they have a lifetime warranty on their rebuilt starters. While at the JY I found one of their starters so I got it for $25 and traded it in at advanced auto for a backup starter.

 

OK, I brought my starter and battery to Advanced Auto, starter tested fine, they tested 3 times, battery on the other hand, is low, so they charged it. After full charge, they tested battery and battery is good too.

So I am going to put everything back to see if I can start the car. It could be the alternator not charging the battery which I don't think so, so it might be something drain the battery because it was sit overnight.

 

Nope, put everything back still no start no crank single click, so I located inhibit clutch interlock relay, pull it out, jumped terminal 3 and 4 and 6 and 7, it fires up right away, turned off, tried couple of more time, fired up no problem, so it is the relay.

I called advanced auto, they don't have it, autozone don't have it neither, so do I have go to dealer to get one?

Edit:
I first jump 6 and 7, still no start, then I jump 3 and 4, start right up, take out jump 6 and 7, no start, so it has to jump both. Before I jumped clutch interlock relay, I swapped anti-thief relay and wiper relay, make no difference and wiper is working so anti-thief relay is good.

 

I am doing more research and readings, looking at the wiring diagram of starter circuit, the more I look at it the more I feel it is inhibitor switch. Tomorrow I will put the inhibitor relay back, and jump the connectors of the inhibitor switch, if I can start the car, then the inhibitor switch is definitely bad, right?

 

Where did you find this relay? I have a problem similar to yours sometimes too. I did the slop fix and it worked for a while but it shows up every now and then

 

In front of battery, label on the relay box is INHIBIT/CLUTCH INTERLOCK.

 

OK, so on the way home today, I went to a junkyard, pulled out a inhibitor/clutch interlock relay from a junked Maxima and put it in my car, it fired right up, great, but then, on a second thought, just want to make sure it is the relay issue, I pulled it out and put my old relay in, fired right up again, so at this point, I am sure the relay is good and is not the culprit, so now it comes down to inhibitor switch. I will leave junkyard relay in the car and drive for few days to see if no start problem comes back, and if it comes back, I will shorten the inhibitor switch plugs, if car starts, then it is definitely the inhibitor switch's problem. If not, then it will come down to cruise control circuit (ASCD), right? ASCD has couple of relays too so I will go from there. Will see.

 

OK, it definitely is not inhibitor relay problem, after few days without problem. no start no crank issue comes back this morning, so when I have time, I will test inhibitor switch by shorting the inhibitor switch connector.

 

I would not rule the relay out. Sometimes the contacts inside the relay get burned and pitted and don't always make an electrical connection when they touch.

The only way to prove/disprove this would be to put in a new relay (junkyard relay could be bad, too) or remove the relay and put a jumper wire in the socket.

 

Jumping the relay worked, I have to jump both 3,4 and 6,7. This morning, I was going to do more diagnosis but it fires right up again.

 

Now I really get frustrated, again the car won't start this morning, jumping the inhibitor relay did not help this time.

 

Did u ck grounds

 

Back in post # 11 where you say you checked voltages, the 11.97 reading when you had the key in the start position indicates that the solenoid itself was drawing current, but the starter motor was not. When an engine is cranking, the voltage drop will be closer to 11 volts.

What I'm thinking is that the electrical contacts inside the solenoid are not making the connection between the battery cable and the starter motor. If the car is in a won't start mode, could you check the voltage on the connection that goes between the solenoid and the starter motor, not the one that has the battery cable. I suspect that you won't get any voltage reading or an extremely low reading.

If I'm correct, the solenoid is bad. But if you do have voltage, A- the voltage should be 11 plus volts and B- the engine should be cranking.

FYI on jumpering the inhibitor relay. The pin 6 to 7 jumper is is the only one you actually need to do. It reduces the circuit to ignition switch and starter solenoid. It eliminates the transmission park/neutral switch and the anti-theft system. A jumper in pins 3 to 4 will keep the cruise control from working if you were driving the car with those pins jumpered.

 

Thanks Dennis.

I will test voltage drop on starter side connector. I jumped both 6 & 7, 3 & 4 to eliminate inhibitor switch and cruise control. When I tested the starter in Advanced Auto, it was triggered through solenoid trigger wire, but I guess you are right, the most likely cause right now sounds like a bad solenoid since everything else has been pretty much eliminated at this point.

 

Try cleaning the solenoid switch before replacing the starter. After disconnecting the solenoid switch from the gear casing clean the mating sides of both then sand with high grit sandpaper.

 

Will do, thanks!

 

Its your starter. I don't care what AAP told when they tested yours. Your symptoms are classic solenoid. They told me mine was fine to. I did everyting that you have described to this point, which is all wonderful. So hooray for you for troubleshooting the entire ignition system. It wasn't until I forced AAP to give me a new starter againt my lifetime warrantied starter that my no crank no start problem was solved. If you have to, go throw your lifetime warrantied starter off a bridge and then go get a new one. The clown behind the counter wouldn't believe me when I kept telling him its the starter.

 

This did the trick, I took out starter again, removed solenoid, checked, visually cannot tell anything is wrong, so I used high grit sand paper to clean the matting surfaces on both solenoid side and starter casing side, as well as copper stud that connects to the starter, I also sanded washer and nut, they are little rusty and dusty. Last time I only cleaned connector stud, washer and nut to the battery positive terminal. After I put everything back, it fires right up, tried few more time, no problem. Hope this will solve the issue.