Car wont start, have searched and tried just about everything...

[skylindrftr]

Okay so I am driving around today just having fun cruising the canyons with a friend and i decide to leave my car at a turnout and go in my friends 240 for a bit. We come back down the canyon and I try to start my car, everything turns on but it wont crank. I look under the clutch pedal, move some junk around and make sure the switch is being engaged. I try it again, no luck. All the lights and gauges come on, but it wont crank or do anything. Then some a miata shows up that randomly has a Nissan technician in it, he tries to help us. We try to jump the car, no luck, it wont start. He bypasses the clutch pedal sensor, no luck. We hit the starter with a spare torque wrench i happened to have, no luck. In the end we end up clutch starting it. Now I cannot get it out of my driveway, I was able to drive it home, but it still will not start. Any suggestions?

[180sx_Drifter]

is it just not turning over? check your fuses or maybe try push starting it.

[IRN]

ignition switch, relay, maybe just a completely dead starter? you getting fuel alright. when you turn the key do you hear a slight single click?

[creyes13491]

it should be your starter, because it happened to my car once, so i left it for a day, then i just hit the starter the next day, then it just started back again. but it kinda takes few clicks before my car starts though, so im gonna have to replace my starter. i think you just need to buy a new starter.

p.s. sorry, its too long. :)

[Z U L8R]

i would test starter as well
gl
Dave

[hungryjoseph]

did the little plug for the solenoid on the starter fall off? those things are flimsy and it can happen.

[buckaroo]

I had a similar problem, try one of those handheld starter things, sorry i cant think of the name. They clamp directly onto the starter and you press the trigger down. I just ended up putting a push button directly and problem fixed. This might not be your problem but its easy to test. I would first try a load test and take your starter to an auto parts store that tests starters...

[KiLLeR2001]

did the little plug for the solenoid on the starter fall off? those things are flimsy and it can happen.

+1. I cut off my plug and soldered a female fuse disconnect to the ignition wire on the starter because it would always fall off due to a loose connection. Fixed my problem right up.

[skylindrftr]

thanks all i am going to try some of this stuff out and see what happens

oh by the way this is a redtop sr20det

[skylindrftr]

is it just not turning over? check your fuses or maybe try push starting it.

it turns over when i push start it

ignition switch, relay, maybe just a completely dead starter? you getting fuel alright. when you turn the key do you hear a slight single click?

there are no clicks

[skylindrftr]

UPDATE: ok so today i figured i would try to see if i could fix it.
-brushed battery terminals and connectors with metal brush and tightened them down (no effect)
-switched some fuses around to see if they would make a difference (no effect)
-hit starter with hammer (no effect)

The one thing I noticed was that when i try to crank it, it clicks once, then all the electronics go off for a sec, like if i have a gauge that is supposed to illuminate, when i try and crank it, it goes out, does this mean anything?

Thanks!

[JRas]

like this?

http://www.zilvia.net/f/showthread.php?t=183154

I bypassed the clutch interlock switch ( safety clutch switch )
than the clutch interlock relay so far... I've been able to start it without problems ( knock on wood )

[Slammed Assassin]

check your alternator fuse..(i had the same problem his week)..and make sure to double check all grounds..

[skylindrftr]

It's not the clutch safety switch, a Nissan tech bypassed it for me and the car still wouldn't start, all the fuses seem fine, i don't know if this means anything, but when i try to start it i can hear a click near the fuse/relay box on the passenger side...

[180sx_Drifter]

did u try switching some of the relays?

[skylindrftr]

Hmm no i havent, which of the 3 (i dont have the anti skid one this is a non lsd model) relays matters in this case?

[skylindrftr]

ANOTHER UPDATE: Spent a couple hours again trying to diagnose the situation. I have come up with 2 possible reasons.
-ignition switch is broken
-something is wrong with the starter itself

Any way to check on these?

The below picture will show you how i came to these conclusions, feel free to point out any inaccuracies.

Thanks

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/wiringdiagram.jpg

[KiLLeR2001]

starter wire on the ignition switch is black/yellow stripe I believe, see if it has power when you put the key in the start position.

edit: also, check to see if the black/yellow striped wire ON YOUR STARTER (it'll be a single wired plug) is connected to it properly and that the connection is firm and not easy to come off.

[skylindrftr]

starter wire on the ignition switch is black/yellow stripe I believe, see if it has power when you put the key in the start position.

edit: also, check to see if the black/yellow striped wire ON YOUR STARTER (it'll be a single wired plug) is connected to it properly and that the connection is firm and not easy to come off.

ok so the wire you are talking about is the starter wire for the actual ignition and not the ignition switch? I remember a black and yellow wire that was soldered onto the end of the ignition, which goes into the loom, all the wires are fine and none of the solders has broken off. There is a plug on the starter that is a double wire one, is that the one you are talking about?

[KiLLeR2001]

ok so the wire you are talking about is the starter wire for the actual ignition and not the ignition switch? I remember a black and yellow wire that was soldered onto the end of the ignition, which goes into the loom, all the wires are fine and none of the solders has broken off. There is a plug on the starter that is a double wire one, is that the one you are talking about?

yes the black/yellow soldered into the ignition is the starter wire, follow that down to the harness and check that all out.

the plug on you starter only has one wire. it should be black/yellow. What wires are you seeing on your starter?

[skylindrftr]

yes the black/yellow soldered into the ignition is the starter wire, follow that down to the harness and check that all out.

the plug on you starter only has one wire. it should be black/yellow. What wires are you seeing on your starter?

the plug i was thinking about was: look at the keyhole, perpendicular to that and underneath it there is a black connector with 2 wires.

[KiLLeR2001]

take a picture if you can, the black connector to the starter should only be one wire, unless my redtop is magically different lol.

[skylindrftr]

naw i had a redtop too, but its in a car that was sohc before, i dont know if that makes a difference, i will get a pic later today

[KiLLeR2001]

I converted my 1990 SOHC to the SR Redtop, you and me are in the same boat... it should only be one wire.

[JDMwannaBE]

take the starter and have it tested instead of shooting in the dark all day. thats probably what it is.

[skylindrftr]

yeah i really should, btw, do any of you know what the magnetic switch thing the fsm talks about is supposed to sound like? is it the click click click click sound you sometimes get when something is wrong. i ask this because i ony here one click near the fuse box and i am not sure if that is the magnetic starter deally or what....

[skylindrftr]

ok so i got some pictures today, i also figure out that it isn't that battery, i tried one from my other 240 that works fine for a dd and it doesn't start up in my sr car. Anyhow, moving on, here is what I am talking about the 2 wire plug:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/P3290067.jpg

So, anyhow I crawled underneath to see if there was anything obvious wrong. I found that this one metal tab on the starter's magnetic switch was not plugged in. Does it need to be? If so where does it go and what connects to it? Below are pics:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/P3290074.jpg

Next pic is showing which tab is unplugged:

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/P3290072.jpg

Here is a stock photo of the starter and what tab is unplugged:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/23300-SR20DT-2_big.jpg

Here is the connector which I think might plug into it but I am not 100% sure:
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/P3290068.jpg
http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y159/jdm240/P3290075.jpg

[KiLLeR2001]

Yes! thats the one wire black plug that goes into that tab, thats what you need to plug in and thats what needs to be on there good.

[nissanguy13]

ya that plug has to go on that tab, it use to happen to me all the time and it would piss me off. Just bend the that tab back straight then stick the plug back on it. That's what I did and it never had a problem again.

[japanbran]

this may sound dumb, but turn your head lights on, then try it

[skylindrftr]

ah shit thanks nissanguy13, i will try that in the morning... fuck i took apart my hole friggen dash tracing wires and making sure things were getting power... what a piss off...

will update tomorrow

[skylindrftr]

this may sound dumb, but turn your head lights on, then try it

lol what does this have to do with it?

[mavrick243]

hey i am/was currently having this same problem. (but mine is on a ka24de) a way to test your starter is to put the key in run position and run a wire straight from the positive terminal on your battery to the back of your starter where that little wire runs in and it should start right up if the starter is still good also if it's amnual make sure the tranny is in neutral. do you have a anti-theft/keyless entry cause i would have that same click from my fuse box on the passenger side and it was my anti-theft relay kicking and disabling my starter so i bought a new one and it's ok so far. good luck with it

[skylindrftr]

hmm there is an old alarm on the car but it is nonfunctional, not even the power locks work anymore...

[wiggafly808]

IDK if youve tried it already, but follow the wire from the negative end of your battery to the ground on the body. Make sure its rust/corrosion free, then make sure its snug.

Zac

[mavrick243]

ya my button doesn't work anymore but my power locks do well if the relay is still in put the back of your hand on it and see if it's warmer then the other relays cause if it is sthat could be one of your problems also you can take it out and plug it back in and if it's bad you will hear it trip and feel it

[japanbran]

lol what does this have to do with it?

i had the same problem with a few old 240s i had, if i turned the headlights on it would work. it completes a circuit in the system

[nissanguy13]

hmm there is an old alarm on the car but it is nonfunctional, not even the power locks work anymore...

If you have an old alarm and you don't use it, rip it out or it will cause you the same type of headache one day.

The single wire is the for the ignition. Once you connect it to the starter the car should start right up. Like I said when my old car would not start I would pop the hood and sure enough that wire would be disconnected from the starter. I don't know why they did that with the SR's

[Triadz101]

Was gonna post wut skyline drifter posts. I had the same problem but my wires are too short for by plug. Keeps coming out. Great write up none the less!!!! Hope its that. Pretty easy fix. I now use it as a " kill switch "

[skylindrftr]

Thanks to all that have helped, I am gonna plug that deally in tomorrow and hopefully everything will work out then I can go put the rest of my interior back together lulz...

Yeah it does seem like that wire is a bit short, I am gonna see if I can find if the harness is constrained in any areas and try to pull it out further, maybe electrical tape the shit out of it once it is on there or something...