Starter Problems, Car wont start.

[DrSiD202]

KA just got this car over the weekend. Have been doing a lot of routine maintenance. Over the last 2 days I changed:
Sparkplugs
Oil & Oil filter
rotors & pads
Replaced a passenger side mirror
When i put the battery back in I had to jump the car. 2 days after it ran fine.

Description of Problem: Clutch in/ Turn key /and you hear 1 click.

I have checked most wires & fuses I have found(this is still a new car too me).
The clock inside has stayed the same.
Headlights seem to have plenty of juice.
I tried jumping it and still hear only 1 click.
buying a voltmeter in the morning.

I realize that there are other threads w/ this problem, every problem like this is an individual.
Any suggestions or help diagnosing this problem would be greatly appreciated.

[DrSiD202]

got a volt meter today $10 Oooooooo'rielys.

13v for the battery = good battery
I put it to the starter/ tried to start & got 5v, someone tell me what that means
I was guessing that it was the wire to teh starter from battery, but i hooked up a wire direct to add more voltage but got nothing again, just 1 click



this is roughly what it sounds like/. i got a sound bite.. its .wav
you here me turning the key several times in this, only clicks once per turn.
http://files.bighosting.net/up6011.wav

[DrSiD202]

still having the problem.

[ultraDorksGarage]

if volts go to 5 when cranking, the top 2 things on my list is battery and starter(assuming wiring is good and not corroded, including grounds).
a shorted battery or batt with a dead cell will drop volts when load is applied.
a dying starter will draw huge amperage, thus dropping batt volt during cranking.

why i think wirng is not prob, other than a short, bad wiring wouldnt put that much load on batt.
im not a genius so dont quote me, lol

edit: reread ur post,(im bored) u should check voltage at batt not starter, if volts at batt vs starter differ during cranking, u might have bad wiring/connection

[DJPimpFlex]

hit the starter with a hammer. No joke. I realligns the brushes and a lot of times makes the work again.

[ultraDorksGarage]

IMHO, as a warning, normally u use a 2x4, hit it straight down, hammers dont fit in an engine bay unless u go from bottom, and wood wont crush body, and it will normally work only 2-3 times, but the new style starters(95 or so and above, will dent body and will cause more harm than good), id reserve whacking it for when ur in a bind and need to start car real bad><

[Yoshi]

Originally Posted by DrSiD202

still having the problem.. and about to give up on this forum for help

WTF kind of thing is that to say? Here are a bunch of complete strangers showing their benevolence by trying to help you out. Don't cop an attitude like people here are priviledged to try to attempt to fix your problem.

It sounds like your starter solnoid to me, like pimpflex said... clarification on what he said, you don't wanna hit the starter, u want to hit the solenoid. The click is typical of a starter solenoid's armature getting stuck because the brushes and/or contacts are getting too worn, and no longer have enough electricity to overpower the magnets, hitting it with the rubberized end of a jack handle is usually enough to dislodge the armature just enough to continue starting. If you don't have the $ to replace the starter, you can use the jack handle method for at least 20 starts or so before you're in REAL trouble (unless you hit it too hard and dent the casing... this may crack magnets or worse yet, totally jam the armature)

[Yoshi]

Originally Posted by ultraDorksGarage

IMHO, as a warning, normally u use a 2x4, hit it straight down, hammers dont fit in an engine bay unless u go from bottom, and wood wont crush body, and it will normally work only 2-3 times, but the new style starters(95 or so and above, will dent body and will cause more harm than good), id reserve whacking it for when ur in a bind and need to start car real bad><

He's got an S13 so he should be fine.
I personally had to do this to my old AT s13 for a whole week and a half to make it to pay day when I could afford to get a new starter. That's 3 times a day x10 days. Nothing led me to believe I couldn't keep doing it, I think the key is hitting it JUST barely hard enough so that the armature dislodges.

[ultraDorksGarage]

thats pretty funny...friggen awesome luck, never works for me more than twice. i showed that trick to one of our drivers on a trouble call, after that, instead of telling me when the starter was bad, he whacked it for like 2 days, said he didnt turn motor off during deliverys, lol, /em smacks own face

but honestly, low voltage(5 volts) normally is crap batt, starter probs normally drop batts to like 7-8volts.

and yoshi, ur car is hawt, /em drools all over self

[Yoshi]

Originally Posted by ultraDorksGarage

thats pretty funny...friggen awesome luck, never works for me more than twice. i showed that trick to one of our drivers on a trouble call, after that, instead of telling me when the starter was bad, he whacked it for like 2 days, said he didnt turn motor off during deliverys, lol, /em smacks own face

but honestly, low voltage(5 volts) normally is crap batt, starter probs normally drop batts to like 7-8volts.

and yoshi, ur car is hawt, /em drools all over self

heh ya, I think I've had every car I've owned long enough to have to do the "smack the solenoid" routine once per car... with the exception of my 89 Grand Voyager. Anyone you'll ever ask will say those vans are total POS', but not mine, it ran like a champ forever!

Thanks for the compliments on the car It's a work in progress, will look much better once I get her painted. Also good to see someone else that uses IRC lingo "Yoshi slaps Solenoid around a bit with a large trout" heh.

[m0rex]

Get the starter solenoid that what went out on my s14 with a remote starter i hate that remote starter now made me change the whole starter and solenoid because the auto parts didnt carry just the solenoid cost me about 160.

[DrSiD202]

hahaha thats funny.. my neighbor told me to smashit w/ a hammer and have a friend start it, i thought he was crazy!!. so i tried it and it almost started. unplugged the starter and took it to autozone and test failed failed failed. so i bought a refurbrished one lifetime warrenty this afternoon 140$ let u know if it works in about 30min

[Yoshi]

Jeebus, you people need to STOP using hammers! If you use a jack handle with a rubberized end, that's more than fine. Hitting it with a hammer for the magnets in the solenoid is like gritting your teeth, then giving yourself an uppercut in the jaw with a hammer... shattered teeth - shattered magnets.

This is one of those finesse'-over-brute-force issues.

[ultraDorksGarage]

or use a 2x4 in the same fashion as the jack handle

[DrSiD202]

little more than 30min but got it started.. sounds funny now when it starts and needs a little gass to get going. 1st time it started, next time some weird growling noise kinda yodle growl, 3rd time started w/ some gas. same thing at gasstation, 1st time yodle growl again, 2nd w/ a little throttle started right up. kinda scared me for a sec thought it wasnt gonna work.

thanks for all the help, sor for doubting... i was just getting a little impatient after a day & noone replyed.





LOCK iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit!! yea!

[ledzeppelin240]

First of all you should never hit a starter that uses permanant magnets instead of field coils. You are just going to crack the magnets, and when one magnet breaks it form 2 weaker magnets.

It is your solenoid that could be at fault as well as low battery voltage. YOu need to check for voltage drop in 3 circuits. Check for the voltage drop on your (-) Battery cable, (+) Battery cable, and from the battery terminal on the solenoid to the motor terminal. It should be no more than 0.2v. If there is then there is high resistance in that circuit. Not allowing the the plunger in the solenoid to make contact with the motor terminal which means no current flow.

You probably have a defective starter drive, engadgement fork, or armature problems...

[ultraDorksGarage]

yes, please stop the whacking, cant we all just get along?
btw: about when did nissan switch to pmd's? thought it was late 90's? just outa curiosity...