Starter clicking noise, no crank.. no start. Just a "click" when i turned the key

[Diego9777]

Okay so i looked around the forums and I find that its either the ignition switch, starter, or some other things. But here is the thing with my car.. I just got home from a drive and then i turned it off and then turned it back on and it would just do the simple "Click" noise and so I just pushed it into my garage and the next morning, I went to the car and it started right up... WHAT IS THIS? I appreciate any help, thank you!

[S-Nation S13]

Check your connections , every once in awhile I have to tighten my battery connection .. Usually when you get one click you got a loose connection somewhere

[Diego9777]

yeah it just kept clicking when i got home. I will loosen them up and clean them and then tighten them up as soon as i can, thank you!

[unreal-]

Check for corrosion at the battery terminals, clean them, and tighten everything back up. Should solve the problem.

[DJ-of-E]

Also check if there's a grounding issue somewhere at the car. I had to re-do my grounds when I had a similar issue.

[Diego9777]

Sorry to be a noob, but how exactly do I check a "grounding issue?" and how long or hard is it to re-do? Just tried searching around google.. but no luck. I have a 1991 s13 coupe

[DJ-of-E]

^well, re-do for me is taking out the engine and wiring harness and replace all the grounds with larger gauge cables. (my harness was pretty old and bad, but I had time and patience)

For you, try checking all the grounding points and clean them out. If the wires are frayed or damaged, find a way to resolder and replace them.

[Jack Bauer S14]

It's probably the battery terminals, clean them and tight them up and see what happens.

Or else the starter might have died but I really doubt it, it usually cranks a bit even when damaged altough if the damage is very deep well maybe it just won't budge.

Try battery then let us know what happened.


Enviado desde el moñoñongo...

[Slows14kouki]

I am having simular issue but have pin pointed out some after much needed research. here you go

Fuel- does your fuel pump prime when turning ignition switch on?
Are you getting any volts to your ECU? Or both

If your fuel pump does not prime when ignition is in on position, check the fuse, if the fuse is good, check the relay, and if that is good then your ecu has no power...FAULTY ignition switch...It happend to me unexpectedly also, these go bad on nissans not all but so far ive heard.

check -
Fuel
Volts
grounds
Relays
fuses
vacuum leaks/boost leaks
injectors

[mechanicalmoron]

Well, I bought my car with a pushbutton start a few years ago, and having checked every circuit and interlock that I know of or could learn of, it's still on a push button. In my research, I've learned of at least a few other s chassis with this problem.

So....... maybe you should head out to radio shack, and look at their button selection.

Protip: when pressing your new starter button, turn the key to "start" anyway, it will change the injector firing mode, otherwise it will be hard to start.

Or, it could just be the clutch interlock relay. The clicking you probably hear is the starter relay, so it's likely fine. The clutch relay is beside the battery in the fender corner.

[Bestys15]

I'm having the same problem, 1 night It clicked and wouldn't start but did after awhile , an the next day i couldn't even get a crank and still can't, changed terminals checked fuses, cleaned a few ground points but I'm not sure witch ground point is for the starter, my power windows stopped working and my fuel pump (walbro) continuously primes at the same time all this happen. also my starter motor ground point drops to about .3 when trying to start
Need help lol

[s13rhdhatch]

+1 for this thread.I'm having the same issue,I'll go to start it and it will just click so I'll keep trying and then it will start,I've replaced fuses,ignition switch's,harness and changed grounds.I don't know what it is.

[Croustibat]

Weak battery, corroded terminals, or just a starter in need of a rebuild. When you can just hear a click, it means the starter exciter works, but for some reason its electric motor does not. Most of the time it is caused by not enough power, but sometimes it is the starter motor itself. When it happens, hit the starter hard and it should do the trick until you can change it. It usually is caused by the "coal" connecting to the self being so worn it kind of "glues" itself. The hit usually separates them and you are good to go.

[cdlong]

Bad starter solenoid. I've had the same problem on two 240s. You can replace just the solenoid but they don't fit quite right, just replace the whole starter.

To verify this, next time it doesn't start, tap the solenoid with a piece of wood or broom handle or something. you can see the starter under the intake mainfold, the little cylinder is the solenoid.

[Diego9777]

Alright awesome, I will clean the battery terminals and let all of you know how it goes after driving it for a while to see if it doesn't happen, if it does.. then ill do what cdlong says and see if my starter solenoid is bad.

[DenkiMan!]

i had this exact same problem earlier this year. corroded negative terminal. bad grounds can really fuck up your day

[Blues13]

Had a similar problem before where I couldn't start the car intermittently (90 S13). It would almost be random when the car would fire up. It turned out that the clutch interlock relay was going bad.. it allows the engine to start only when clutch is depressed. It's tucked in the passenger side fender area. I ended up just bypassing the relay and that fixed the problem (you could also just get a new relay).

It may not be the problem if you hear your starter 'clicking' but just thought I'd throw it out there just in case..

[Mrdabguys13]

I have the same problem , upcoming to the day here and there would click with no crank but would start after a few key turns but then one day I drove it to a friends and when I was leaving it wouldn?t crank but I got the fuel pump and clikc every key turn, I tried replacing the starter/Celinoid , I replaced the cable connections I replaced the spark plugs , I checked all the connections , I replaced the ignition key switch / lock , and even tried bypassing the clutch switch and still nothing. I?ve been trying to figure this out forever I?ve almost givin up.. the only reason why I haven?t is ebcahse I just bought coil overs for it.

[S14rebuild]

First...welcome.
Second... this thread is 7 yrs old
Third...your broken english is truly hard to understand, i would like to help but, would need you to better explain the issue you are having

If it is a no crack situation check following

1..battery is in good condition and fully charged
2. Battery terminals are tight and clean
4. Battery cables are corrision free and propely bolted down.
5. Signal wire is energized while key is in crack postion
6. Engine block is grounded properly
7. Main postive starter wire has good contact on solenoid, and nut is tight

8. Make sure the engine can spin freely and isnt mechanical locked up(internals or drive belt)

If all that checks out....replace starter



This ofcourse goes by what most i could understand from your post

[blkvrtswp]

I chased this exact problem for 14 years. Replaced everything, car was auto converted to manual so there is no starter interlock relay. Ignition switch helped but still did it all the time. I work for Wiring Specialties so believe me I searched, replaced, tested, checked grounds - all of it. Nothing helped.

Finally, I completely bypassed the OEM wiring and added a simple START button right in the cigarette lighter hole. Triggers a heavy duty relay under the hood connected to the start tab and it always cranks every single time now. Button is Ignition powered (lighter wiring) & I had to run 1 wire up to the relay.

Most stubborn S13 problem ever.

DONE

[zombiewolf513]

Originally Posted by blkvrtswp

.
Smart idea

Ill be using this on something else, thank you.

Originally Posted by Mrdabguys13

a lot of stuff

Unbolt battery ground at chassis and engine if you can, clean parts with wire brush and reconnect.

Make sure to use a good battery.

Disconnect fuel line after fuel filter but before fuel rail, and put line into bottle. Turn key to ignition but not start to prime pump and check for fuel. Sometimes if sitting lines corrode, pumps die, fuel filters clog, and fuel lines vapor lock. This will clear most vapor lock and let you know if you have fuel.

Option 1: use key
Option 2: use a piece of wire to jump the starter solenoid to battery + (dont shock yourself). You could use a screwdriver to jump the solenoid connector to the battery connection on the starter, or use jumper cables or switch but its not exactly the safest

If starter clicks but no crank, tap the large part of the starter with a hammer while trying to start (do not hit hard enough to dent it). If it spins then you need a new starter. If it doesnt spin you may need a new battery. If the starter doesnt click with key and starter is good then you have a wiring issue.

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by S14rebuild

If it is a no crack situation ....

...5. Signal wire is energized while key is in crack postion...

I'm having a no crack situation as well, and my key is definitely in the crack the position... what should I do? call the dealer?


Ah that was fun. Seriously though the wire for the starter solenoid runs through the ignition switch and although the wire itself is very thick, the ignition switch is a piece of shit usually. Even new they tend to have very thin contacts which arc and create black residue and/or become melty.

What I do is simply add a starter relay, run the ignition switch 12v output through a powerful relay to drive the starter solenoid instead of having all that current pass through the ignition switch. This preserves the ignition switch by reducing the current flowing through it.

I know u did that on purpose tho because c is so far from n nobody could ever make that mistake, esp twice ;D

[jedi03]

on other forums the solenoid signal wire is to thin and easily gets heated, upgrading that one has yielded positive results for others...i need to try it still as hot restarts tend to be difficult on mine, have just been adding juice (jump box) to help it out for those times

[WTS3]

So weird this old thread got bumped recently. I am restoring my car I've let sit for the better part of a decade and have been troubleshooting this exact issue...

Originally Posted by blkvrtswp

I chased this exact problem for 14 years. Replaced everything, car was auto converted to manual so there is no starter interlock relay. Ignition switch helped but still did it all the time. I work for Wiring Specialties so believe me I searched, replaced, tested, checked grounds - all of it. Nothing helped.

Finally, I completely bypassed the OEM wiring and added a simple START button right in the cigarette lighter hole. Triggers a heavy duty relay under the hood connected to the start tab and it always cranks every single time now. Button is Ignition powered (lighter wiring) & I had to run 1 wire up to the relay.

Most stubborn S13 problem ever.

DONE

I was thinking about this solution myself, even putting the button in the lighter lol. Could you use a Bosch style plug relay or would you suggest sticking with the "heavy duty"? Do you power down accessories when you're starting? Any more info would be appreciated!

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

I'm having a no crack situation as well, and my key is definitely in the crack the position... what should I do? call the dealer?


Ah that was fun. Seriously though the wire for the starter solenoid runs through the ignition switch and although the wire itself is very thick, the ignition switch is a piece of shit usually. Even new they tend to have very thin contacts which arc and create black residue and/or become melty.

What I do is simply add a starter relay, run the ignition switch 12v output through a powerful relay to drive the starter solenoid instead of having all that current pass through the ignition switch. This preserves the ignition switch by reducing the current flowing through it.

I know u did that on purpose tho because c is so far from n nobody could ever make that mistake, esp twice ;D

Were you experiencing something similar to OP before and this solution solved the issue?

[blkvrtswp]

35 amp relay, that is more than enough for the start trigger circuit under normal conditions.

I do not cut power to the accessories, I made no changes to the key - go all the way forward to RUN and hit the new button. The original OEM circuitry and wiring is all still there just in case can switch back in seconds.

I have cranked 23 times in a row within 10 minutes & had zero problems!

[Kingtal0n]

Originally Posted by WTS3

Were you experiencing something similar to OP before and this solution solved the issue?

I've had like 40 240sx cars and after 20 years of taking them apart I know all their weak points. The ignition switch is simply too brittle, too obsolete, the contacts and design is flawed, There is no current capacity for modern starters which often consume more current and demand higher voltage than the original units that were designed back in the 90's. It must be replaced with a relay, simple as that. Relays are cheap, there is no excuse.

You don't need a button lol.

[WTS3]

Originally Posted by blkvrtswp

35 amp relay, that is more than enough for the start trigger circuit under normal conditions.

I do not cut power to the accessories, I made no changes to the key - go all the way forward to RUN and hit the new button. The original OEM circuitry and wiring is all still there just in case can switch back in seconds.

I have cranked 23 times in a row within 10 minutes & had zero problems!

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

I've had like 40 240sx cars and after 20 years of taking them apart I know all their weak points. The ignition switch is simply too brittle, too obsolete, the contacts and design is flawed, There is no current capacity for modern starters which often consume more current and demand higher voltage than the original units that were designed back in the 90's. It must be replaced with a relay, simple as that. Relays are cheap, there is no excuse.

You don't need a button lol.

Cool cool, thanks for the replies!

[WTS3]

Originally Posted by Kingtal0n

...

What I do is simply add a starter relay, run the ignition switch 12v output through a powerful relay to drive the starter solenoid instead of having all that current pass through the ignition switch. This preserves the ignition switch by reducing the current flowing through it.

...

So just wanted to do a follow-up post for the OP bumper or anyone else who stumbles across this thread in the future who experiences similar issues. I used the solution King provided here and my starting issues are seemingly solved now. I've tried a few cold starts, cold restarts, and hot starts for testing purposes and honestly it feels strange cranking the car and having it turn over on the first attempt consistently lol

[Maverick06xx]

Originally Posted by WTS3

So just wanted to do a follow-up post for the OP bumper or anyone else who stumbles across this thread in the future who experiences similar issues. I used the solution King provided here and my starting issues are seemingly solved now. I've tried a few cold starts, cold restarts, and hot starts for testing purposes and honestly it feels strange cranking the car and having it turn over on the first attempt consistently lol

I'm having the same issue right now, is the other choice is to replace the ignition switch? I installed a brand new starter thinking that was my problem and Indeed it was not.

[S14rebuild]

Originally Posted by Maverick06xx

I'm having the same issue right now, is the other choice is to replace the ignition switch? I installed a brand new starter thinking that was my problem and Indeed it was not.

Did u ready any of the last 10 posts before u posted? The problem and remedys have been explained in detail

#22 has ur answer....hint hint