'96 Nissan Maxima starting problem

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jim_ry30@yahoo.com - 23 May 2007 05:43 GMT

This has been an ongoing problem with my '96 Nissan Maxima. A couple
of years ago my car starting acting funny on the startup. I would
turn the key sometimes and I would have to hold the key there for a
second in order for it to turn over. Sometimes it would start fine
and other times I would have to turn the key a few times to get it to
start. It progressively got worse until one day it would not start at
all. I had the car towed to a repair shop and the next day it started
fine for them. Eventually they told me I needed a new starter. This
seemed to correct the problem until a few months later it starting
doing the same thing as before and eventually would not start again.
I had the car towed back to the same repair shop and they told me that
Nissan Maxima's were having a problem with some of the aftermarket
starters causing this problem and installed a new one that was higher
quality. About 8 months later it started acting funny again and took
it back to the repair shop and this time they told me it was not a
starter problem and they could not detect what the problem was with
their computer diagnostics machine. They told me I needed to take the
car to a Nissan dealer and have them evaluate the problem. The Nissan
people told me that the aftermarket starter that was installed was
causing this problem and I needed to install a Nissan starter which
was going to be $600 plus the $95 diagnostic fee. Since I had already
paid the other people to fix this problem I took the car back to the
original repair shop and explained to them what Nissan had told me.
They said the starter they had installed was a Hitachi starter who
actually makes the starters for Nissan and that this should not be the
problem, but they again installed a new Hitachi rebuilt starter. Now
about a week later it is acting funny again where I have to hold the
key for a second or two before it will turn over. I don't know what I
should do now. I have already spent a considerable amount of money on
this problem and am reluctant to take it to Nissan and pay them $600
for yet another starter which may or may not correct this problem.
Has anyone ever heard of this happening before in a Nissan Maxima or
have any idea what might be causing this problem?

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codifus - 23 May 2007 12:38 GMT

On May 23, 12:43 am, jim_r...@yahoo.com wrote:

> This has been an ongoing problem with my '96 Nissan Maxima. A couple
> of years ago my car starting acting funny on the startup. I would
[quoted text clipped - 29 lines]
> Has anyone ever heard of this happening before in a Nissan Maxima or
> have any idea what might be causing this problem?

I would look at your ignition switch or perhaps your crank position
sensor. Un-plug the sensor, clean the contacts, plug it back in. For
the ignition switch, just replace it. This maxima has the more
advanced distirubutorless ignition system so the car's computer is
much more dependant on the crank sensor to know how the engine is
turning over.

CD

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Charlie 3 - 23 May 2007 23:58 GMT

Hey, I have a 96 Max GLE with over 290k. I had the same issue
forever. Let me ask you this: Does it act worse in the Spring/Summer
times than Winter? Does it seem to work in the morning and not after
it has been sitting, especially in the Sun?

I ask because this was my problem. It seemed like I, or my girl for a
while, were the only ones that could crank my car. Shop techs used
think I had a kill switch on it. They couldn't crank it to move it. I
had to do it and they would always ask me how did I do it.

Finally, it just wouldn't crank at all one day. This was last year and
I had had the car since 98. It sat days till I figured it out.

It was the ignition system. The switch was fine, it was the lock
cylinder. The metal part that recognizes your key. At the end of it,
there is like a little tab that fits into the actual electric switch.
It is like a flathead screwdriver fitting into the switch and just
turns it.

I removed the column, unscrewed two little screws to separate the
switch from the lock cylinder and just cranked my car over and over
again.
Apparently, the switch is plastic, the cylinder is metallic and with
the combination of the Georgia sun it really heats up that metal.
This causes the plastic to expand and over the years, it just doesn't
fit tightly over the cylinder anymore.

I found something that would not change from the heat and placed it
between the two and screwed it up tight. Has worked just fine
since.

By the way, I used a folded piece of chewing gum foil.

Hope this helps.

Reply to this Message

jim_ry30@yahoo.com - 24 May 2007 01:42 GMT

> Hey, I have a 96 Max GLE with over 290k. I had the same issue
> forever. Let me ask you this: Does it act worse in the Spring/Summer
[quoted text clipped - 30 lines]
>
> Hope this helps.

Yes, I meant to add that to my post but as a matter of fact it does
seem to act up more when it is hotter outside. The first time it
completely died on me was on a hot summer night when i parked it
inside a mall parking garage. After I had it towed to the repair shop
it started right up for them early the next morning when it was much
cooler out. I still don't know how they came to the conclusion it was
the starter. I'm not sure how you figured out what was causing this
problem for you but I am praying you are right about my car to. This
whole thing has been driving me crazy and I am tired of paying for new
starters especially since they want to charge me $600 at the Nissan
dealership. I won't be able to thank you enough if this is the
solution. I will let you know what happens.

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