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Do I really need a new starter?


fast5speed
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The other day my WD21 just wouldn't start randomly. VG30E 4x4 5 speed, 1994. The events leading up to it failing to start were 100% normal, nothing at all out of the ordinary. The truck started just as quickly as normal with no weird noises or straining at all.

 

I go to turn the key one night, and nothing. Everything else works as normal. Radio, lights, door chime, the fuel pump primes. Obviously, I have power, but the starter makes no noise. Just silent. I had to bump start it to get it home that night. After I drove it home, I parked on a hill (just in case), and turned my truck off. I blipped the starter to see if it would even engage, and it cranked! "Ok great", I thought. Just a fluke incident, right? I go inside, come back out 10 minutes later, it won't even crank again.

 

I went out for the night. Come home, blip the starter the next morning, it cranks again! Go out in my other car..do some stuff..come home. Time to go out for work, WONT START. uuuuggggghhhhh!!!

I was looking for the ground on my starter to see if I could clean it. I couldn't find it. I said "hell with it" and tap on the starter with a screwdriver and hammer twice.

 

Get out, the truck starts. Drive it around the whole day without issues. The start still works perfectly with no straining. Go to a friends house, go to leave, won't start. I get under, tap it with the screwdriver, starts instantly.

So what does this mean? Is it necessary I buy a new starter? Or is it that my starter has a build up of oil (from the filter of course) and that it just needs a good cleaning? My truck only has 145k miles, but it might not be the original starter. I do know for a fact that it's an OEM Hitachi one though.

The reason I'm asking isn't really about the money, but I know that replacement starters seem to be 90% junk. For example, my dad made the mistake of buying a new one (reman junk of course) from Pepboys. They won't give him his money back, they will only exchange it. He's on his...9th starter in 5 years.

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the starter grounds through the mounting bolts, you could add a seperate ground to it but from what you are describing (hitting it and it starts) it does not sound like the ground is the problem.

 

It may be dirty inside from oil and removing it and cleaning it would probably help.

 

There are a lot of threads on here about starter problems, I would recommend if you need to buy a new one is to contact Rob on the forum, in this topic - http://www.nissanpathfinders.net/forum/topic/18653-genuine-nissan-parts/page-39?do=findComment&comment=679267

 

and buy one from him, he works at a Nissan Dealer and thee starters from the dealer and a few other NEW ones seem to be the best available.

 

When my starter was doing what you say yours is, the starter relay mod made it last another year before it finally quit, mine was doing the same thing, I went to the junkyard one day, not a short trip about an hour away, the truck started fine all morning before I went, truck sat for about an hour, I go to start it to leave and nothing !! luckily this guy (who owns a pathfinder in Hawii or somewhere) pulled up next to me, I tapped on the starter using the jack rod while he turned the key and it started right up. On the way home I made 3 stops and it started every time, went out again to hardware store, come out wouldn't crank !!!

 

Not good when the starter does that the one day it won't start you will be miles from anyone and alone and in trouble !!

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Same issue on my girlfriends pathfinder. Junkyard starter and its fine now. Once they fill up with oil they lose electrical contacts inside the starter. You can rebuild them pretty cost effectively, but if u need your truck quickly I would just swap out to another oem one.

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The problem ( usually ) when you tap a starter and it starts to work isn't in the solonoid but the motor it self. What happens is when the brushes ( the part where the elctrical connection is made to the rotating porton of the motor the commutator) start to wear out. They are pushed down by a set of springs, and when they wear out the spring can't push them far enough to make contact with the commutator. So the long and short is that the motor can be rebuilt by taking it apart and replacing the bearings, seals and brushes.. or just get a new one. I have rebuilt these in the past and it's never as simple as you think. As said above the ground is provided by the but connection to the block, and there is only 2 wires going to the starter ( both positive ) and they should be kept clean to keep resistance down at that point.

Hope this helps.. I'm new here

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Check out this site, lots of info with pics too !!!

 

http://beergarage.com/PathStarter.aspx

 

 

check out picture 13 & 21 especially.

 

as mentioned last post:

 

there are two wires going to the starter, the thick one that comes directly off the positive battery terminal and a second smaller wire that comes from the solenoid on the starter.

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Yeah. I doubt it's incredibly simple. I tried to look up the price of a new starter motor on Courtesy Nissan of Texas, they have a very good website complete with schematics and all that.

 

I couldn't get a price for an entire starter motor. They just wanted to sell internal parts for it. I wasn't aware they broke parts down that much.

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Check out this site, lots of info with pics too !!!

 

http://beergarage.com/PathStarter.aspx

 

 

check out picture 13 & 21 especially.

 

as mentioned last post:

 

there are two wires going to the starter, the thick one that comes directly off the positive battery terminal and a second smaller wire that comes from the solenoid on the starter.

 

ughh...blasphemy

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what?

 

Contact Rob in the link I posted, he just posted the price for a Nissan starter less than a week ago, found it:

 

"

I of course fully recommend the OEM starter. Then again I generally tend to recommend the OEM everything.........I wonder why? smile.png

Part Number: 23300-88G01R

Description: REMAN STARTER ASSY

$200.80 (NISSAN LIST: 291.13)

CORE CHARGE: $60.00"

Edited by ahardb0dy
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what?

 

Contact Rob in the link I posted, he just posted the price for a Nissan starter less than a week ago, found it:

 

"

I of course fully recommend the OEM starter. Then again I generally tend to recommend the OEM everything.........I wonder why? smile.png

Part Number: 23300-88G01R

Description: REMAN STARTER ASSY

$200.80 (NISSAN LIST: 291.13)

CORE CHARGE: $60.00"

Jeez! That's a LOT more than I was expecting it to be. Rockauto has a NEW OE Hitachi start for sale for $120 with a $34 core charge.

 

It's $200 after the "Rob special" price? No wonder Nissan went bankrupt 10 years ago.

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I just went through this with my 1992 4x4 automatic in the past week. I got a starter for $90 through the local NAPA. It was a reman that came with a 3 year warranty as well. The price was alright but it took me about 2 hours to change the stupid thing after a lot of issues with space.

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I tapped on it a bit last night, and it didn't help at that particular time, but it's been starting all day today. The thing is, it's been starting very slow. Almost acting as if my battery is low on power. Which would suck because my battery is 5 months old..

I'm going to try to pull it out and get some gunk out.

Edited by fast5speed
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You didn't even buy an OEM starter! :lol:

 

Well if you read better you would see that I was quoting Rob and that is what HE said !!! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

 

see those little things at the beginning and end of the paragraph? they are called quoation marks, they look like this " ", that means your quoting someone !!! LOL

Edited by ahardb0dy
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You didn't even buy an OEM starter! :lol:

 

 

Well if you read better you would see that I was quoting Rob and that is what HE said !!! :lmao: :lmao: :lmao: :lmao:

 

see those little things at the beginning and end of the paragraph? they are called quoation marks, they look like this " ", that means your quoting someone !!! LOL

Doesn't show up that way in Tapatalk.

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I took my starter out and cleaned it up. There was a lot of gunk build up in there.

 

I probably should have re-read the starter re-build link while I was taking apart my starter so it would have made more sense. Before I took my starter apart, the article was alien language, now looking back, it makes 100% perfect sense.

 

I have already re-installed the starter in my truck so...replacing the worn down terminals will have to wait. I put the starter back in, and it cranked the engine instantly and very strong. Much improved! for now...

 

 

One other potential problem: my EGI relay clicks randomly. When I reconnected the negative cable for my battery, it clicked for about 5 seconds then stopped. I was able to repeat that a couple times and eventually just said heck with it. I went into the truck to start it, to make sure it worked. Turned the truck off. Turned to walk away, and it starts clicking again. This time it didn't stop. I had to disconnect the negative battery terminal again. I would sit the negative cable on the terminal, and I could get it to click every time. Sometimes it clicks in an irregular rhythm, other times it's very methodical.

 

Anyone know what's up with this? What does the EGI even do? I know it's the EGI relay because the clicking stopped when I removed that one.

Edited by fast5speed
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