RickWill Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 So I joined because I have a question I need answered ASAP. I have a 91 SE V6. Ive found this vehicle easy to determine whats wrong, but in this situation I'm stumped. No crank, no start. Its been hit and miss for a month or so now it won't start at all. When it was hit and miss, it would either be a click at the solenoid or it would spin the starter for a bit before the engine would crank. Now its just the click. I know there is power going to the solenoid, the battery is good so I'm thinking either the starter is gone or the connection is bad. Yes I have tried tapping the starter etc. So to check the connection I starter by going to tighten the ground, the second I touched the ground it sparked and smoked. All power was gone except the door chime for about half a hour then it all started coming back. Fuses are all good. I should mention Im a amateur, I do my oil changes and maintenance but past that I'm a moron. Any help is awesome, the sooner the better, I'm out of a vehicle at the moment! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bushnut Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 sounds like you have an electrical short somewhere. it'll be a process, but doable. sorry I can't give more help, maybe someone else will chime in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 check the fusible links coming off the positive terminal at the battery. If the starter sometimes just clicks and other times cranks most likely it's time for a starter, I would recommend a NEW starter if aftermarket or get an OEM one from a dealer or from Rob (our online Nissan dealer), I went thru this as well ( other than the sparks), I did the starter relay mod which prolonged the life of the starter for about a year but than finally had to replace it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThaBigPerm Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Yep, I'd suggest a starter. If a starter spins freely and doesn't engage the engine flywheel/flexplate teeth, it's because the bendix either isn't energizing or is stuck. Since yours does that alternately with only a "click" from the solenoid, I'd say it's probably all pretty boogered. Not uncommon, being that every oil change on these vehicles usually dumps a good half quart of oil right onto the starter, which can work its way in and cause all sorts of havoc over the years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickWill Posted February 27, 2014 Author Share Posted February 27, 2014 Thanks guys. Really appreciate it, I will invest in a new starter and let you guys know how it goes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ef9 Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 If you were more mechanically apt, I was going to recommend you take the starter apart. Sometimes the starter is built-up with gunk on the inside. A good cleaning will restore the starter. The other common issue with D21/WD21 is the "starter" relay. For whatever reason, Nissan likes to call it the "interlock" or "inhibitor" relay. Those are notorious for going bad. My '95 had a failed "interlock" relay which stuck in the "closed" position. The engine kept cranking the starter, and the only way to stop this was to either pull the relay out or disconnect the battery. But the most common failure of this relay is it not "closing" when you crank the ignition switch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 (edited) If you were more mechanically apt, I was going to recommend you take the starter apart. Sometimes the starter is built-up with gunk on the inside. A good cleaning will restore the starter. The other common issue with D21/WD21 is the "starter" relay. For whatever reason, Nissan likes to call it the "interlock" or "inhibitor" relay. Those are notorious for going bad. My '95 had a failed "interlock" relay which stuck in the "closed" position. The engine kept cranking the starter, and the only way to stop this was to either pull the relay out or disconnect the battery. But the most common failure of this relay is it not "closing" when you crank the ignition switch. Never heard of that. I'd check the connection at the starter, and if that's good, replace the starter. Sounds to me like the solenoid has gone tits up. Edited March 2, 2014 by silverton Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5523Pathfinder Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 You've never heard of the inhibitor relay? Sits next to the battery. Very common with a no crank issue. Give it a smack while someone else holds the key in the crank position(make sure it's out of gear first). If she starts, you got a bad relay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverton Posted March 2, 2014 Share Posted March 2, 2014 You've never heard of the inhibitor relay? Sits next to the battery. Very common with a no crank issue. Give it a smack while someone else holds the key in the crank position(make sure it's out of gear first). If she starts, you got a bad relay. I've heard of the relay itself, just didn't know they were notorious for failing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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