Intermittent Starting Problem

SON240sx Automotive
1

My '97 240sx SE is driving me up the wall these days. It is showroom stock, and has 97,000 miles on it.

For the past two months, it has had intermittent starting problems. When I turn the key to the “start” position, sometimes I will get one click from the starter. After turning the key a second time, the starter will engage and the car will start normally. Sometimes it gives me a problem, but most of the time it doesn’t.

The problem has gotten worse in the past two weeks. There have been a few occasions where it takes a good minute or so to finally get the car to start. It happens regardless if the engine is hot or cold.

Last Friday, the problem got bad. I got no response whatsoever when I turned the car to “start”. I had the car towed to the dealer, and they unhooked my alarm system, saying that the starter-kill feature was preventing the car from starting. They also said that the starter was fine. Fine. Well, this afternoon it happened again! After turning the key a few times, it finally started.

So here’s my question…

Call me crazy, but I think it’s the starter (anyone else?) The battery was replaced last week, so we can rule that out. Can it be anything else other than the starter? How about the ignition switch? Reason I ask is because I bought the car with a P.O.S. alarm installed, and it had an “electronic key” so to speak, which you had to plug into a module in order to start the car along with your standard key. Well, the “electronic key” was never provided, but you could get around it by turning the ignition from “ON” to “Start” 4 times and then the car would start. Could it be a bad ignition switch from all of the wear and tear (in essence, it would have 4 times the wear of a normal switch), the starter, or something totally different?

I’m losing my mind, and am moving from Florida to Toronto next month…I’m terrified that the problem will happen again somewhere in between. Most likely in some hick town, hundreds of miles away from civilization. LOL… That would suck!

Please help…I’m desperate for any input on this. Thanks in advance.

Jason

2

I think you’ve covered the main possibilities… battery, starter, ignition swithc. I wouldn’t rule out teh battery yet, or more precisely the connections between the battery and the starter.

The clicking is caused by not enough current to energize the starter solenoid, this could be due to a drained barrety, or a bad connection somewhere between the battery and the starter.

I’d get a new or knwon good starter and try that.

I’d also remove the POS alarm and get it out of the picture.

-Martin.

3

When describing starting problems you guys need to learn what to tell us!!

This is the regular start-up sequence. Tell us what is DIFFERENT.

  1. You turn the key to ‘on.’ You hear the fuel pump start up. All lights and accessories come on and work normally (no apparent battery problems)
  2. You turn the key to ‘start.’ The starter begins to spin the motor. The motor catches and begins to run normally.

I can’t tell if when you turn the key to ‘start’ you hear a click (which means your solenoid is working - not that anything is broken) then your starter doesn’t crank; or if your car cranks but won’t catch easily.

Help us help you.

4

Well, the dealer unhooked the POS alarm COMPLETELY this time. No trace of any remains from the system! It’s history. And the dealer didn’t charge me a penny to do it.

I drove the car quite a bit, and went all over the place today. Not once did it give me any starting problems! Sweet.

We’ll see how it goes for the next couple of days. If nothing happens by the end of the week, then I know that the alarm was causing me grief all this time!

On a side note, the dealer told me that if the problem happens again, then it’s definitely the starter. They said that there were two different starters used in the 1997 models. One is a Hitachi starter, and one is a Mitsubishi starter. One costs US$500, and the other is US$250. Luckily, mine is the $250 unit. Is this the same on the Canadian models? I’ve never heard of this in my life…it seems kind of odd.

Thanks again.

Jason

5

Yup…it was that piece of crap alarm! I just bought a Viper 650XV and it rocks. US$349 installed.