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1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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pasco
User
Sep 20, 2009, 3:19 PM
Post #1 of 23
(9090 views)
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1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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Hi! Any help or views are welcome! Thanks in advance!
I have a Nissan Quest GXE, 1994, with 180k miles.
It won't start. I turn key to ON, all the lights on the dashboard light up normally, battery is full ( check is at about 13 Volts, just bought it a month ago), but when i switch to start, i get nothing!
Lights don't dim, i don't get a clinking sound and the engine doesn't crank. I tried to short the two poles of the solenoid, and the starter spin, so i believe its not the problem(i also changed the starter recently cause my previous one broke).
That leaves me with thinking that the problem lies somewhere between the key and the solenoid, with my suspicions being focused on the ignition switch ( i read a few troublshooting guides online and thats where i draw my suspicions from). The car did the same thing about 10 days ago, but after 3 hours it worked perfectly well, until ...now. Its already been a couple of days and it doesn't seem like its going back to working by itself now!
Help. Do i need to replace the ignition switch? How do i make sure its the cause of the problem?
Thank you !
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 20, 2009, 3:28 PM
Post #2 of 23
(9085 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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You could be right but nobody is going to know the answer until you test the output wire at the ignition switch. It could just as easily be the neutral safety switch if it's an auto or the clutch switch in a manual.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 20, 2009, 3:48 PM
Post #3 of 23
(9081 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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Thanks for the answer! its an automatic. But how do i check the output of the ignition switch on my own?
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 20, 2009, 4:15 PM
Post #4 of 23
(9077 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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You'll have to use a test light on a red wire coming out of the ignition switch in the "start" position.
You also want to check a 10amp fuse marked "Z" which feeds the neutral switch on a lt green wire that powers the inhibitor relay.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 21, 2009, 11:31 AM
Post #5 of 23
(9070 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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Do i need to disassemble the steering column to get to the ignition switch?
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 21, 2009, 11:49 AM
Post #6 of 23
(9063 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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You will have to remove the plastic cover around the steering column.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 21, 2009, 3:58 PM
Post #7 of 23
(9057 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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I actually removed it and i managed to get to the lock cylinder and remove it (and put it back after making sure that its clean and ok), but i dont really know where to look for the ignition switch! There is a white plastic thing that could be it, but it doesnt seem like i can work on it without taking the steering wheel out of the way... any pics or manual links that could help me out?
Thank you very much for your help so far!
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 21, 2009, 4:15 PM
Post #8 of 23
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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That's going to be a tough one if you actually have to change it but you should be able to access the wires for testing.
Here are the replacement instgructions
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 24, 2009, 4:07 PM
Post #9 of 23
(9046 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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Thank you Soooo Much!
i haven't tried it, but i will surely give it a try!
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pasco
User
Sep 25, 2009, 3:06 PM
Post #10 of 23
(9033 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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ok, the red cable coming out of the ignition switch doesn't give me any light. THe white and red does, so i suppose that means the ignition switch is busted. Where do i look for the fuse for neutral switch? Just to make sure. And how do i check if that is working or not?
Thanks
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 25, 2009, 4:09 PM
Post #11 of 23
(9030 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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If your not getting anything out of the ignition switch, then don't worry about the neutral switch. the ignition will be the problem. Just make sure your testing that while holding the key in "start" position.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 11:09 AM
Post #12 of 23
(9020 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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OK! My bad. I didn't realize that i should have turn the key to the START... I did and the test light flashed nicely on the red cable. I guess that means it's NOT the ignition switch. Which i found to be kind of a relief.
So now where do i look for the 10Amp fuse that you mentioned? and how do i check if its busted or not?
Thanks once more for the invaluable help
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 26, 2009, 12:02 PM
Post #13 of 23
(9013 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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OK, we're going to test at the neutral switch now.
You need to test for "key on" power on the light green wire. If you have power there, test for power on the Lt green with black wire with "key on and in park". If you have no power coming in on the Lt green, then the fuse is blown.
The neutral switch is mounted on the top of the transmission where the shift linkage attaches.
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We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 1:55 PM
Post #14 of 23
(9008 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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OK here's the thing. i cant find a lt green wire. There is a white with lt green stripe(1) and lt green with black stripe(2). but no entirely green wire at all. Anyways
On (1) I got light on my test light on ON key pos.
On (2) I got very dim test light on ON and no light at all on START key pos.
Does that help?
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 2:17 PM
Post #15 of 23
(9007 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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wait...you were talking about cables coming out of the ignition switch , like the red one , right?
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 26, 2009, 2:31 PM
Post #16 of 23
(9004 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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No, these wires are at the neutral safety switch at the transmission under the hood. It's called an inhibitor switch
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
(This post was edited by Hammer Time on Sep 26, 2009, 2:32 PM)
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 2:49 PM
Post #17 of 23
(8999 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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any ideas on how i recognize this switch?
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Hammer Time
Ultimate Carjunky
/ Moderator
Sep 26, 2009, 3:04 PM
Post #18 of 23
(8991 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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I told you. It's at the shifting lever where the cable attaches.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We offer help in answering questions, clarifying things or giving advice but we are not a substitute for an on-site inspection by a professional.
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 3:33 PM
Post #19 of 23
(8986 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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:):)
i'm totally new to this so please bear with my ignorance :):)
I am trying to find the transmission ....
total newbie i know i know...! :)
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pasco
User
Sep 26, 2009, 4:54 PM
Post #20 of 23
(8977 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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ok, did you mean the cables that are on the top of the steering wheel , kind of at the side of the transmission lever??
i did find a green cable there, and as i was messing with it with the switch light, i turned the key to start, and the engine started like nothing was wrong?!?!?
i am wondering whether i accidentally touched something bringing it back to its right place or something.....anyways.
I am not sure its fixed, cause it doesn't make sense, hopefully i wont be bothering you. I also noticed that there is some strange smoke coming out of the engine that got worse during the 5 minute that i left the engine on idle. Is that something i have to worry about , or just some "bad" oil being burned from the car being immobile for 2 weeks?
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speed
User
Sep 26, 2009, 8:04 PM
Post #21 of 23
(8964 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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if you could describe the color of the smoke ie. blue white grey or others where the smoke seems to be coming from and maby describe the smell of it that would make it easier becuase engines have a number of things that can cuase smoke oil burning coolant burning maby a slight short and electrical fire too. so please try to describe better.
GM ASEP 26 SCC Milford ASE certified in Brakes and Electrical on Thursday April 5th 2012
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timebandit
New User
Oct 18, 2011, 11:49 PM
Post #22 of 23
(7818 views)
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Re: 1994 Nissan Quest, won't start. Suspect : "Ignition"!
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I recently had the same exact problem with my 1994 Nissan 192000 mi. everything is working fine except that it won't start after the car heats up. Then after the car cools it magically starts.
Hammer Time you where on the right track with the neutural safty swith. It needs to be replaced. It is located behind the automatic transmission dipstick near the top front side of the transmission.
To check the neutural switch when the car won't start it's Hammer Time. Take a small ballpean hammer and have someone try to start the engine as you tap lightly (just a few taps should do) with the round end of the hammer. When it starts you have 2 choices try to clean and fix the old neutural switch or replace it. Remember when Sh!t get old and crusty it's HAMMER TIME!
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