1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems


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1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems

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EMW28
New User

Nov 5, 2008, 2:30 PM

Post #1 of 5 (6936 views)

1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems	Sign In

Hi Everyone!! I'm new on here and hope that someone will have some advice for me.

About a year ago I bought a 1998 Nissan Maxima (V6, 156,000 km). In the last 6 months I've had to replace the starter 4 times!! The problems always begins with a slow start maybe 1 out of 10 times I turn the key. That number gradually increases to the point that it eventually just doesn't start at all. Every time I've brought it in for service the technician says that they have no idea why these starters keep failing on me. If they have no idea - I definitely have no idea!! Like I said I've had 4 new starters and a new battery (all put in during the past 6 months) and new spark plugs (put in about a week ago). I just had the 4th starter put in (about a week ago as well) and so far so good (it always starts fine when I first get it back though - so I'm still leery it will happen again).

This last time I got my car back the technician said it was probably my amp that was causing my problems. He said it was sucking out a lot of juice from my battery which I guess means that this causes the starter to have difficulty working properly. He said if I disconnect it from the battery I probably won't have anymore starter problems. The amp was installed by a professional and was in the car already when I purchased it. The man I bought the car from said that he never had to replace the starter before like I'm having to do now.

I've never heard of this (amp causing my car to not start) so I'm wondering if removing the amp altogether could be a solution to fix a problem that I'm sure will happen again. A friend mentioned that possibly it could be that my battery isn't ground correctly (which would cause my starter to overheat).

I'm really not sure what else to do and I don't want to remove the amp if not needed but will do so if this could very well be causing my problems.

Any advice is greatly appreciated!! Thanks!!

dmac0923
Enthusiast

Nov 6, 2008, 9:10 AM

Post #2 of 5 (6917 views)

Re: 1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems	Sign In

I could see the Amp causing problems on a weak older battery. But you said the battery is max only 6 mo old.

when you say a slow start, do you mean its just cranking and cranking and not turning over(firing up)? if thats the case, it never was your starter.

a starter is a basic electric motor that spins and the force of the spinning throws out a geared bendix which engaged the teeth on the flywheel and thus turns the engine.

if your engine is spinning, the starter is fine and the problem lies somewhere on the electrical or fuel end.

have you had your alternator bench tested?
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EMW28
New User

Nov 6, 2008, 9:48 AM

Post #3 of 5 (6912 views)

Re: 1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems	Sign In

Yes the battery was put in the car no longer than 6 months ago.

When I say a slow start I mean that the engine is cranking but I might have to hold my key over for about 10 sec or longer in order for the car to fire up. This will happen off and on with a couple good starts and then a slow start. Over time though these slow starts start happening almost every time I start the car. Then finally one day I try and start my car and absolutely nothing... the engine doesn't crank or anything (no clicking noises - no anything... it's like I didn't even put a key in to start it). Radio and electric windows and stuff will work so I figure it's not the battery. Just can't get the car started.

I should note too that regardless of a slow start or not... once the car is running it runs perfectly fine. No problems.

I just got it back about 1 week ago now from the shop and it's been starting great. I'm just worried that it's some other issue that has been overlooked.

I can't say for sure that the alternator was bench tested but I assumed it was when I brought it to Nissan to have this problem fixed.

The spark plugs that they changed (just this last time) were pretty beat up... so maybe that was all that needed fixing in the first place?? I don't know enough about vehicles to have any idea what could be the problem.

Tom Greenleaf
Ultimate Carjunky / Moderator
Tom Greenleaf profile image

Nov 6, 2008, 10:09 AM

Post #4 of 5 (6910 views)

Re: 1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems	Sign In

?? When you say "slow to start" do you mean the cranking speed of the engine is slower than normal - hence taking longer cranking before engine runs on its own? I think that is what's happening.

What might explain the multiple starters and bad luck is possible is a few possiblities.

It's possible the cables for whatever reason are under gauge or incapable of sending along strong amps from battery to starter which is the usual biggest load a battery will incurr.

OR - this amp thing and however it's hooked up is drawing tons of juice (amps) at the same time - it should be wired to wait till engine is running before it can work - vehicles are designed to shut down most electrical items during cranking mode of the starter.

What might be happening is low amps to starter for whatever reason is heating it up! Yes - low power available heats them and damages electrical motors - especially starters. You may have heard a low battery vehicle just make machine gun sounds while trying to start as a solonoid is supposed to disable low amps to even try and just flutter like that till better power is available. That's specifically to protect the starter motor.

Also - even a new battery WHICH SHOULD BE EXTRA POWERFUL IN THIS CASE will quickly lose available amp output ability if drained down too far too many times. It's possible that this amp thing is drawing more power than the alternator can replace while running at low speeds or idle but might keep up with faster engine speeds. That should be tested or an alternator upgrade would be in order to cover the added load and not just always rely on the reserve of an ordinary automotive battery NOT meant to run low.

Note: There are "Deep Cycle" type batteries that are designed to not self destruct when run low for specific usually non automotive uses. RVs - Marine and back up power devices would require those.

Both battery and the starter will suffer together if the power available is not matched up to the demands needed for what you want. Car is altered with this amp thing and may need upgrading to cover that or suffer continued failures,

T

EMW28
New User

Nov 6, 2008, 11:19 AM

Post #5 of 5 (6903 views)

Re: 1998 Nissan Maxima Starter Problems	Sign In

Yes that's exactly what I mean... the cranking is longer before the engine starts to run on it's own.

Sounds like you agree then that this amp could possibly be the cause of my problems. That's what the Service Manager told me when I picked the car up last week. I did listen to him and disconnect the amp from the battery when I got back but now I have no stereo since the speakers are hooked up to the amp.

I wanted to get some feedback on if this sounded like a logical reason before I went to a professional to have the amp removed and my speakers rewired back to normal.

I don't really want to spend a lot of money just to have the car meet the demands of the amplifier. I bought the car for how it ran and drove rather than how the amplifier made the stereo sound. If this is drawing just too much juice for the car to handle I have no hesitations on removing it.

Thanks for the advice!!

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