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Not Using Parking Brake

Forgiving me for posting on this maxima forums about altims, but I'm sure this issue is related. My wife has a 98 Altima automatic. She parks on the hill often and never uses the parking brake. I told her that it could be bad because PARK isn't really meant to hold a car on a hill. It can do it, but that's not its job. Recently, she developed starting problems with the car. The car would not start at all, no ingition motor turning over, nothing. Then, all of a sudden, the car would come back to life and start like a champ. I should also mention, that becasue she doesn't use the praking brake, whenever she starts the car and shifts from PARK to DRIVE, PARK dis-engages with a strong thud. I think that's not good.

So I'm wondering, what is she perhaps wearing out prematurely, the neutral safety switch? And am I right in guessing that her parking habits are probably responsible for the starting troubles that have recently developed?

TIA

CD

Reply to
Codifus
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No, you have a bad connection, nothing to do with not using the ebrake.

Reply to
JimV

The thud is caused by the parking prawl in the tranny disengaging while it is under a lot of force. It does not do it any good, but the only thing that happens if it breaks is that the car goes downhill. It would not affect the starting.

You should gently reinforce the idea of using the parking brake. It keeps the cable and mechanism from freezing up from corrosion, and depending on the car, is also responsible for adjustment of the rear brakes. So if you don't want to find that the parking brake is frozen when you need it, and don't want to cause accelerated wear on the front brakes, the parking brake should be used.

Reply to
jmattis

While I have a manual shift 95 Maxima, I did need to have the neutral switch replaced when my backup lights stopped working. So it is possible that the neutral switch can wear, or is being pulled enough out of contact from force on the park pawl when not using parking brake. When that happens, see if putting it in neutral helps with starting.

However, I also had more recent trouble with my ignition switch for quite some time. Sometimes I would turn it, and nothing would happen, unless I jiggled the key while turning it. I just had the ignition switch replaced today, and it seems more solid (did not involve changing the key).

One thing to watch for is that the parking brake cable may eventually stick due to ice or corrosion if you live in an area that salts roads in winter. My rear brakes never wore out until the parking brake cable started sticking. So I try to minimize use of the parking brake in extremely cold weather unless parking on a steep hill, and make sure that it releases.

Reply to
David Efflandt

Actually it is designed for that.

I've NEVER seen a parking pawl fail or need repairs in 30 years of working on cars as a pro.

What she is "wearing out" will easily outlast the car even if it went

500,000 miles.

You are WRONG in guessing this, now go apologize for blaming this on her.. The switch (or whatever it is, probably a bad starter) just broke.

Reply to
Steve T

OT - j

Twice - under warranty on a 1978 Ford Fairmont, 6 cyl, auto, (mom's car). bought new. actually driven by a little old grey haired lady in her

70's.
Reply to
rpl

So they say. Seems odd doesn't it that this would "fail" twice on the same car? Bet it was a shift linkage issue..

Reply to
Steve T

Fair enough. I'll go apologize to the wifey:)

CD

Reply to
Codifus

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