97 Maxima won't start

----------------------------------------------------------------- You are reporting a no-crank problem.

Always do the easy check first. If your vehicle is a 5-speed, make sure the clutch pedal is all the way down when you twist the key to START. If automatic, jiggle the shifter while attempting to crank. Try cranking in both Park and Neutral. If those steps are unsuccessful, consider ...

- discharged battery (dim headlights with engine off)

- weak battery (check voltage at terminals while cranking)

- loose or dirty battery terminal connections at the battery

- loose or dirty battery-to-body ground connection

- loose or dirty battery-to-engine block connection

- bad ignition switch

- bad clutch safety switch (5-speed)

- bad neutral safety switch (automatic)

- bad inhibitor relay

- bad solenoid

- bad starter

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Al Moodie.

Nice list. Would it also be safe to add that she should have the ECU codes read (Autozone does it for free!) to look if the camshaft position sensor, crankshaft position sensor, or others aren't working?

I also wonder if the squealing is just loose/old belts, and unrelated to the start problem.

Dave

Umm, how does a crank sensor keep the engine from turning over? I think her starter failed.

On Mon, 14 Feb 2005 11:48:37 -0500, "David Geesaman" >

The list I copied from a posting by Daniel B Martin in this newsgroup years ago. He's the person who deserves the credit.

Al Moodie.

No crank means the starter isn't moving. If the ECU detects a failed CmPS or CkPS sensor, it will not send power to the starter. The car will do nothing when you turn the key to the crank position - only give an error light.

The squealing, as I interpreted it, only happened in the past, when the car was successfully starting. However, if one of the accessories has a seized bearing, the load on the starter could be excessive and causing it to fail prematurely. I tend to agree the starter is more likely, I was adding the sensors to that list for completeness sake.

Dave

Possibly the starter. But she indicated radio and clock lights on, I wonder if all other lights worked. A lot of Max's have battery and or cable issues.

I had the same problem with my '99 Max. It was the battery.

Pull your key out and rotate 180 degrees and reinsert. Retry ignition. My 97 has this hiccup all the time. The one thing that works for me.