Push to Start Intermittently Not Working

[Sean Roberts]

Anyone have any experience with their Infiniti push to start button intermittently not working? I first experienced this maybe 7 years back, but it only happened like once or twice that year. But it has become increasingly more frequent. To the point where now, it is more likely the car will not start on the first press of the button, rather than it will. The brake pedal is fully pressed down the entire time, and the battery tests fine.

https://youtube.com/shorts/3WUsiN4wn6Y?si=qX2irXJpaXSDc5mF

 

[SCY7H3]

Thanks for posting a video, that helps quite a bit. I've had some similar issues at times but yours looks like it's trying to enter the crank state and fails. From what I read around some state it has to do with the BCM, some say it has to do with the steering lockout but I'd have to dig into the manual and see what the sequence is with what modules.

You may have already tried these steps below and they may not solve anything but worth a shot to rule out any rudimentary issues:

- Put key fob into slot just below the mirror control switch and try to start again. I was told that there are times where the key fob might get out of sync and needs to resync with the car.
- Have you tried another key fob? Try it as-is and if it fails, try it after putting it into the key fob slot as mentioned above
- If you have an OBD scanner, see if any codes show up. Sometimes codes are recorded but not displayed on the dash. Might be a clue as to where the issue is.
- It definitely doesn't look like a battery issue hence after multiple attempts it starts. I doubt disconnecting and reconnecting the battery after 15 minutes would achieve anything.
- When starting, press and hold the start button. I've had it where if I just tapped it it didn't even register. I see you did that initially and it didn't crank but it looked like something did happen. I suspect a relay to switch is the culprit hence why after multiple attempts it finally cranks.
- I'm wondering if the starter solenoid(electro magnet) is the culprit. If the contacts are worn out then it won't crank because the solenoid is not transferring power to the starter motor. Many ways to check, easiest is to have someone listen near the driver side wheel if there's a "click" sound. If there is, then chances are the solenoid is toast. I've replaced mine around 140 K miles just as a preventative measure so I don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere over a relatively cheap part.

See if any of those changed anything and report back and we'll continue!

Cheers!

 

[LA_DRIVER]

It's super simple to swap in a new button and a new OEM will run you around $50. It pops out with a pry tool and is connected to a wiring harness. I'm guessing that's all it is. Also when you get the new one, make sure you just press and hold to start. Quick taps don't work for me.

 

[95maxrider]

- I'm wondering if the starter solenoid(electro magnet) is the culprit. If the contacts are worn out then it won't crank because the solenoid is not transferring power to the starter motor. Many ways to check, easiest is to have someone listen near the driver side wheel if there's a "click" sound. If there is, then chances are the solenoid is toast. I've replaced mine around 140 K miles just as a preventative measure so I don't get stuck in the middle of nowhere over a relatively cheap part.

I think this is a pretty likely scenario, especially if the car is on the original starter. If you have the V6 a starter is pretty easy to replace, and not very expensive. A V8 on the other hand.....

 

[Jim165]

I think this is a pretty likely scenario, especially if the car is on the original starter. If you have the V6 a starter is pretty easy to replace, and not very expensive. A V8 on the other hand.....

Had the same no start issue that became much more frequent later. Eventually lead to dead batteries. It was the starter. We have a V8 so expensive since the intake manifold has to come off…

 

[95maxrider]

Had the same no start issue that became much more frequent later. Eventually lead to dead batteries. It was the starter. We have a V8 so expensive since the intake manifold has to come off…

That's really interesting, I've never heard of another car where a worn out starter causes a battery drain issue. Guess I'll be doing this job sooner rather than later on my 5.0 since it too has intermittent starting problems and a battery drain.

 

[Jim165]

That's really interesting, I've never heard of another car where a worn out starter causes a battery drain issue. Guess I'll be doing this job sooner rather than later on my 5.0 since it too has intermittent starting problems and a battery drain.

Yeah, I was chasing it down for awhile thinking it was some module that was wreaking havoc. It caused the electric hatch to malfunction occasionally, the interior lights were flickering, the no starts, the battery drain. I just said screw it and took it to one of the top dealers in DFW and explained the issues. Tech came over and just blurted out “it’s the starter, boss”. $1900 and several months later, zero issues.

 

[SCY7H3]

I have never heard of a battery drain issue due to a starter either..that's interesting but there must have been some type of short inside the starter..maybe water intrusion...hard to say without having it apart to inspect...

The starter on the V8 is in a bit of an inconvenient spot and I'm sure it's not getting the best cooling by being in the valley opposed to the side of the engine...but it's a design tradeoff.

I had a scenario in a Nissan Maxima where the starter, battery and alternator all died...long story short, the car suddenly died on the road because the alternator gave up trying to charge a battery that didn't have much charging capacity left which resulted in the starter solenoid frying from too much arcing as a result of a weak battery... while a multimeter may show the battery to look charged..if you do a resistance test, you'll see that there isn't that many amps left in the battery to hold the solenoid and crank the engine.