Engine wont start

M

MASSIVE

Member
Location
Maryland
Well it finally happened. Started out this morning when i went to start my car and it took an extra sec for the engine to turn over. At first i just thought it was a problem with the battery. Drove about 30 min and turned the engine off. went to start and once again same problem took an extra sec for engine to start. this happend about 2 more times before it finally gave out. called road side assistance and they brought a guy with a battery jump box. gave a few go a rounds, nothing. turn the head lights on and it looked like the battery was fine. (side note: had the car for two years and never changed the battery myself but notice that its a NAPA battery so its been replaced once..at least) call roadside again got a tow. when the tow truck guy came, he's saying it sounds like the starter went bad. the only sound i get when i turn the key is a click, nothing else.

will attempt the TB cleaning in the morning and then if that doesn't work will make the round to look for a starter. a lot of places don't have the part in stock so i have to make a few phone calls.

I'm just hoping its nothing more that a simple problem.
 
Becareful w/ the TB Cleaning. It will likely cause more problems w/ idle control. Consult will fix it though if you have the elevated idle / CEL problem
 
The battery could still be bad and holding the charge and does not have enough juice to start the car. I would first get the battery checked before anything else.
 
I replaced my starter from the single tick when trying to start. I would check the cabling going to the starter when checking the battery. Make sure the connection at the main fuse is not loose.
 
Update

So far i have crossed out the battery being the problem. check it with a mutimeter and its reading at about 12.3 volts.

Since I don't have a warrenty to worry about i am going to remove the starter and get it checked out. Called NAPA and they have a starter in stock and it should be ready in a few hours. hopefully i can get it out, its a pretty tight space with little room for a big guy.

Will update as i go along.
 
My OEM Infiniti Battery actually cracked and leaked battery acid all over the battery tray and well. It would jump start but then not hold the charge. You couldn't see the bottom of the battery because of all the shrouding around it was kinda a hindrance any other car it would have been pretty clear to see that the battery had cracked and leaked everywhere!
 
Final Update

Well i got it working now. Went over to NAPA and got a new starter. Put it in and fired it up. I'm so glad that i didn't go to a mechanic.

Just so that everyone is aware. If you have a problem with your starter the only place that can test it would be the dealership. Called up the local infiniti in Annapolis and was told it would be 30 min and $55 to test it. Autozone and NAPA don't have the right equipment to test it. Talked to the guy at autozone and was told it has something to do with seeing the gears in motion. With the starter on the FX its covered and the only thing thats exposed is the teeth that start the flywheel.

I really didn't want to buy a new starter but it looks like it would have cost me more to find out it was bad to begin with.
 
So how much was a new starter from Napa?

So you just bought and installed a new without testing the old starter?

I don't understand what you are trying to say here,

Talked to the guy at autozone and was told it has something to do with seeing the gears in motion. With the starter on the FX its covered and the only thing thats exposed is the teeth that start the flywheel.
Click to expand...
 
I had the same problem last Thursday. Mine ended up being the Battery. I had left the door open and the lights on for about 5 min and the when I tried to start the car, it made the clicking sound and it would not turn over. I went across the street and bought a jumper cable and tried it with 3 cars including a Cadillac Escalade and it would not turn over.
Finally a Tow truck came over and tried it with their portable jumper and it still would make the clicking noise and would not start. I though for sure it's the starter. When he plugged me straight into his truck the starter came on but the car would still not turn over.

I had the FX towed and had to wait for the next day. I had issues with my battery in the past so I went the pep boys and bought a Optima Yellow top. It turns out that unless you buy a group 35, your battery posts are reversed. So I had to look around for a dealer with Optima Yellow top D35.

At the end, when I put the new battery in, it turn over with the first try. FX uses a Starter batter which is really only good for starting the car. Optima Yellow Top are Deep Cycle batteries which are great for Audio Equipment and other Electronics needing heavy loads. If you keep depleting your battery and recharge it, your normal Wet battery will die. You'll need a Deep Cycle lead (Dry) battery for it to last.
 
Dr.2K said:
So how much was a new starter from Napa?

So you just bought and installed a new without testing the old starter?

I don't understand what you are trying to say here,
Click to expand...


Hey Doc, I talked to Mark earlier today and he said, that his starter was busted. he replaced it for 170 bucks. installed it himself and the FX is running fine now. we were trying to figure out why his starter went out? he's got an 03 with less then 50K on the dial but I guess things happen.
 
Dr.2K said:
So how much was a new starter from Napa?

So you just bought and installed a new without testing the old starter?

I don't understand what you are trying to say here,
Click to expand...

The starter cost me 170, that’s with the old one being traded in. When I spoke to the AutoZone costumer rep, he asked me the make and model for the starter so he could pull the stock number for the part in the system. when we went to test the starter, the machine would not go past the model number because it couldn't test it "properly" I guess. He tried to explain why and told me because unlike most starters the FX has a cover over most of the starter. they would not be able to see if it’s actually broken or if it worked.

I really didn't want to buy a new one but with the odds of it being something else was less likely. I test the battery and it worked, it couldn’t be the alternator because the car would have to start or at least I would have heard the engine try to turn over first but over time it would cut off and even so a jump would get the car running again. the only other thing it could have been was the starter. Without a warranty, I figure if it wasn't the starter I had a new one installed.
 
Thanks for the explanation guys. Glad you got it sorted out Massive. Something for me to keep in mind for future reference since I am also out of warranty.

Was it hard to replace the new starter yourself?
 
I used the service manual and at first i was having a hard time finding it. It sits right above the steering rack on the passenger side. really tight spot. I know with the VQ45 and the 35 AWD its on the driver side next to the steering column. I would imagine that it would be harder in your 45 but its just two bolts holding it in place and the b terminal harness. after removing all the bolts then comes the part of jimmying it out of the spot with little room to work with but it took me 30 min to take it off and another to put it back on.

Like Dee said, its hard to see my car with only 49K miles on it and i had to replace the starter already. Just hope this will helps anyone in the future if this problem happens to them.
 
Thread Revival..

Thanks for this post... Goes to show how invaluable data and sharing is on our site.

I'm having the same problem and am going to have to replace the starter.

Thanks again.
 
Had the same problem right after I got mine. Took 2-3 times to get to turn all the way over and crank. Turned out to be a bad battery and frayed battery cable.
 
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