infiniti g45 sedan 2003 automatic - STOCK

OK. my car won't start. my car started giving me trouble 2 days ago when i tried to start it, it gave me some noise from the car. Took a few attempts to start. Then i parked it, left it overnight and woke up to find that it wouldnt start at all. I try to start it and all it does is click.

Symptoms: I try to start the car, and all I hear is a clicking noise coming from the alternator after i turn the car ignition from ON to OFF position. No cranking noise whatsoever. I also hear clicking from the IPDM console.
All of the lights, radio, etc work fine EXCEPT the place on the speedometer that tells me if i'm in DRIVE, NEUTRAL, REVERSE, PARK, ETC. The letter "P" comes on when i turn the key in the ON position, but after a second it goes away, shifting the gears doesnt cause that thing to come on as well.


Now heres what I did...

1. Can't be the battery cuz its brand new 2 weeks old. (Tried a jumper cable with another car, still nothing)

2. Cant be the starter cuz a friend of mine took a wire, connected it to the battery and directly to the starter underneath the car, which caused the car to crank, but not start. So i hear the sound of it trying to start, but it never starts. (When we removed the wire from the battery+starter, the car went back to clicking.)

3. I checked all the fuses in all 3 places, (the smaller fuses) in the IPDM, The box near the steering wheel, and the one next to the battery. all of the smaller fuses are fine. I dont know how to check the bigger fuses that look like small boxes.

4. I tried giving the car several boosts, doesnt do anything

5. I tried resetting the car by doing the gas pump method. didnt help.

what do i do ?????? i have no money for a toe truck !!!

 

Ok first, the clicking noise you are hearing is your starter trying to crank the engine over. If the alternator were making any kind of noise there would be other issues at play. Just because you bought a new battery does not mean that it did not go bad. I am on my 3rd "new" battery from the local auto parts store in my maxima since the first 2 failed after about 2 weeks.

So my suggestion is to start from the beginning and pull the battery out, take it to where you bought it and have them test it. if they do not test batteries than take it to a local auto parts store.

When you try and start your car do all the dash lights dim down when the clicking noise occurs?

Are your inside lights dim at all?

Actually before you remove the battery check your negative battery terminal for any corrosion. There could be a build up that is preventing the cable from making a good contact with the negative side of the battery.

 

ok well im experiencing NO DIMMING whatsover. but I am going to take the battery back to where I bought it from and get it replaced. and i checked the negative terminal but there isnt really any buildup just a minimum acid etc. how should i clean it? I heard coca cola does the trick? thanks

 

Ok so i tried to change the battery and still nothing !!! Now what ! I havent had a car in a week !!! Ahh im gonna go crazy !

 

If I were in your shoes I believe I'd suck it up and take it to the dealer.

Have them troubleshoot and then make a decision based on what you learn from them. If you can do it yourself and it will save you a lot, do the repair yourself based on their findings.

 

what is your security light doing?

is there any water at all by, below, around your ipdm?

just because you jumped the starter dosn't mean its going to be a "known good"

have you checked your inhibiter/starter relay? its in the ipdm, just because you hear a click dosn't mean its good.

is your brake switch working correctly?

have you checked for codes? both in engine and transmission, with it only showing P in the indicator sign it tells me you have codes...

answer those question for me and then we can go from there.

 

security light is blinking after every second... seems like normal functionality.

yes, there is water where the battery terminal sits, and a lot of it, and i wouldnt be surprised if it may have gotten to the IPDM.

I am not aware of where the inhibiter/starter Relay is, however i checked every small fuse in the IPDM box and they all seem good. Where would the inhibiter/starter relay be and how do i check if its good or not?

my brake switch is working perfect i assume. when i press down on the brake i am able to move the car from park to neutral etc.

havent checked for codes. NOTE: when i turn the ignition key to the ON position, the P sign comes on for a second, then goes away. switching the gears to reverse neutral, etc doesnt do anything to bring back the P, R, N, D signs.

 

You say you ran a wire from the batt to the starter and it cranked. Was that a small wire to activate the solenoid or was it a heavy gauge wire directly to the starter motor?

If it was the latter, you have a solenoid problem. If it's the former, did you have the key on when you cranked the motor over?

 

we did both. The small wire made the car make a cranking noise but didnt make the car turn over. it was a red colored thin wire. Then the mechanic took a wire connected to a remote of some sort and that caused it to start. (he also said that he had to connect the wire closer to the left side of the car? i dont know )

 

and yes the key was in both times i believe.

 

update....

so apparently my car's transmission is currently in limp mode. so i sucked it up and toed the damn thing to the STEALERship. i'll let you guys know what happens. boo hoo, a boo hoo hoo.

 

Interesting. I would have hit the starter with a hammer several times. That's how I diagnosed my starter motor sticking in my old maxima.

 

In a Max, You use a common hammer $. In a G you would have to use a 16 oz Estwing, leather handle hammer $$. In a Lambo, you use one off the space shuttle, $$$$$$$$$$

 

you know not all dealers steal...its a damn shame too you mention that becuase i was more than willing to help with your issue..

 

It's just a term that most of us use loosely around the boards. I get the work I can't/won't do myself done at my dealership with little to no complaints. My dealership is pricey on the parts, but I go through Riverside Infiniti for many of my parts.

I wouldn't take it too hard.