# My 93 randomly refuses to start (sometimes)...



## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Okay guys, I'm having an issue with my 93 B13. It's a 2-door with the 1.6L.

It will randomly refuse to start. It doesn't even try. I put the key in, turn it and hold it and it does nothing. All the electronics in the car turn on and I can hear the fuel pump start up, but it makes no attempt at starting. Usually I can try it several more times and it doesn't do anything, then all of a sudden I'll try it again and it will start right up.

At first I thought it was the starter but we have replaced the starter twice. The first time we replaced it, the new one started making horrible noises so we exchanged it and the current one seemed to be fine until now.

So do you think I need to replace the starter AGAIN? Or maybe its an ignition switch or something?

I really don't know too much about this little guy, I've only had big Chevy trucks in the past (with V8s) which are a bit different! lol

Thanks! :newbie:


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## tlhingan (Jun 8, 2009)

I've had that issue with mine. If yours has an auto transmission, check for this.
The shifter was a little loose in mine, mostly in park.
The car will not start if the shifter isn't either in Park or Neutral.
If your shifter is a little wobbly, it might still be in park but the car won't see it as such.
Give your shifter a little tap to make sure it is 100% all the way forward, and you can start your car.
I haven't had that issue since.
The real fix in tightening or replacing transmission cables, but a little 'love tap' is free and always works.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

I think I've moved the shifter around and whatnot because I thought that may be an issue and I don't remember it working but I'll definitely try it again!

Free fixes are always nice haha, thanks.


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

Maybe your flexplate?


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

I will say that I get a bit of vibration at low rpms (idling) that I thought COULD be a loose flywheel (flexplate is the same thing right?). Would that make it not try to start at all?


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

An auto has a flexplate instead of a flywheel. Its basically the same thing, just has a different number of teeth and is much lighter/thinner.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

ahhhh ok, thanks 

A screwy flexplate could cause it to not start?


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

Idk, I was just thinking maybe you've got the wrong starter for an auto.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

My dad actually replaced it twice before I got the car off of him. The first one made horrible grinding noises every time it started so we exchanged it under warranty for this one.

I'm going to try the "shifter love tap" method first lol but I can't test it until it decides to act stupid again. Who knows when that'll be.


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## NissanPartsDept (Mar 31, 2010)

A faulty flexplate will cause your starter to make a loud grinding noise when you try to start. The starter will spin but not the engine.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Ah well that isn't the issue, when it tries to start, it starts and doesn't sound odd at all. The problem is that it doesn't always try to start lol

Hopefully its just the shifter being screwy.


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## tlhingan (Jun 8, 2009)

You can test for the shifter, that's how I found out about mine.
With the car off and in park, gently yank the shifter as far back as you can while still leaving it in park, and try to start the car.
If it doesn't start, love tap it all the way forward and try to start the car again.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

I told my wife about the shifter and she said that when she got stuck at the grocery, she she just kept trying to start it, waited, tried, waited, tried and eventually it started, she never touched the shifter. Uh oh.


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## NissanPartsDept (Mar 31, 2010)

It could be a bad Inhibitor relay, a bad ignition switch or another bad starter. Where have you been getting the starters from?


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## ordnance3466 (Jan 17, 2010)

Juan,

All signs point to clutch safety switch located on your clutch pedal. I have the same issue. You have to press really hard sometimes or wiggle your foot to make sure you are engaging the switch.

It is necessary to engage this or nothing will happen. But with it pressed the car starts perfectly....sound familiar.

Check the switch, cant remember it if is adjustable....but when it is not starting press hard and wiggle your foot around on the clutch pedal. Let me know if this is the problem...I would say that I would give it a strong 75% chance this is it.

Dan


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

NissanPartsDept said:


> It could be a bad Inhibitor relay, a bad ignition switch or another bad starter. Where have you been getting the starters from?


My dad replaced them so I'm not 100% sure. I think the first came from Checker loser but after it made grinding noises he may have got the second one elsewhere. Is there an easy way to find out if it is the inhibitor relay or ignition switch? Or are they cheap & easy enough to just replace?


ordnance3466 said:


> Juan,
> 
> All signs point to clutch safety switch located on your clutch pedal. I have the same issue. You have to press really hard sometimes or wiggle your foot to make sure you are engaging the switch.
> 
> ...


I have an automatic


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## tlhingan (Jun 8, 2009)

Juan! said:


> I told my wife about the shifter and she said that when she got stuck at the grocery, she she just kept trying to start it, waited, tried, waited, tried and eventually it started, she never touched the shifter. Uh oh.


Trust me. Try this.


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## PhantomSunny (Apr 22, 2007)

You may have a bad inhibitor switch (also called a neutral switch). It is located on the transmission just below the battery. It has 4 wires coming from it and basically lets the car start only in park and neutral. A bad switch will not allow the engine to turn over even if the car is in park. Try starting in neutral and see what happens.


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

I had a problem like this before...it was my ignition switch. If I would have turned the key and pulled up it would start.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Alright, my wife is the primary driver of the car so I've told her to try tapping the shifter into park next time it happens and if that doesn't work, put on the e-brake, shift it into neutral, and try starting it again. We'll see what happens next time to goes crazy.

Thanks


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

zacward said:


> I had a problem like this before...it was my ignition switch. If I would have turned the key and pulled up it would start.


This is interesting because I think I remember moving the wheel around and messing with it to get it to start once. Do you remember how expensive it was? Might be worth it to just do it.


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## NissanPartsDept (Mar 31, 2010)

If you are buying budget starters (Autozone, Checker, Kragen, etc.) It would not suprise me at all if you have another bad starter. I have seen many customers go through lots of starter replacements before giving up on the cheep ones and buying quality. You get what you pay for.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Knowing my dad, he bought it at one of those places lol


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

Ignition switch is around $40


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Pain to replace or fairly easy?


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## zacward (Aug 23, 2009)

Well I went ahead and chiseled in a head on the headless bolts that hold the housing together, but other than that, its just what you would expect. Maybe around an hour to do the job.


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## Cuci (Mar 17, 2010)

I agree with zac. I've had the same problem with my ignition. Sometimes it won't do anything at all when I turn the key, but if I just wiggle it while I'm trying to start it, it will start up fine. It may just be your ignition.


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## TheBrownRobert (Aug 28, 2007)

I had the exact same thing happen to me at a gas station the first week I bought mine. I've found that shifting it into neutral fixes it 90% of the time. If neutral doesn't work the first time, just keep alternating between park and neutral and after a few tries it will probably start right up, assuming the relay isn't completely shot.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Thanks guys, it hasn't happened since I started the thread LOL but it will. It has happened several times in the past.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

Okay guys it happened the other day and tapping the shifter or moving it to neutral didn't seem to help. 

It eventually started and I THINK it finally started when I lifted the key up as I turned it. The piece the key goes into seems to be loose, maybe this is the issue.

Not sure what the actual part is called though. I'll see next time if this is definitely the issue.


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## mywhip (Jul 11, 2009)

Mine did this until finally it wouldn't start at all. It turned out to be the ignition is going bad (explains why my radio never worked). I ended up just hooking my ignition up to a push button to start it, and it works fine now. The ignition is 50$ or so from napa, so that might be worth a shot. You could always take it back if thats not it.


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## Juan! (Jun 24, 2009)

$50 isn't bad, is it a pain to install?


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