# No power to starter solenoid



## tunnelrat (Nov 9, 2009)

I have a 1999 Altima GXE with auto transmission. It was recently involved in a front end collision. The lower core support and related items (radiator, condenser and cooling fans) were damaged, including the windshield, hood, left fender and the airbags deployed. I replaced everything that was damaged, including the airbags and airbag module. The car won't start now. When I turn the ignition to start the correct instrument lights come on/go off, the fuel pump primes but the starter is not turning the engine. I performed troubleshooting as follows: First I verified proper battery voltage, which checked out fine. Then I ran a jumper wire directly from the battery to the starter solenoid, and it works fine, so I am guessing that something in the control circuit is killing power to the solenoid when the ignition switch is turned to start. I replaced the ignition switch (the electrical end, not the cylinder lock) and the inhibitor switch. I pulled the anti theft relays, the ignition relay, inhibitor relay and related fuses/fusible links and ohmed them out. They all check out fine. The anti theft system seems to arm/disarm ok - the doors open/lock, horn chirps and lights flash properly. I am at a loss as to what else could be keeping control power from reaching the solenoid. I'm sure the front end collision has something to do with it, as the car ran flawlessly before my son hydroplaned and hit an exit sign post. I'm wondering if the ECM or any other modules, relays, etc. have to be reset, or if there are any crash codes, etc. that have to be cleared out. There was no engine or transmission damage.

One last thing, I had to TIG weld the replacement lower core support to the uni-body. I was VERY careful to ground my work right at each weld, so that the current wouldn't travel through any electronic parts...is it possible that I still could have fried something electrical/electronic anyway? One thing I haven't tried is to actually start the engine by turning the ignition switch to "on" and touching the solenoid with the jumper wire to actually engage the starter...might try this when I get off from work.

Thanks for any assistance or advice!


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## pulsar86 (Aug 13, 2009)

Your car probably has a reset switch that has to be pushed before it will start. I have a Kia that if involved in a heavy crash trips a switch in the engine bay that cuts power etc. The switch is mounted in the engine bay near the strut tower on the Kia. Check your owners manual to see if your car has a similar saftey feature.


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## tunnelrat (Nov 9, 2009)

Thanks, I checked my shop manual schematics and didn't see anything like that in the control circuit. I did fix my problem though  I put the ignition switch to "on" and jumpered the starter solenoid directly to the battery to start the engine. This is where I found the problem, although it took a few minutes to figure it out. I'm glad I had the emergency brake on, because even though the gear shift lever was in "park" the transmission was actually in "reverse". When I moved the shifter to "reverse" the transmision went to "neutral", to "neutral" it went to "drive", etc. I popped the hood and noticed that the bracket which secures the shifter cable to the linkage on the transmission was bent (from the accident) and had the cable in a bind, which caused the shifter to be off one letter from the actual gear setting. I straightened it back by tapping on it with a long screwdriver and hammer...it wasn't bent much. Once I did that, the shifter lined back up with the transmission linkage, and of course I had to adjust the neutral switch to match the "park" setting. Now it cranks fine. Anyway, thought I'd share that in case anyone runs into a similar situation.


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## Faja (Aug 31, 2009)

tunnelrat said:


> I'm glad I had the emergency brake on, because even though the gear shift lever was in "park" the transmission was actually in "reverse".


Good but dangerous diagnosis!!!!


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## pulsar86 (Aug 13, 2009)

Never would have thought of that. Lucky the car had the handbrake on when it started or it could have been messy. Best of luck and happy motoring.


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