My 1996 240SX SE conveniently stoppedresponding to my attempts to start it a few days ago. Here is a brief descriptionof the car:
-150K miles- Aftermarket intake- New battery (a few weeks old)- Manual transmission- Starting process increasingly lethargic over past months
Current problem:
- Zero response to starting- Dashboard lights stay on- Radio turns off- No clicking- No sound from starter at all
I have checked a number of things to try andeliminate obvious sources of denial.
- Battery voltage is good- Swapped the clutch interlock relay with the a/c relay- Shorted/jumped the wiring harness to the clutch interlock relay- All starter-related fuses look good
I have tried to remove the clutch interlock switch, but I amunable to enage the 9/16" wrench because of the limitedspace and raised mounting bracket lip.
A few questions:- How can I remove the clutch interlock switch? Is therean offset wrench or angled tool that would make this task easier?
- How can I diagnose relay problems, if they do exist?
- Is there something besides the switch or relay that wouldcause such unhappiness?
Many thanks!
Mujahid
96 240SX starting - Denied.
lol love your post.
Make sure your car is in neutral. Reach down and push the clutch switch with your finger and try to start it. If you are denied I think you got something going on with the starter. When you jumped your interlock relay ,which terminals did you jump? You need to match the numbers 3 and 5 in the relay terminal area with the 2 corrosponding terminals in the realy socket. If still denied have, with it all put together , have some one hold the key in the start position and give the starter a good thump with a hammer or long pry bar/tire iron. If still denied its time to break out a multimeter and actually diagnose the problem.
BTW if the thump lights her off your starter is toast.
Make sure your car is in neutral. Reach down and push the clutch switch with your finger and try to start it. If you are denied I think you got something going on with the starter. When you jumped your interlock relay ,which terminals did you jump? You need to match the numbers 3 and 5 in the relay terminal area with the 2 corrosponding terminals in the realy socket. If still denied have, with it all put together , have some one hold the key in the start position and give the starter a good thump with a hammer or long pry bar/tire iron. If still denied its time to break out a multimeter and actually diagnose the problem.
BTW if the thump lights her off your starter is toast.
Re: (NISTECH)
Hi,
Thank you dearly for the support. I have not jumped the relay,but rather I jumped the connector that plugs into the clutchinterlock swith by the pedal. This did nothing for me on a starting attempt, but I also did not ground the connection.
I will try jumping the relay as you have suggested.
Thankfully, I don't need the car on a daily basis and commuteby bike instead - but I'm preparing an SAE paper on my experiments in drifting research, so I would love to have thecar running in case I need to collect additional data.
Please stand-by (proverbially) while I try to get the car running. Thanks again for your help.
Mujahid
Thank you dearly for the support. I have not jumped the relay,but rather I jumped the connector that plugs into the clutchinterlock swith by the pedal. This did nothing for me on a starting attempt, but I also did not ground the connection.
I will try jumping the relay as you have suggested.
Thankfully, I don't need the car on a daily basis and commuteby bike instead - but I'm preparing an SAE paper on my experiments in drifting research, so I would love to have thecar running in case I need to collect additional data.
Please stand-by (proverbially) while I try to get the car running. Thanks again for your help.
Mujahid
Re: (NISTECH)
Most excellent! The method of thumb works great! Two brisk whacks tothe starter and the engine starts up immediately. I have been cautiouslydriving the car around and it seems like I can restart a few times beforeI have to re-whack the starter.NISTECH wrote:If still denied have, with it all put together , have some one hold the key in the start position and give the starter a good thump with a hammer or long pry bar/tire iron.
BTW if the thump lights her off your starter is toast.
On the plus side, I've finally learned how to push-start or hill-start the car! Wicked!
As for the starter, it is without question that I will have to replace it soon, but what exactly is going on here? Is the starter motor stuck between phases and needs a whack to start spinning? Can I drive like this for another few weeks, or is this a problem that will get progressively worse (i.e. no more whack-starts)?
Thanks so much for the help NISTECH.
Mujahid
Yea it will eventually not work anymore. Whats wrong with it is the brushes in the starter are not making good contact with some of the points on the stator. By wacking it you jar it enough to make enough contact with a point on either side of the burnt contact patch. once it gets started turning it has enough speed to pass over the burnt contacts to the good ones or less burnt ones to make that contact.
This method works on just about any typs of motor. P/W motors, sunroof motors, computer disk drive or hard drive motors. Any type of motor the uses the brush stator to operate. You could take it all apart and clean all the contacts on the stator and the brushes with some light sand paper and get more life out of it if your into that kind of thing. Most people just replace them.
This method works on just about any typs of motor. P/W motors, sunroof motors, computer disk drive or hard drive motors. Any type of motor the uses the brush stator to operate. You could take it all apart and clean all the contacts on the stator and the brushes with some light sand paper and get more life out of it if your into that kind of thing. Most people just replace them.