97 J30 Need a second opinion - Series of bad starters or some crazy hidden electrical problem?

[rgstealey]

This may be a good one for you electrical gurus. Sooo...quick history on starters I've been through...
Bought car at 159k. Oem starter was fine but my dumb*ss broke the now-brittle solenoid cap sooo got a reman. Ultima starter. We'll call it Starter 1. Starter 1 lasted about 3000 miles and then the solenoid leads shorted internally (a la my other post 'starter constantly powered'). So exchanged it for starter 2. Keep in mind now that no fuses have blown, relays checked out with the DMM, and proper voltages appear to be going to the right places. Starter 2 works for about 20 miles. Think I used it 4 times total, and on my way to work, I believe it must have engaged and stuck to the flywheel because their was a whirring noise and I believe it burned out because afterward the starter was straight up dead. Towed back to house, exchange for starter 3. Install starter 3, car starts. clackety clack. The starter gear never returned inward. Pull the thing off, and instead of the 'twist up, twist down' movement, the gear was separately spinning freely at the end of the housing, apart from the apparatus that would normally bring it back in. Can twist it back down, but only does same thing when trying to start the car. I am STUMPED. No codes, no fuses blown, nothing out of the ordinary that I can find. Am I just getting horrible luck with Ultima starters or did I miss something? Please help!

[fourdrinie]

maybe the Ultima starters arent made to work on the J30? I dont know....I would try to get a hold of a Nissan/Infiniti starter, either used or rebuilt...
There are many threads on this forum talking about rebuilt non-OEM don't work well here.....
Where are you located?

[rgstealey]

OTP Northeast Atlanta. I think I might snag an OEM one out of a junkyard maybe if this next one doesn't work. The Ultima is the only option at OReilly for these cars. I mean, the first one worked just fine for quite a long time. One of the Oreilly guys was even sayin that in his experience rebuilt starters and alternators come back a lot more nowadays than in the past.

[gsf1200s]

I can't speak for starters, but a few years back i went through 4 alternators in less than 6 months. reman electrical parts always seem to have a high issue rate.

[rgstealey]

That may very well be. this last starter looked a bit nicer, and the girl at oreillys tested it first before I took it home and installed it. However, I was suspicious of the starter hold relay and the diode it connects with (possibly burned out or bad enough to allow reverse flow) so I left it out. Started up fine, made a couple trips out and about and no issues so far. Matter of fact I think it starts up smoother without it. So, not 100% positive what the issue was (bad starters, relay, or a combo of both) but it appears to be fixed now so I'll wait and see

[MikeRL411]

For further consideration! The 1997 J30 glovebox manual has a specific warning that if you are going to park the car for more than 4 days, then disconnect the battery! There are so many monitoring circuits that the battery will drain on more than 5 days. Plus the factory stereo is knows to have some squirly sneak paths to ground, mine sure did.

[fourdrinie]

I'm sorry Mike, but you are posting erroneous information again.

The 1997 J30 owners manual clearly states on page 7-14:
If the vehicle is not to be used for 30 days or longer, disconnect the "-" negative battery terminal cable to prevent discharge.

If you are getting a parasitic battery drain in 4-5 days, you have an electrical issue with one of the circuits.

[swimshark]

I have a used starter in good condition. Im in Buford, GA.

[MikeRL411]

My posting was in error! See above for my error, the glove box manual specifies 30 days, not 4 or 5 for disconnecting the battery negative post! Apologize for stupid speed read of the 1997 J30 owner's manual for the past 18 years! In any case, my stereo was indeed replaced under warranty for a high ohm sneak path to ground, so you may want to have a dealer check that out a a "latent defect" warranty item. If not, Lemon Law recall / repair item. In any case Suspenders and belt approach still applied. I installed a Sears maintenance batterey charge maintainer and have had no problems since [no I don't park it for a week at the Airport parking lot!]