Have an intermittent issue where my Cima won't crank. I turn the key and theres not even a click.

This happens after being driven for some time and parked up briefly. Never in the morning first thing. I noticed that when it happens the transmission indicator disappears (P, D, N etc).

The last time it happened, i was reversing into a park and the reverse camera turned off, the transmission indicator disappeared, i finished parking, turned it off and tried to re-start, no crank. Tried cranking it over the next 5 minutes - jiggling the key, jiggling the gear shift, trying to start in neutral instead of park - nothing.

Left it for 15 minutes then it started and the gear indicator came back too.

Been happening over the last 4 months and its been getting more frequent.

Car is a 2008 Cima 450XL.

Anyone seen this before or have any ideas on how to fix?

Hello and welcome.

The first thing I'd look at is the health of the car battery. Then perhaps, check the wiring connection to the transmission. That's usually on the right side. Disconnect, check for corrosion and firmly reconnect it.

The "lost transmission" symptoms are very peculiar, but the rest of it sounds like a bad battery or failing starter.

Now depending on the age of your car, I would advise you to replace the crankshaft and camshaft sensors. These typically come with codes.
Is your check engine light not staying on and the car not throwing any trouble codes?

I am curious where you are located.

Thanks for the reply EdBwoy. Sorry about the late response.

Battery is relatively new, should be fine. I did get it scanned and fault code P0705 appeared. This relates to the transmission range sensor (TRS), which i believe is sometimes referred to a a neutral safety position sensor or inhibitor.

Basically the TRS is reading something different from the Transmission Control Unit, so i guess the fault could be with either.

The trouble i'm having now is i can't easily identify the TRS. I had a look under the car around the gearbox and could not identify the TRS. Usually it is located behind or adjacent to the AT gear shift lever. It appears there is a sensor on the other side of the box but its not inline with the lever bolt. My guesses now are that the one sensor on the gearbox does multiple things including TRS, or the TRS is in the sump pan.

As a first step i removed all of the middle console parts to see if there was anything next to the actual shifter in the car. No luck. I unplugged all connector in the region beside the Air Bag Module to see if it would affect the gear shifting display, no luck again.

Diagrams for the CIMA are not easily found. The questions now are:
- Does anyone know where the TRS is on a 2008 Cima 450XL.
- Does anyone have any further info on CIma transmission.

FYI, i'm in New Zealand.

Cheers,

That code points to a part that is located inside the transmission itself... From my research and experience with the Infiniti M45/ fuga 450GT.

Give me an email and I'll share some info for the m45. There will be differences, but when it comes to the drivetrain, the system and troubleshooting should be similar to yours.