J30 will not start

[howy61]

Background:
Low milage 1995 J30 not driven for 6 months.
No battery charger (dumb), so battery was dead
Tried both jumping and charging but battery totally dead
Prior efforts blew 100 amp Main and radio fuses
Replaced Battery, Fuses, did basic electrical check and panel reset

Behavior:
Try to start and hear what I think is 1 relay click
No starter engagement. nothing but silence
ECM/ECU = 55 all is fine

What Next?
Before I pull the starter motor, any suggestions?

[yodawill2000]

Positive and ground connection to the starter corrosion free?
Also both ends of the negative cable from battery to chassis ground good?

[driverdriver]

I'm guessing alternator. It doesn't throw a code when its done. Try replacing it with either an OEM remanned or new unit. Aftermarket alternators create all sorts of electrical and starting issues in this car.

[yodawill2000]

Agree with OEM , but jumping from a running engine would eliminate the alternator.
Either connection issue or a toasted starter.

[driverdriver]

bad starter solenoid?

It clicks but doesn't catch.

[howy61]

With a brand new battery, the alternator should not prevent starting and I cleaned the battery connections before installing.

Since all the other electrics work (lights, radio, a/c blower, etc), the chassis ground it likely fine.

I guess that leaves walking my way through the starter circuit and see where it leads.

[yodawill2000]

Check and clean the connectors on the starter itself.
The starter take ALOT of amps to do its job.

[1994 infiniti j30 190+]

try unbolting the starter from the car and just jump the starter to see if it even works then go from there. then that should eliminate the starter. i have an issue with mine where it sometimes doesnt work then i hit it with my hammer lightly then it works so if you want try that just dont hit it too hard. i got to replace mine just costs alot so im waiting to do it.

[howy61]

Well the good and bad news is the starter and solenoid are fine. Pulled them and had them tested at a parts store. There is a little, very little corrosion on the solenoid contact. I will clean it before remounting the starter, but it's not a promising solution.

Long shot time: Any chance the starter hold relay could be preventing engagement? I have yet to figure out how to get that relay out of the engine compartment fuse box. No obvious release tab.

[Lee Moncks Corner]

I have the same type of problem Change Starter, good Bat, and alternator. She will just crank but will not fir up. There is gas I can smellit sounds as if trying to start but but out of order.
Can any one help?

[howy61]

I have the same type of problem Change Starter, good Bat, and alternator. She will just crank but will not fir up. There is gas I can smellit sounds as if trying to start but but out of order.
Can any one help?

You're in better shape since my starter when good is not cranking. So I am looking for hints on how to test the starter circuit by myself and not blow up a multi-meter in the process. Not easy to turn the key and be in the engine compartment at the same time.

[yodawill2000]

Howy.
Let us where you are ..
4 hands are better than 2.
Lee:

Stop !!!!!
Make dang sure the timings not off.
Any unusual noise while you were cranking ??
This is a interference engine.

[howy61]

This one just about has me beat.

Got longer leads for the multi meter. There is no voltage drop between the positive battery terminal and the starter terminal.

Voltage test on the wire connector at the at starter is 11.90, drops to 11.85 opening the door. Drops to zero when the key is in Acc. position and returns to 11.66 in start position.

As far as I can tell, the circuit looks complete

[swimshark]

any updates on this? i am having same problem on the white J30 i am fixing up. my guess is the neutral safety switch but i wont be able to get to this until next weekend to verify. i did the manual swap on my J30 and had to bypass the neutral safety switch on the trans. there are 2 wires that when the car is in park it will start. for the manual swap i ran the wires up into the dash and hooked them up to a switch. when i have the switch off, the car lights will come on, relays click but the car will not even spin over.

i think i will take a vid of this later on and upload it tonight to show what i am talking about.

[texml69]

have you tryed to start it in neutral?? maybe your N.S.S. like swimshark says
i had one do that would start in N. but not P. changed it and works fine now

[howy61]

Thanks swimshark and texml69. that was my next guess/hope too.

But no Thanksgiving for my J30. Exactly the same nothing in neutral as in park. I even disconnected the AUX lines from the positive side of the battery one at a time just to see. Yes, desperation is setting in.

The only non-standard thing in the entire car is an FM antenna AUX I put in last year. Was a little lazy and wired into the lighter for power. Its a long shot, but maybe it is messing with the inginition switch some how. Now, can i get to that fuse easily?

[swimshark]

when you are underneath the car, on the trans there will be the gear selector and off of that there should be a 2 pin connector for the neutral safety switch. if you can get to it try to unplug is and get a short piece of wire and expose the ends of it and place either end to complete the loop on the connector side thats on top. this completes the neutral safety switch and if yours is bad the car will crank and start up.

also on the gear selector, does it feel notchy or does it move freely when you have the key in and depress the brake pedal to put it into gear?

try this and see if this could be the issue.

[GerryO]

I'm guessing alternator. It doesn't throw a code when its done. Try replacing it with either an OEM remanned or new unit. Aftermarket alternators create all sorts of electrical and starting issues in this car.

Agree that a bad/possibly shorted alternator will cause all sorts of issues.

No blown fuses since the first two and they were probably a result of the jumping efforts? Blowing a 100 Amp/main fuse is BIG.

Have you pulled all six spark plugs and manually turned the engine?

There's one connector along side the battery that's easy to miss.

[howy61]

I am trying swimshark's test of the neutral safty. So far I put leads on the switch side of the connector and the meter reads:

• Lead to Lead =00.6 (cheap digital meter)
  Park = jumps around 72.0
  Reverse = no continuity
  Neutral = jumps around 170.0
  Drive = no continuity

I am guessing we have a winner here because I would have thought the resistance in Park and Neutral should have been close to zero. Any one know what the resistance should be?

Re: J30 will not start
by swimshark » when you are underneath the car, on the trans there will be the gear selector and off of that there should be a 2 pin connector for the neutral safety switch. if you can get to it try to unplug is and get a short piece of wire and expose the ends of it and place either end to complete the loop on the connector side thats on top. this completes the neutral safety switch and if yours is bad the car will crank and start up.

also on the gear selector, does it feel notchy or does it move freely when you have the key in and depress the brake pedal to put it into gear?

try this and see if this could be the issue.swimshark

[howy61]

No Joy.
Inserted wire to bridge the Male side of the Neutral Safety connector. Still not a sound out of the starter. That's it for this weekend.

Have to see if I can find a remote start switch. If the starter still kicks, then I guess it is start ordering new parts like the starter rely and see if trial and error works.

[howy61]

It LIVES,

but I am just stupid!

Started over from scratch this morning:
[*]Starter motor tested fine
[*]Battery has been on float at 12.76v
[*]Continuity in P/N through neutral Safety Switch
[*]Continuity on Starter Relay 1 to 3 good
[*]30A & 20A fuses look fine
[*]OBM flashed 5 5 (no problem)
[*]Remote Start Switch turns over & runs fine,
[*]both 7.5A fuses look fine OR so I thought

Would you believe I checked the 7.5 fuse next to the correct one by looking at the little chart on the fuse cover instead of waking the EL section in the FSM.

2 years on stands because i am stupid!

[yodawill2000]

Great news !!
Seems on these things we always hunt for a Bear when its a Rabbit all along.

[howy61]

Any recommendations on what to do with 3/4 of a tank of old gas.

It was ideling fine but puting that much through the injectors worry me.

[yodawill2000]

I would Siphon as much of it as I could out.
That wreaks Havoc on Injectors.
Then a good dose of Isoheat and some redline SL1 with a Fresh tank of Fuel.

[howy61]

Siphoned the gas out. Just took a while. Refilled 18 gallons on a 19 gallon tank and put a fuel system cleaner in too. So I got almost all of the old stuff out.

Now the quesiton is do I hold off gettng it inspected in order to put it back on stands to do the tension rod bushings (which leaked when it was on stands before), or just take it to Jiffy Lube for oil, transmission fluid, and a run on the rollers first so I can hopefully drive it a little.

Afraid it will be November before I have enough time to the bushings.