KA 240SX not starting

[Riceless]

Hey all,I have a near-stock 91 240sx coupe that won't start. It has a good battery and it does crank, it has a strong spark, and it is getting gas. The ECU gives a thumbs-up. Plugs are fine - no oil, just a gas smell and a consistant spark. It was working fine the day before, and it seems like it just died overnight. I really don't know as much about cars as I would like, and this is beyond me. Timing maybe? If you have any ideas at all help me out - I'm getting desperate and the mechanics around here charge an arm and a leg. Thanks.

[URM S14]

i have the same problesm on my s14. i was told it was the starter from another member here...i have yet to fix it though...

[Riceless]

I thought about that, but it seems to turn over pretty well.

[Riceless]

Still no real luck, although from what I have been reading I believe it is the starter. It is remanufactured, but I think it may just need better contacts. Is there any easy way to get at the sucker without removing too many other parts?
Modified by Riceless at 12:06 PM 3/10/2005

[Red coupe]

the starter is just a small motor that sits on the flywheel of the engine and starts the engine turning over so it can start, If its cranking fine it probably isnt your starter, a bad starter would most likely just make a clicking noise instead of turning over. You said it has a strong spark and is getting gas? how did you check these? all an engine needs is spark fuel/air and compression, so if it has proper spark and fuel that leaves compression. However loss of compression generaly wouldnt happen overnight unless bad something happened inside the engine. Realy bad timing could cause it not to start, or if the distributer was set to the wrong cylinder, but that wouldnt be likely unless you had just finished messing with it and then it wouldnt run. If you can get your hands on a comression tester it might be helpfull.

just to clarify turn the key and the engine just cranks at normal speed, but doesnt start at all or starts a little then stumbles and die, or does it crank kinda slowly just barly turning the engine over each time?

[Riceless]

just to clarify turn the key and the engine just cranks at normal speed, but doesnt start at all or starts a little then stumbles and die, or does it crank kinda slowly just barly turning the engine over each time?

It turns pretty normally without starting, but sometimes it seems like it is going to start; that's what's annoying. If I push the car a few feet and try to start the car again it pulls more strongly, but still without success. That kind of led me to believe it could be the contacts on the starter. More of a guess than an educated analysis, really.

For spark I grounded the plugs on the block turned the key, getting good sparks. The fuel pump works and the ecu doesn't complain about the injectors. I do also smell gas when I crank it for a while. Thanks for the reply.

[Riceless]

Another detail I just remembered: I don't know if it matters, but I had just gotten 1/2 a tank of gas and only drove about a half of a mile before turning it off for the night.

[Red coupe]

hrm how many miles on it? the reason I doubt the starter is that engines dont even need one to run they just need to be brough up to speed so combution can take over and so that the valves start opening and the ecu start sending fuel. If its a manuel try getting a friend to push you up to as fast a speed as he can, have the ignition on put into second and let out the cluch, if its only the starter you start right up.But I still doubt it would be the starter, and pushing it wouldnt change anything if it wasnt in gear, because that wouldnt turn the engine, flywheel or starter(starter isnt even gear to the flywheel untill your cranking)you know 240s dont take desil right? I dunno...if you can get a compression tester it would be nice to test that so it could be ruled out cause it sounds like you got an engine with spark and fuel that spinsfast...and that realy should start aslong as it has compression...(assuming the distributer hasnt been tampered with)

[Riceless]

She's got 144k on her. Not great, but not abnormal. Nope, didn't mess with the distributer at all. And as far as I'm concerned, nothing but 93 octane should come near a 240 ...although it acts like i gave it water

I have been trying to get the manpower around for a good push-start, that seems to be a problem. I'll have to try harder. I don't know how to use a compression tool. Could you explain it to me or give me a url or something? Thanks.

[ILikeMy240sx]

Do you hear the fuel pump whinning when you put your ignition at on position? I would check and make sure the fuel pump is working (check the fuse first)..

BTW, how did you check for spark and fuel?

[Red coupe]

For spark I grounded the plugs on the block turned the key, getting good sparks. The fuel pump works and the ecu doesn't complain about the injectors. I do also smell gas when I crank it for a while. Thanks for the reply.

[Riceless]

Yeah, checked the fuel pump first thing and it works well. Got spark by grounding plugs on the engine block and turning the key. As for fuel there are good lines, working pump, no injector complaints from the ecu. Not the best idea, i know, but I looked down into the engine with a plug out and saw/smelled gas.

Thanks for all the replies, I have to leave but I will be back on in about 2 hours.

[URM S14]

ok, i didnt read all the posts here cuz they are too long and im tired.But i do know the answer to your problem. Pop yur hood, look for your selenoid on the left side of your bay (passengers side) behinf the intake manifold. if you realy look down there toward the transmission, youll see your starter and selenoid.It is quite low and hard to find but its there.looks kinda like an oil filter in shape. get a pipe or broom stick and jab at it quite a few times. the best access for my car is in between to hoses. after briskly tapping it 4-8 times, go start turn the key or have a friend turn the key while tapping it. IT WILL START. If so, you need a new starter. let me know. -Chris

[xxtrizz]

Lol we ended up doing that on my friends Starter however his starter turns over, I dont think its the starter rather I believe its your intake, I think there might be a leak after the MAF that is causing it to sputter mine did that all the time for about 3 hours while I was installing the A/C scared the **** out of me, was just because the intake system wasnt hooked up snugly make sure everything is nice and tight so no air enters the system. If its sturning over for a bit then your starter is rotating your system fine, I would be more concerned about air fuel mixture IE intake system issue.

[Riceless]

get a pipe or broom stick and jab at it quite a few times.

Lol, picture me in the middle of a neighborhood filled with Jags and Lexuses/Lexi beating the crap out of my 14 year-old 240. Haha. But yeah, that makes sense. I'll give it a try when I get home from work.

As far as the intake, xxtrizz, everything is snug; don't think there are any problems with air.

Anyway, I give her a wack and let everyone know how it went later. Thanks everyone.

[drftnassmofo]

mine is doing the same thing..but mine starts after about 10-25 sec. of trying...while i turn the key i have to keep giving it gas, then it sputters/starts/sputters(ionno)....but once it starts up its just fine...i was thinkin i had a bad fuel pump but the diagnostics says its fine. im gonna go check the starter ryte now

[gepeto]

When my starter went, it was still cranking. Couldnt start it. Had a lift home...next morning , I tried again, and it started (had a lot of trouble) . so I brought it to the dealership and bought a rebuilt starter...

You might want to hit the starter with something hard to start it once and bring it somewhere... If it is manual changing it is not too hard, automatic transmission gets in the way though.

[Riceless]

How would you go about removing the starter on a manual? There are two bolts going into it through the transmission, aren't there?

[slipnfall]

'cmon guys, if the engine is phyiscally *turning* while cranking, the starter is obviously doing its job.

[Riceless]

Well, problem solved. It had to be the simplest damn thing. The positive battery lead was at fault. It gave enough juice for everything to work but still not enough to start the car. It would even run after a push start. Embarrassing, but I'll take a $5 mistake over a $150 problem any day of the week. Thanks for all the replies.

[slipnfall]

Was the terminal just loose, corroded, what?

I'm having trouble getting mine to start, so I'm curious.

-Jamie

[Riceless]

A little of both, actually. I just replaced both and cleaned everything. Honestly, by looking at them you wouldn't have though it would be the problem. Best $5 I've spent to date... Give it a shot.

[Riceless]

So she finally started working. I even got around to installing my head unit and running wires to my speakers. What happens? I blow a ****in' cylinder. Life is a real *****, isn't it?