Starting Problems on 2008 GXS

[pfarmer]

Over the last month or so I have been having starting problems. Push the button, foot on brake, no start. Over the last couple of days it started once when releasing the brake, and once when releasing the button. It would at times sound like a car does with a bad battery, click, click, etc.

Today it would not start at all. I checked all the obvious things like battery cables, etc. So then I turned on the lights to see what they look like when I try to start the car.............it started.

Took it in to Infiniti right away since I was afraid of not being able to start it again, and they replaced the IPDM with one taken off another new car. According to them everything passes through this module. The service tech told me that to him this was the best bet since the module has been known to do some strange things when it fails. He spoke about one customer that went to roll the window down and the lights came on. Sounds strange I guess, but I hope this fixes it as I wasn't able to trust this thing for a while now.

The codes found today were B210C AND B210E.

Perry

[G_whizz]

Hey Perry... let me try and get a tech in here ...hang tight..

[pfarmer]

Hey Perry... let me try and get a tech in here ...hang tight..

Ok, the IPDM was replaced on Monday. Tuesday the problem returned. To me it is like a bad solinoid on the starter or a dead spot on the starter itself. I was going to take it back today but when I went out to the car it started right up. Before starting I did a battery voltage check and also a ground check for the engine to negative battery lead. I wish I had a better place to work on this myself. I would not take anything apart, however I could do some more checking of tight connections, the starter getting a good ground versus just the engine (had this occur on another car), etc. but I don't have a good spot.

One issue I have with all of this is that if this disappears for some reason, such as when the weather gets warmer, then it is likely to just reappear at a later date.

Perry

[SteveTheTech]

Hey there Perry,

The codes you have are as follows. B210A: STRG LCK STATE SW B210B: START CONT RLY ON

Reading through the diagnostic procedure it seems like there are three main places were communication could be lost. Signals from the IPDM and BCM to the steering lock control unit. The logic for the B210A would indicate (depending on the circumstances and results of several wiring integrity checks) either a fault in the IPDM or S/L unit.

Since this seems to be an intermittent issue, I would lean more towards a pin fit issue. either in the small 4 pin connector at the S/L CU or the IPDM. That's not a guarantee but a slight bit of movement could interrupt the transmission of crucial data when startup is attempted. I would be leaning towards the steering lock unit for either a loose pin or faulty unit. That part cannot be swapped and all of your keys will be needed when you drop the car off (saves a return trip if that is found to be the culprit)

Intermittent issues like this can frustrate even the best diagnosticians, luckily in your case the diagnostic flow chart is pretty cut and dry. If they use the appropriate pin fit gauges as part of the continuity verification (while the circuit is isolated) they should find the fault.

Good Luck,

[pfarmer]

Hey there Perry,

The codes you have are as follows. B210A: STRG LCK STATE SW B210B: START CONT RLY ON

Reading through the diagnostic procedure it seems like there are three main places were communication could be lost. Signals from the IPDM and BCM to the steering lock control unit. The logic for the B210A would indicate (depending on the circumstances and results of several wiring integrity checks) either a fault in the IPDM or S/L unit.

Since this seems to be an intermittent issue, I would lean more towards a pin fit issue. either in the small 4 pin connector at the S/L CU or the IPDM. That's not a guarantee but a slight bit of movement could interrupt the transmission of crucial data when startup is attempted. I would be leaning towards the steering lock unit for either a loose pin or faulty unit. That part cannot be swapped and all of your keys will be needed when you drop the car off (saves a return trip if that is found to be the culprit)

Intermittent issues like this can frustrate even the best diagnosticians, luckily in your case the diagnostic flow chart is pretty cut and dry. If they use the appropriate pin fit gauges as part of the continuity verification (while the circuit is isolated) they should find the fault.

Good Luck,

Steve,

Where are these connectors physically located? One thing I was wondering about is the movement of the steering column during startup. A couple of starts kinda of puzzled me a little bit in that it seemed like it was starting to crank and then stops. For me it is about a hundred mile round trip to the dealer for something that I really think involves something simple, just hard to locate. If I could easily get under this thing then I might check the starter motor connections as well, but that involves a little more setup.

Thanks for looking up the codes for me.

Perry

[SteveTheTech]

I was looking through the ESM regarding this issue and while unable to locate exactly what I was looking for I had a random thought; I really do not think it is a good idea on my part to illustrate the pinout for a key security feature. I wouldn't want to assist any trolls in stealing one of your Gs. It's for the greater good.

Perry if you want to contact me re this, feel free to email me and I can go into a little more detail. But I have a few things you can look into if your interested.

I see allot of good components get replaced when a simple connection issue is to blame, sometimes the issue is accidentally resolved sometimes it is not.

[pfarmer]

I was looking through the ESM regarding this issue and while unable to locate exactly what I was looking for I had a random thought; I really do not think it is a good idea on my part to illustrate the pinout for a key security feature. I wouldn't want to assist any trolls in stealing one of your Gs. It's for the greater good.

Perry if you want to contact me re this, feel free to email me and I can go into a little more detail. But I have a few things you can look into if your interested.

I see allot of good components get replaced when a simple connection issue is to blame, sometimes the issue is accidentally resolved sometimes it is not.

Steve,

After poking around a little bit I think I can easily see your issue.

Perry