where is starter inhibitor relay on 03 infiniti m45?

[paulneubeck]

hi my 03 m45 once and a while will not start. battery is good starter is good all lights come on inside car. i hear you should change starter relay and inhibitor relay before anything else. where is the inhibitor relay found on this car ? thanks.

[sx moneypit]

Moved this to the Infinti M forums.

Welcome to NICO!

[Double E]

If that were the issue couldn't you put it in neutral and start it no problem?

I think that this will prove to be the starter. A common replacement item at that age for many Infiniti vehicles.

[paulneubeck]

from what ive come to learn the starters almost never go bad on these cars and mine only has 80,000 on it. and from what i hear from a couple mechanics is that the inhibitor relay that has to do with the stock security system is usually the issue.

[MaxBolus]

from what ive come to learn the starters almost never go bad on these cars and mine only has 80,000 on it. and from what i hear from a couple mechanics is that the inhibitor relay that has to do with the stock security system is usually the issue.

actually, the starters in these cars are known to fail- are you getting the "click" when you try to start?

[szh]

I know you said that you think the battery is good, but I am willing to bet that you may be surprised. Yes, the lights may work very normally, etc., but it may simply not have the cold-crank amps ability to really work at starting your car.

If your battery is more than three to four years old, I'd start by replacing it first before worrying about the starter (although that could be an issue too!). Get a high-end Interstate ... they cost about $120 and are easy to change. This may cure all your starting problems!

On my 2003 M45 ... now going on 11 years that I have owned it, I am on my third (or is it fourth?) battery. This time, I bought an Interstate and it appears to be lasting better than the stock Nissan one.

Z

[paulneubeck]

i work for a honda dealer we have all the equipment i need to test the car battery is less then a year old came up good starter came up good alt came up good. couple of outside shop mechanics said change the inhibitor relay i dont know anyone at a nissan or infiniti dealer thats why im asking where it is on this website

[EdBwoy]

OP, I can't get to my car right now to find it, but I have a question. When you use the blade instead of the key fob to start the car, does it crank all the time or does it fail to start just like the fob by itself? And are you getting a click?

As far as I can tell, my 03 has the original Infiniti battery made in 02, but when it was extremely cold, sometimes it would act like yours when the key was turned. My assumption was the ignition slop that comes with mileage.

[szh]

As far as I can tell, my 03 has the original Infiniti battery made in 02, but when it was extremely cold, sometimes it would act like yours when the key was turned. My assumption was the ignition slop that comes with mileage.

I am truly impressed that your battery has lasted this long! Mine has died pretty regularly every so many years (now have 150k miles on the car after the purchase in Sep of 2003).

This last time, I decided to try a non-Nissan battery ... the top-of-the-line Interstate (can look it up if you want the model info) to see how long it goes compared to the other Nissan stock batteries.

Z

[EdBwoy]

I am truly impressed that your battery has lasted this long! Mine has died pretty regularly every so many years (now have 150k miles on the car after the purchase in Sep of 2003).

This last time, I decided to try a non-Nissan battery ... the top-of-the-line Interstate (can look it up if you want the model info) to see how long it goes compared to the other Nissan stock batteries.

Z

I am mighty impressed too, especially since my car has 140K miles and has never needed a jump or anything. In fact, I use it to boost my other vehicles as needed. Keep us updated on how the interstate battery holds up.

To the OP and the relay issue: I believe most modern Nissan vehicles have only one starter relay. In the case of the 03 M45 it's in the fuse box that is right behind your battery. Flip the cover upside down and you should be able to find it. Hope that helps you somewhat.