2001 Infiniti I30 starting issues

JSTUMP10

MEMBER
2001 INFINITI I30
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
138,000 MILES

So in Nov car wld not start. Put new starter on. Still problems with it starting once n awhile. So took off new starter and put a new one again. Then a new batt since it tested bad. Then a new alternator a month later. Still the car barely starts. It sounds like a electrical grinding noise or a batt dead maybe. Batt test good and alt is 3 days old. Any ideas. Could the alt burned out the starter in 3 months or the solenoid on the starter. Or a bad fuse. Or something else that would not allow my car to start everytime

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,873 POSTS

Neither the starter nor the generator can burn each other out. If you have intermittent slow cranking, that is due to not enough current flowing to the starter, and that is due to a bad cable connection or a run-down battery. Next time it acts up, measure the battery voltage before you go any further or wear the battery down further. If it's fully-charged it will be 12.6 volts. If it's down to 12.2 volts, it's okay but it's discharged. Charge it at a slow rate for an hour. Next we have to determine if there's a drain that's running the battery down or if the charging system is not recharging the battery while you're driving.

If the voltage is close to 12.6 volts but it still cranks slowly, measure it again while a helper cranks the engine. Put the meter probes right on the battery posts, not the cable clamps. Remember that voltage. It has to stay above 9.6 volts during cranking. Now move the meter probes from the battery posts to the cable clamps and measure again during cranking. You should see the same voltage. If it's significantly lower at the cable clamps, take those connections apart and clean and tighten them.