Car will not start

Tiny
TJJ0520
  • MEMBER
  • 2004 NISSAN SENTRA
  • 1.8L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 196,000 MILES
Put in a new starter and battery and all the car does is click when I turn it over. I’m confused. I have a new battery ignition fuse on its way.
Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 AT 10:23 AM

1 Reply

Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,795 POSTS
Hello, do you own a multimeter? This car is almost 20 years old. You may have some bad ground connections or wires. Everything eventually rusts apart and needs to be checked or replaced. The first thing to do is see what the battery voltage is when you attempt to crank the engine over. If the battery stays around 12 volts, then there is not much current flowing to the Starter motor. If the battery voltage drops off below around 8-9 volts, then the battery is not charged enough or there may be a parasitic draw on the battery while the key is off.
In the first scenario where the battery voltage stays high (12votls), I would check the ground connections from the battery to the engine block and also to the chassis. If there are any that are rusted or corroded, they need to be repaired.
This car has a very simple starting system. I'll put the wiring diagrams below. You'll need to check the Starter motor for a full 12 volts while someone is cranking the engine. But this being a manual transmission be extremely careful. Put some blocks in front of the wheels and apply the emergency brake on. You don't want the car moving forward while you're under it checking the starter motor for power. Since you're getting a click from the starter there is some voltage getting there. Maybe just not enough.

There's the clutch switch (Relay) you'll need to check. Relays sometimes that are located in the engine compartment are subjected to the elements and the pins can get corroded pretty easy. So, checking the underside of the relay box on the passenger side in the engine compartment is a good idea.
To check the Clutch interlock Relay, you can take it out and where it sits in the relay box, while cranking 3 or the 4 female pins should have 12 volts. The other is ground.
At the Starter Motor both black/yellow wires should have 12 volts while cranking. See what you get, and we'll go from there. Do these tests before you replace any more parts. If you have any questions about these tests, just ask here...

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-use-a-voltmeter

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-an-electrical-relay-and-wiring-control-circuit
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Tuesday, April 19th, 2022 AT 1:25 PM

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