Hey guys, I'll get straight to the point, and I have been googling since yesterday on what the causes can how to fix the problem - to absolutely nothing.

I was driving the car ALL day yesterday, no problems at all, no check engine light, absolutely no indication the car had any problem - drove perfectly fine as usual. I pull into a 7-11 to grab a soda, shut off the car, lock it with my keyfob, went in and out of the store, unlocked the car with the keyfob, jumped in the car hit the clutch and proceeded to start the car, all i hear is "CLICK-CLICK-CLICK-CLICK" as if my battery just died. The car has a new battery as of a year ago approx., and the volt gauge in the car reads 12v. I ran next door to a mechanic shop, they used a booster, no change, same clicking.

I then got the car started by doing rolling it backwards and popping the clutch in reverse, the car starts and it was enough to get the car across the street to the mechanic shop, then the car sputters,backfires and shuts off. The mechanics all said I need a starter, but I argued "doesnt the starter just start the car? why would it die out on it's own?" They had no answer. I rolling start the car again, and drove it down the block to my house, the car almost always felt like it was about to stall out, and eventually does at the end of the block, meanwhile I was watching my volt gauge and while the car was running, it would stay at 12v, and no higher. Alternator? I figure a ground connection might be the culprit, somehow a ground to the alternator and/or starter was loose (car was hit several months ago in the front, bodyshop worked on the car)? The funny thing to the story is that this morning, the car's alarm goes off for no reason at all, I googled this problem and ended up hooking up my code reader, got a code for P0451 (Evap code). Now the car doesnt start, and theres a code (which could have came from the car barely being able to run).

How should I approach this issue, I am fairly good with working on the car, so I rather try to fix the problem myself rather then taking it to the mechanic to replace every component they think is wrong (starter, BCM, injectors, evap crap) and spend all my money. Are there any specific relays or fuses I should look for to check that may have blown?

Please help, I sank so much money into repairing this car, I'm at my wit's end at this point. Thanks for any assistance!

 

When the motor is running the voltage should be at 14 or higher.

Disconnect the hood sensor and see if that cures the alarm issue.
I had that with 2 2003 350Z's.


One car needed new cam and crank sensors.
A third is in my driveway, tumbles strong but will not fire.
No codes.
It has been this way for 2 months and so far I checked fuses and fuel at the rail.
Probably caused by non use..only 980 miles.

 

It's not the starter, since it makes the click noise repeatedly (the starter is trying to work). Evap leaks won't cause your car not to start, the code may have come on by not properly tightening your fuel cap. Your symptoms also sound like a weak battery, but you said the shop jumped you and your car still wouldn't start. It's not your injectors or ECU; your motor doesn't even turn over. Most likely it's your cam/crank sensor being defective, more and more Z's are having this problem. Try to pull the code and go from there.

 

If i went to the dealership, I would simply have to ask for the crank sensor and they will know which part I am talking about? I rather try a DIY before i fork money over!

 

im having very similar problems, replaced the crank sensor and still didnt fix it. but if you want to try that it was 45 bucksish from nissan and is a very simple diy fix. i havent been able to drive my car for 2.5 months because of this problem too. mine is throwing a code for the throttle postion sensor, but thats 650 and i really dont want to put that money down if im not 100% sure itll fix my problem. sorry for the semi thread jack. you should also try this thread for a few more ideas to try: https://my350z.com/forum/forced-indu...ont-start.html

 

Your description sounds like the engine does not turn over whatsoever, in which case sensors have nothing to do with that.

A couple things you could do real quick with your meter are to test the voltage drops between the battery post and terminal, then from the battery positive to the starter.

If you have any significant voltage drops there then you are looking at connection issues. How many miles do you have on this car?

 

hey guys, the car just broke 33,000 miles. it was so odd how all of a sudden the car couldnt start up. i was driving all day, turning the car on and off several times, and then it was dead out of no where!

 

Brett: should i take a meter and have the car in the "on" position with the key in ignition? then check for the voltage in the area you mentioned?

 

try checking your ground, it would cause all these problems

 

I looked at the ground from the battery to the body (fender?), where are the other grounds?

 

theres a ground on the exhaust too, but that usually only causes the radio to mess up. did you take the ground off and clean it up really good, or did you just look at it?

 

i took it off and looked at it, jiggled it around, and plugged it back in, it doesnt at all look dirty but im going to clean it again.

 

ok guys, this morning i checked the ground again, cleaned it up really well and reattached it, no luck. after that i checked every fuse panel i can (under th dash near the brake pedal, the two fuse boxes near the battery, and the fuses at the postive post on the battery) - everything is fine. after all that, I went looking for wires that may be hanging loose or fell off, found nothing. however just one question - on the positive post there is a stud that has nothing connected to it as if there should be a ring terminal and nut/bolt holding it down (this is right on the post that is above those nifty looking glass fuses on the positive post), something belongs here? i couldnt find any free hanging wires anywhere around that routed area...

my next step is to go with a new cam sensor (is the cam sensor and the crank sensor the same?), are there any DIY guides out there that can help me jump into this project immediately?

 

That's normal, I have it in my car.

 

a sensor wouldnt cause the starter to just click, if it was a sensor it would just keep turning over and not fire, its a possibility it could be your ignition switch, or, it could be a combination of things maybe something with the starter and possibly a sensor bot acting up at the same time, im sure you can take the sensors off and do a resistance check on them, or continuity check, and you may be able to solve the problem that way.

 

ok so heres where i am at right now... this morning i was continuing to check the fuses, came to the fuse for a ignition component, held a test-light to the fuse and turned the key, it had power going through it, this would rule out whether the ignition is getting anywhere, then after that i called an old friend of mine that was in town, a Nissan tech/service manager that has a spec v with a 3.5 swap (pretty knowledgeable), he ruled out that the starter is working fine as he hears it clicking, then he told me that the symptoms are those of the crankshaft position sensor that he saw at his Nissan dealership on a routine basis, since it was a Sunday we didn't have a local Nissan parts dept open, so we opted for the duralast/autozone refurb sensor , installed it in the car, same problems. he is pretty confident that this new sensor isn't functioning properly and said i should get the actual Nissan sensor to rule this out. he called another master Nissan tech, and he also confirms that this is crank position sensor issue, figure we do this quick fix before working on the starter if that is the actual issue (cheaper as-well).

he explained to me that Nissan changed the design of this sensor because of the plastic housing and the heat and oil that would cause the damage, the new updated sensors have a sort of metallic covering over the sensor so it can handle the environment at hand.

we shall see tomorrow! he's pretty sure that the crappy autozone sensor didn't help, and if we cant fix it outside my house tomorrow, it will be towed to his shop so he can start getting in-depth. PAIN IN THE ***!

 

If it doesn't crank at all, I can't see the sensor being the problem. You can do a voltage drop tests on those wires with the key off since they will be hot all the time.

 

what would cause the problem otherwise? my starter keeps clicking, battery was attached to a running car, and fuel pump is priming.

 

in addition to all that, if the car is running from popping the clutch, it sputters and stalls out...

 

If the car was in a wreck the harness could be compromised under the insulation.
possibly couple places..Just a thought.. Did the voltage checks show anything?