Questions and Answers

Nissan Sentra No Crank, No Start Q. Dear Sir: I have 2001 Nissan Sentra, 1.8 liter engine, 50,000 miles and automatic transmission. In the past few months I have been experiencing on and off, every two or three days, no-start problems. The following briefly describes the problem:

1. Insert key, turn the key. No start, no crank.
2. The dash lights on, no radio sound.
3. Turn the key several times, car would finally start. The car would start next time for the rest of the day.
4. The problem would repeat every 2 or 3 days.

Tow it to Nissan, they just replaced the starter. Problem got worse. What could be the problem? Please help!

A. It sounds to me like a problem with the ignition switch. So that's what I would check first. There is a black/yellow wire on the starter. With the key in the START position, there should be power there. If there is, then you have a bad starter. If not, you will have to work your way back to isolate the problem.

You can use this wiring diagram to trace power flow from the ignition switch to the starter and find where it is interrupted and thus locate the problem. I think you will find you do indeed have a bad ignition switch. That is not uncommon on this vehicle.