Car cranks but won't start.

To answer your question about trying to turn the car over, There is no click no try to start, nothing happens. I do have lights radio etc just nothing that would make me think the car is going to even try to start.

The last time the car did this I did go from Park to drive with no success. I opened and slammed the hood, had the battery tested etc all to no avail. I am being told now that I will have to leave it at Nissan to see if they can diagnose the problem.

My 2000 Nissan Maxima has 125000 miles on it. Lately, it won't start when in Park. If I move it to Neutral, it will start with no problem. Is there a switch somewhere that I need to replace?

Electrical problem
2000 Nissan Maxima 6 cyl Front Wheel Drive Automatic

Occasionally when I turn the key to start one of the following will happen:

1. Car will turn over fine.
2. The key will turn but nothing will happen.
3. The engine will start to turn over then hit a spot that resembles a dead spot and not start. If I continue to hold the key it will usually start (like it got past the bad spot).
Subsequent starts for #2 and #3 will start the car on the second try.

This may only happen once in 20 starts although it now seems to happen more frequently. Earlier this year there were times when I only noticed it do it maybe once every two weeks or so but now it seems to be every other day or so.

I'm leaning towards a bad starter. I had the car in the shop and they tested the starter and could find nothing wrong. They did not want to replace the starter until they were more sure it was the starter.
Go figure - an honest repair shop.

I have replaced the battery about 6 months ago.
The starter was replaced about 50k miles ago.
All ignition coils have been replaced about 40k miles ago.
Two o2 sensors were replaced about 30k miles ago.

Any ideas on where to look? Tests that can be done.
Any help would be appreciated.

I don't want to replace the starter and find out it was something else.
Could it be the solenoid?

The starter was replaced by my local Nissan dealer at the same time the engine was replaced (thats another story). Car currently has 111k miles, engine/starter was replaced at 61k. Engine was a salvage with apprx 5k miles. That was apprx 6 yrs ago. There have been no problems with engine other than coils, O2 sensors.
Car is currently not driven much (apprx 2k miles per year) but I don't like the uncertainly that it may strand me.
Shop that checked the starter said even if starter has bad spot the magnetic movement of the starter should move it pass bad spot on subsequent cranks. Not sure if this is true but it seems so.

Is there a test to determine if the ignition switch is going bad?

Whats less expensive to replace? Starter or ignition switch.
I have a est. Of $290.00 to replace the starter.

Thanks for all the help.

Thanks for the quick reply.

I will probably go ahead and replace the starter in the next month or two. At least that way I will eliminate two possibilities (starter and/or solenoid) and then see what happens. Hopefully that will fix it.

We have had the car since new and I would like to keep it a few more years since it's not driven that much.
It's been extremely reliable up until the last 8 months so I'd like to resolve this problem as soon as possible without throwing a lot of money at it. I don't want to get into a situation where we're replacing things just to see if that fixes it.

Again, thanks.

2000 Nissan Maxima 92000 miles

Hello,
I had my car for about 5 years and I haven't been having any problems until about a month ago when it would not start but I waited for about 5 minutes and it started back. I had another problem when (I think) someone put bad gas in the car and it jurks. But other than that, I haven't been having problems. But I let someone borrow my car and when they went to start it up and would not start. THey thought it was the battery but it wasn't. ALl the lights will come on in the car. When trying to start it, it just makes a clicking noise. It will not start. It has been sitting for an entire day. I tried to start it again but it would not start. Can anyone help me please.

Okay, but it's not the battery because we tried like 3 different batteries, new and old but it wouldn't work. All the lights are working fine but it's just making a clicking noise. And it still will not start. I don't think it's the battery. Any other suggestion. Please say yes. I receive one answer from someone but just trying to see if its the same answer. Thanks alot. Hope to hear from you again

Thanks so much
My boyfriend is about to check the starter if he every finds it. LOL I didn't understand the last part about checking the ignition switch, park it in neutral but I didn't understand the rest. Will you please let me know what you mean when you started takling about the ignition switch. THanks I really need as much help as possible.

My car has been giving this strange sound when it cranks, sorta like a machine gun and is slow starting. I checked the battery and it has some foam around it which I have since cleaned but now my car will not start at all. All the lights, radio, everything is coming on but it will not start. Can you tell me if this is my Altenator or could it be a starter issue?

I am so sorry to continue bothering you guys but we have tried tapping on the starter and its not doing anything. Not fire from the starter or anything like that. Could it be that the starter is completly gone. Or could it be another problem. Thanks so much guys. How do you know when the starter is gone.

Its an automatic. This is getting crazy and I hate to keep bothering you guys. My boyfriend said they tapped on the starter and whenthey did that all the lights on the dashboard went out. And it didn't start. I'm getting so frustrated right now. But I hope I keep getting get help like I am. Thanks to everyone