Starter Relay location needed

Tiny
NVARGAS13
  • MEMBER
  • 2013 NISSAN ALTIMA
  • 2.5L
  • 4 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 115,000 MILES
Bought a brand new starter for my car listed above, installed it and car turned on and ran perfectly. Drove a few miles and parked for a few hours and car would not start. Came back next morning and tried jumping the battery, uninstalled and tested the starter, but still no crank- just one click when pressing push start. It seems the starter is not communicating with the car, so my next guess was the starter relay. I checked all of the fuse boxes, read manual and searched the web and cannot find its location. Does any one know where the starter relay is located on the the car listed above S Sedan? Or maybe any suggestions on what the issue could be? Many thanks.
Sunday, October 18th, 2020 AT 1:40 PM

12 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
You could be correct but we need to rule out a possible starter. I assume when you removed the starter and you tested it, did you just put 12 volts to it and see if it engaged? If so, this is unfortunately not sufficient. We need to test the voltage at the starter when you are cranking the engine. You should have 12 volts on both wires. If you do then the starter is not able to engage the engine.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/starter-not-working-repair

I attached the info on this and the info on the starter relay. You have 2 relays but they are part of the IPDM. However, if you have voltage at both wires on the starter when cranking the engine then the relays are fine.

Let me know what you find and we can go from there. Thanks
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Sunday, October 18th, 2020 AT 2:16 PM
Tiny
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I used the car battery to test the starter to make sure it was working properly. I will test the starter with a multimeter tomorrow and see what kind of read I get. The starter relay part is confusing. The part is sold separately at AutoZone, but even when opened, the IPDM doesn’t seem to have a slot for it that’s accessible due to the soldered circuit board. But I will test it property like you mentioned and take it from there. Thanks for the help.
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Sunday, October 18th, 2020 AT 5:33 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Okay. Sounds good. Take a look at that last attachment and notice how it says that the relays are "integrated" into the IPDM which means it is not serviced separate. More then likely the parts store is just finding a listing for a relay but as you have found there is no place to install it.

This was pretty common on most vehicles of this age. Most of them back then were using these types of control boxes. Chrysler uses a TIPM and Ford used a Smart Junction Box. All similar.

Let's just check voltage as you said on both terminals when starting the vehicle. You should have 12 volts all the time on the wire from the battery. The control wire should only have 12 volts when starting the vehicle.
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Sunday, October 18th, 2020 AT 6:44 PM
Tiny
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Thank you for clearing up the relay confusion. That makes sense. So I performed the tests using a multimeter this time. The battery gave me a reading of 12.25 volts. I then tested the larger node on the starter while cranking and gave me the same reading. The smaller node gave a spark and fluctuated between 5 to 17 volts during cranking. It didn’t give me a steady reading. I also detached connectors from the starter and tested the ends. Again the large one matched the battery voltage and the smaller one fluctuated in the same range as before. Thanks again.
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Monday, October 19th, 2020 AT 2:07 PM
Tiny
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I forgot to mention that the car would not start. I’m going to order a new starter and see how that works.
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Tuesday, October 20th, 2020 AT 9:14 AM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Okay. It could be a starter but that fluctuation is not right. While waiting for the starter, can you do two tests? Let's start with a voltage drop on that wire. You do that by putting one lead of your meter on the stud at the starter and the other lead on the wire where it comes out of the IPDM and then crank the engine. This is going to test the amount of voltage the wire is using.

Then unhook the connectors at both ends and measure the resistance/ohms on that wire. It should be less then a half ohm.
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Tuesday, October 20th, 2020 AT 8:41 PM
Tiny
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Kasekenny, apologies for not updating sooner. Finally got some time to work on the car. Ended up exchanging the starter and buying a new battery, cleaned cables, tested ground wires and fuses and couldn’t find anything. When I try to start the car, I no longer get any clicks and the dashboard doesn’t light up. The radio comes on and the doors lock, but the alarm doesn’t beep like it used to when locking with fob. I am thinking I may have triggered the security system so I’m going to look up how to address that. I was ready to call it a day but then I caught sight of the 40a fusible link and noticed the middle fuse was fried. Have to order online. Will update once I pop the new one back in.
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Friday, November 20th, 2020 AT 12:42 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Okay. Yeah, that link is what feeds power to the relay so that would make sense. Let us know what happens and thanks for the update.
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Saturday, November 21st, 2020 AT 9:18 AM
Tiny
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Thanks for your response, Kasekenny. Got the new fusible link today. Plugged it in and tried to start the car. Dashboard lights came on and got the single click when pushed start button. Still no crank. Plugged in the code reader and got p0603. Going to do some more wiring testing tomorrow. I’m praying its a short I haven’t found yet as the ECM can be pricey to replace.
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Saturday, November 21st, 2020 AT 1:37 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
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Oh boy. That code is not good. Yeah hopefully it is a wire but it usually is the ECM.

I attached the testing in case you need it.
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Sunday, November 22nd, 2020 AT 4:46 PM
Tiny
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Kasekenny, I had to throw in the towel. It was getting too cold to work on the car. I ended up pushing the car to the nearest shop. I still haven’t gotten a straight answer but they had to bring someone in as it was an electrical issue. It cost $350.00 and no parts were needed. It hurts like hell to be out of the money but the car is running. I’m going to go back and see if they’ll tell me exactly what they did just so I can learn what the issue was and how to fix it myself in the future. I appreciate your help and input. I wish I would have had the experience to use the knowledge you provided for this issue, but I’m sure it will come in handy someday. Thank you and happy holidays.
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Monday, November 30th, 2020 AT 11:34 AM
Tiny
I-SMOGEM
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Sorry to hear about the expense KV.

I hope you get your "straight answer"! Having a vehicle 'hands on' is always preferred in diagnostics, but we strive for giving you the information to do it yourself.

Wish you well, and we will be here for you in the future. No matter how menial you think it is - we will do our best!

Happy Holidays. Glenn
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Monday, November 30th, 2020 AT 9:42 PM

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