# Car struggles to turn on **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** nissan, sentra\ **Created:** [July 30, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389 "2017-07-30T00:26:33Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/1 "2017-07-30T00:26:33Z")
I found where the sound comes from, its from the engine but why? The only time i touched the engine is when i was cleaning it, with some metal brush, does that affect it? Like a sound comes inside the engine. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:29am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/2 "2017-07-30T00:29:45Z")
Sound ? Turn on problem ? Going to need a little more to go on here. ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/3 "2017-07-30T00:30:59Z")
Like a cranking sound ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/4 "2017-07-30T00:32:01Z")
Well everytime i turn on the car, it cranks and struggles to turn on ---
**Author:** ![thegreendrag0n](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/thegreendrag0n/32/9265_2.png) [@thegreendrag0n](https://community.cartalk.com/u/thegreendrag0n)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:36am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/5 "2017-07-30T00:36:40Z")
video posted on youtube would help? ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/6 "2017-07-30T00:38:51Z")
Sorry, it sounds like something is hitting inside the engine ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/7 "2017-07-30T00:39:00Z")
“cranking” is that rr rr rrr sound with the key in “start”. “starting” is when it pops, catches, and runs on its own. Which of those is your problem? ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/8 "2017-07-30T00:39:23Z")
Like 2 metal things inside the engine. ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:42am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/9 "2017-07-30T00:42:42Z")
It cranks and at the same time it sounds like metals hitting inside the engine and it takes a while to start, or sometimes it doesnt so i try again. ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 12:43am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/10 "2017-07-30T00:43:14Z")
I havent found a solution ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 1:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/11 "2017-07-30T01:54:19Z")
> [@Chivas19301](#): > > it takes a while to start After it starts, does it run OK? ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:13am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/12 "2017-07-30T02:13:44Z")
It does, maybe its the started but i changed that like less than 2 months ago ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/13 "2017-07-30T02:14:53Z")
It does but maybe its the starter, but i barely changed that like less than 2 months ago ---
**Author:** ![Yosemite](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/yosemite/32/643_2.png) [@Yosemite](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Yosemite)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 2:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/14 "2017-07-30T02:55:31Z")
First of all we need to know what year Sentra we are talking about. Then we need to know what part of the engine you were cleaning with a wire brush. If you changed the starter…did you make sure to install any shims that were on the old starter. There should be a "Cranking sound as you start the engine, so you need to explain a little better what odd sound you are hearing. An audio clip would be great!!! Yosemite ---
**Author:** ![insightful](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/insightful/32/2732_2.png) [@insightful](https://community.cartalk.com/u/insightful)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 3:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/15 "2017-07-30T15:27:53Z")
> [@Chivas19301](#): > > It does but maybe its the starter, but i barely changed that like less than 2 months ago I’d pull the starter and inspect the gear on it and the entire ring gear on the flywheel for wear. ---
**Author:** ![Chivas19301](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b5ac83/32.png) [@Chivas19301](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Chivas19301)\ **Post date:** [July 30, 2017, 7:36pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/16 "2017-07-30T19:36:21Z")
What sound will it sound if the spark plug would be broken? ---
**Author:** ![George\_San\_Jose1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e5b9ba/32.png) [@George\_San\_Jose1](https://community.cartalk.com/u/George_San_Jose1)\ **Post date:** [August 1, 2017, 2:54am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/car-struggles-to-turn-on/106389/17 "2017-08-01T02:54:07Z")
Your symptoms are consistent with a starter motor or flywheel problem. > [@Chivas19301](#): > > What sound will it sound if the spark plug would be broken? Next time your car is at the shop ask your mechanic to disable one cylinder by disconnecting the spark plug. Then you’ll know how your car would sound if one spark plug wasn’t working. When I’ve had that happen there’s not much indication sound or otherwise during cranking. But it shows up in spades during idling. Instead of the normal steady running humming sound, you hear that along with a very noticeable chug … chug … chug sound. If you dangle a paper dollar bill over the exhaust pipe exit point, with the engine running properly it will be blown to an angle and more or less stay there. If a spark plug wasn’t working, the dollar bill will move wildly back and forth. There isn’t much of a metal on metal sound if the spark plug isn’t working. If it broke off and part of it fell into the cylinder, then that could happen, but that’s a pretty rare problem.