Intermittent starting 97 Nissan Pathfinder

My 97 Pathfinder will fail to start about once per month. The battery is good, the dash lights go on, but nothing happens when I turn it to the “crank” position. If the car sits overnight, it will start the next day.

I’d start by taking apart battery cables and cleaning connections.

I’d also try playing around with shifter, move from park to neutral to see if this helps.

What happens if you hook up jumper cables and try jump starting it?

I’ve done all that you suggest w/o luck. Someone else suggested that my starter motor is dying, but not dead yet.

If you hear no click sound when this problem occurs then this usually points to a faulty neutral safety switch or a faulty ignition switch.
Generally it’s the neutral switch.

What should be done when this problem occurs is to probe the small wire on the starter solenoid with a test light or VOM when the key is turned to the START position.
If no power is provided then one has to strongly consider the neutral switch or ign. switch; both of which can be tested in the same manner or a replace the part and hope could be attempted if the thing just happens to be working when tested.

good suggestions! I will try those, thanks

One other possibility is the starter solenoid, when the contacts wear starting can be intermittant. However, it gets worse with time, so if this is really just one a month, some other component may be the problem.