I have a 99 Nissan Sentra. It does not start when parked under the sun or when the weather is hot. It starts great in the morning when it is cool. The battery is new. When the car does not start, the lights come on OK (engine check light et al.), but there is no sound, no clicking ( that I can hear), no nothing happens. I heard from a machanic that I need to change the distributor ($350); another said that it is the starter. Any comments is highly appriciated.
Thanks,
Sam
Distributor??? Never go back to that mechanic…
Starter is the most likely problem…But before that…check all electrical connections for starting…start with the battery terminal cables.
Thank you Mike.
I am curious if it is a manual transmission. Nissan has a notorious problem with the cut-off relay attached to the clutch safety switch, if this applies.
-Aaron
Yes, the transmission is manual. I will ask the mechanic to check this. Thanks.
Without going down the road of explaining my history with this problem I can say it is usually a little blue (sometime grey) relay on the right (facing forward) side of the engine compartment. Replacement should cost about $17 from your local auto parts store. The unit for my vehicle has two separate connectors that snap in.
The problem is typically intermittent sometimes will start fine and other times will not start for a few minutes before starting. If it turns out to be this relay pick up one or two to keep in your glove box (better safe than sorry).
Great thanks, I will try.