We have a 1997 Nissan Sentra (107,000 miles). At random times, when you turn the ignition switch there is nothing-no power. At the same time, however, we have interior lights and dash board lights, and headlights at full power. When this occurs a vibration to the car often is the cure. One time slamming the door allowed us to start the car. Another time my daughter jumped up and down on the bumper.So far we have replaced the battery, battery terminals and starter. Our mechanic has tried to run a diagnostic on the car, but by the time it’s towed to the shop, it’s working again. He said he needs the car to be malfunctioning to get a good diagnosis. He says the next step is to replace the fuse box, since we have power to some parts of the car but not the starter. I asked about the wiring. I said it was possibly the problem but a big, expensive job.
We are really just guessing here. Anybody have any ideas?
Ignition switch? did you try wiggling the switch, or turning it back and forth? Similar thing happened to me, but only at temperatures below 10F. I think it is fixed by replacing the ignition switch (or the part of it that fires the starter solenoid).
This has been a cold weather problem, though not 10F. We’ll give that a try.
Thanks
Automatic or stick shift? Maybe a bad neutral safety switch (auto) or clutch safety switch (stick). If it’s an automatic, try moving the shifter and/or putting it in neutral instead of park. If that works, it’s the safety switch.