My 1999 1.6 Sentra won't start. I don't have a volt meter on me, but the battery seems strong and there's no reason it should have died. When the power is turned on (but car not yet cranked) there is a buzzing sound from the part circled in the pic. Same thing when turned to "crank." The engine never tries to turn over. I know the starter is beneath the exhaust manifold and if doesn't seem to be coming from there. The alternator is up front and, likewise, it seems fine (as in no noise or charging issues).

So...what the hell is this thing? There's an electrical plug on the bottom, as well as a hose going to the intake manifold. There are one or two more hoses going down somewhere I can't see because it's dark. I assume those are vacuum lines of some sort, but I'm not sure. Hope that helps...



[Edited on March 17, 2011 at 10:44 PM. Reason : This faggoty engine does not belong to me, FTR]

3/17/2011 10:44:04 PM

idle air control?

[Edited on March 18, 2011 at 12:51 AM. Reason : wtflol @ throttle cable with electrical tape wrap]

3/18/2011 12:49:11 AM

looks like the egr solenoid or something related to egr

3/18/2011 8:47:47 AM

I think this is the first time ever I've seen a GA16DE with a header (wrapped, no less) and rattlecan paint detailing.

Looks like idle air bypass solenoid to me. In which case buzzing is just duty cycling. That shouldn't have anything to do with your no-start. You really need to see if you can jump the starter solenoid and get results...and make absolute sure that you've got a good charge on the battery.

3/18/2011 8:57:29 AM

also check for dead birds in that velocity stack intake

3/18/2011 10:28:44 AM

thats the IAC valve. That will not cause the car not to crank.

-Bad starter
-Bad ground wire some where
-ignition relay is shot.

Do you hear the fuel pump priming?

3/18/2011 1:10:38 PM

lol I was wondering where the air filter went

Just try to get a friend to measure the voltage or jump start you and rule out the battery.

3/18/2011 6:27:49 PM

Let me reiterate:

Quote :

"This faggoty engine does not belong to me, FTR"

I tried to jump it with cables, but the donor car wasn't running. Is that an issue? Thinking back on it, the car turned over slowly, as though the battery were weak, when I filled up with gas in Burlington on my way from WS to Raleigh. That was Sunday. The car sat until I tried to go out last night, Thursday. It ran fine when parked though. Does this help isolate the issue at all? There were no noises, as though the alt were dying, and as I said, all the electrical shit (lights, stereo, keyless entry & alarm horn) was strong so it seems like that would mean there was enough juice to get the ignition to do SOMETHING. I'll test the battery when I get back to Raleigh, but even if it is dead, I don't have any idea what would have caused it.

3/18/2011 10:33:00 PM

im thinking your "buzzing" sound is the sound of fuel pressurizing the rail (which is right there next to your IAC btw). it should come on for a few seconds (5-10) each time you turn the key to "on"

3/19/2011 1:27:59 AM

You're probably right, that makes sense. I'm less-than-awesome with shit that isn't old/primitive as hell.

[Edited on March 19, 2011 at 6:33 PM. Reason : .]

3/19/2011 6:33:18 PM

Donor car should be running and preferably the driver revving it steadily just a little to help get the max voltage out of the donor battery along with the alternator. Gotta ask, though; you did red to red and black to black/ground right? Strong lights/radio/dash etc don't really rule out a dead battery nowadays, you can still not have enough cranking amps in the battery to get the starter going but enough juice to work everything else.

3/21/2011 1:17:57 AM

Yeah, I had the cables routed correctly. I tested the batter with my volt meter and got 12.5 without the car running, so I'm assuming that means my battery is not the culprit. I guess I'll go through the fuses and see if there's any obvious wiring problems with the alarm (not my idea, the POs). Then it's on to starter relay, then starter, correct?

3/21/2011 8:34:41 AM

Why don't you do the simplest thing first and make sure you have current at the starter solenoid when you turn the key? It's the small wire.

Unless of course the starter is really hard to get to; in which case, you'll want to make sure that there's current at the starter relay when you turn the key. or jump the relay with a small wire/paper clip.

3/21/2011 9:17:05 AM

I know the OP said this wasn't his engine, but did anyone else notice what appears to be plant life growing in the front of the engine compartment? Or is this a junker with no front end that's just sitting on the ground?

[Edited on March 21, 2011 at 2:27 PM. Reason : .]

3/21/2011 2:25:47 PM

I think it's food for the hamster that powers the vehicle.

3/21/2011 2:30:16 PM

No but I did see the first sentence that says it is his

[Edited on March 21, 2011 at 10:31 PM. Reason : or this is a pic he got from google]

3/21/2011 10:30:28 PM

Always a little slow to the draw there Ragged.

3/22/2011 12:01:15 AM

I'm fairly certain I'm going to be pulling the starter tomorrow. Anyone know how much it would cost to have it rebuilt? Where should I take it? Or should I just buy new?

3/28/2011 12:58:07 AM

Replaced the starter and all was well for a couple of dozen starts. Then at Food Lion last night, I went to start it and the fucking thing just spins freely, even when I turned it off/pulled the key out. I guess the solenoid is boned. Will the whack it with something trick work on a solenoid, or just the starter motor itself? I really don't want to pay to tow it from foodlion to my apartment complex literally one mile away.

[Edited on April 11, 2011 at 10:39 AM. Reason : .]

4/11/2011 10:39:05 AM