[Apex]

I'm looking for some help in diagnosing my 2007 SE CC 4x4 6spd manual that won't start.

I had recently gone to help a friend with his 2006 Xterra. Long story short, we pulled my batter from my truck and put it in his to pull some codes, etc. After that, I put the battery back in my truck and it wouldn't start! No crank at all, none of the usual ticking to indicate a dead battery. Interior lights and windows worked, dash worked, headlights, etc. When I did turn the key, the fan and radio would cut out as is typically when it's cranking.

I've checked the clutch pedal to ensure the pins on the switch are being depressed. Held it down and turned the key: nothing. I had left my multimeter at home so don't have an exact number but the voltage gauge was showing just under the '-' on the battery icon which is about 12ish volts. I put the battery on a trickle charger for about 10 minutes but still no crank. Fortunately I was parked on a slope so I shifted to Reverse, rolled backwards, and bump started it. Ok, it seems to be running fine so I drove it home, about a 20 minute highway drive.

During the drive, my speedometer isn't working. The tach and the rest of the gauges are fine and the voltage is indicating nominal. Also the SLIP, BRAKE, ABS, and 4WD lights are now all on. The TPMS light is also on but that had been on previously. I've attached a picture. The diagram that usually shows the 2 vs 4 wheel engagement is completely blank. Besides these visual cues, it ran like normal.

I got home and again parked on a slope just in case. I should have checked the voltage while running but I stopped it first. The voltage on the battery was 12.4V when not running. Seems ok there.

I swapped the starter relay (top left one on the white tray, correct?) around with others on the IPDM hoping to indicate a bad relay but still no crank. I haven't swapped in a brand new relay yet.

My Bluetooth OBD2 adapter spit out P0500: Vehicle speed sensor failure. Ok, that correlates with the speedo showing no output. Reading some threads shows that's typically due to a damaged wire. I have a 2" lift installed but it's been in for quite a while and I made sure even at full droop the wires and brake lines weren't being stressed. It still is worth checking.

Would the VSS have anything to do with the no start/no crank issue? What am I missing here? There had been no problems leading up to this and the only thing that happened in between was pulling the battery for about an hour, using it to help power the Xterra, and then reinstalling it.

Any help is appreciated and I tried to give as much detail as possible. I'm looking for ideas to continue diagnosing it after work tonight.

 

[Apex]

So I had a trickle charger on it overnight. I checked it in the morning and battery voltage was over 13V. I hooked up the terminals and noticed that the negative was a little loose. It would rotate around the post however there was enough juice to unlock the doors and run the interior/dash lights as normal. When I turned the key. Nothing...

The fact that the battery is showing sufficient volts to start might not guarantee it can start. I will plan to get it bench tested at a parts store this week. Is it worth removing the starter and doing the same? Somehow the power isn't making it to the starter. Is there something else to consider given this information? I can't figure out what would have happened just by me briefly pulling the battery to another vehicle, bringing it back and it won't start.

I will get a shim cap for the battery post tonight to rule that out.

 

[tumbleweed]

I agree looks like no power getting to the starter. I think it is a loose or broken connection between the battery and the starter.

You might put a voltmeter across the battery while you have someone turn the key to the start position. If the voltage doesn't drop you probably have a bad connection or the relay on the starter is bad. I am not sure if there is a fuse in the starter relay ckt, the owner's manual doesn't seem to have have fuse list. Wouldn't hurt to check all the wires and cables associated with the starter ckt again.

I have found that when I have a problem soon after I have worked on something it is usually something I did.

 

[Clint]

A loose connection will have an adverse impact.

Clint

 

[Apex]

My multimeter was showing voltage on the starter solenoid input when grounding to the front diff. Then I was able to jump the input and output terminals on the solenoid together to get spark and spin the starter, essentially bypassing the solenoid. It just spun free because it wasn't extending and engaging with the flywheel. The starter is off now and I'm bringing it to the parts store over lunch to get it bench tested and confirm my suspicion of a bad solenoid.

One other thing worth noting is that the headlights didn't dim when turning the key to start. This helps support that the solenoid is not 'switching' and that there is no power draw. It seems this could also be an ignition switch issue but I'm hoping that's not the case.

 

[Apex]

Well I swapped in a used IPDM last night and it fired right up, all the lights went off on the dash, and the speedo works again!

I had a white IPDM unit originally and swapped a black one that I think was out of a 2012 and that seemed to do the trick. I don't have the exact part numbers but I can update here later. The one I swapped in is discontinued as there have been some updates to the IPDM so the one that you can actually buy new is a different number. I'd suggest checking out junkyards or car-part.com to find a newer one with a black plastic surround if yours is having issues.