Arrrgh...no crank and others

[Stinky]

On my '86 4x4 D21 w/a 2.4.....It has been sitting for over 10 years.  It was an easy fix (yea right), blown headgasket....but they ruined the block while still driving it

 

I hook up the battery and it has a short....a small spark.

 

Anyways we went to start it today....it wouldn't crank.  When you turn the key to "Start," the wire to the solenoid makes my test-light flash for an instant.  Most of the time, it won't even click the starter as it is that fast.  What might cause that?  Gunked up Ignition Switch?

 

When we jump the solenoid, it cranks fine and we even got it to start, and run.....on ether spray.  I have given up on this for the moment.  We'll figure it out...we hope.

 

We also need a new vacuum canister.  I JB-welded the nipples back on.  The JB Weld didn't break, but it broke right next to it.  Guess what, they still make these.  They are only $240.  We are gonna try one from my Quest.  This requieres bracket fabrication.

 

We throw up our hands for the days and say ENOUGH, I can't handle it anymore.  As we are walking away we notice that the brake-lights are on.  The Headlights are off.  After thinking about it, we have a new Master Cylinder that has not been bled.  Hopefully, when we bleed it, the pedal will pop up all the way and....(just guessing).

 

On the bright side, we may have found our short.

 

[ggzilla]

1 hour ago, Stinky said:

As we are walking away we notice that the brake-lights are on. 

The brake pedal stopper has probably broken, it's the most common cause of brake lights always on

 

The pedal doesn't pop up, there is a spring on the pedal to keep it up

[datzenmike]

There is usually a rubber bumper that the brake light switch is adjusted against. They are glued on or for what ever reason has fallen off and the pedal no longer opens the brake light circuit. Scotch tape some pennies on the pedal for now. 

 

Not a short, all wires are protected by fuses, a short would blow a fuse. What you have is a draw, something using power like the interior light on. The spark when disconnecting the battery cable is obviously because the brake lights are on. 

 

What you need for the starter is a hot start relay. The power from the ignition switch has degraded over the years but it is sufficient to make a relay send 12v to the starter solenoid...

 

 

 Take note of the canister labels and go to a wrecking yard and get any other one that matches.

[ggzilla]

3 hours ago, datzenmike said:

Scotch tape some pennies on the pedal for now

I have used a nickel with electrical tape, and another time a quarter with duct tape

 

1986 Hardbody uses the green one. It snaps into the hole on the brake pedal. It was originally designed for 1969 Datsun 1000. The clear one is less expensive and fits the same hole

Green: Nissan 46512-H0101

[Stinky]

Well, I went out and looked.  You are all right, the bumper is missing.

 

Mike, I don't think that will do anything for me.  The problem is not reduced voltage (I think, I didn't measure it, I just saw my test-light flash, brightly).  But an intermittent flow of amperage.

[ggzilla]

On 7/23/2025 at 2:19 PM, Stinky said:

When you turn the key to "Start," the wire to the solenoid makes my test-light flash for an instant.  Most of the time, it won't even click the starter as it is that fast.  What might cause that?  Gunked up Ignition Switch?

 

When we jump the solenoid, it cranks fine

I've seen this more than once with a Nissan. Jiggle the key, and it cranks fine, but turn it all the way clockwise and it don't crank. Turn it just back from all the way and it cranks. If this happens with your rig, the ignition switch is bad. It unbolts from the back of the key cylinder

 

In this case, a relay won't fix the problem

 

1986 D21 IGNITION SWITCH

 

Jumping the solenoid (jamming a screw driver beween the large and small terminals) bypasses the IGN switch. The starter solenoid is an electro-mechanical relay. Adding another relay might help if the contacts inside the ignition switch are gunked up, but doesn't totally resolve the problem, rather it bypasses it at the cost of adding more parts and wiring

 

[ggzilla]

On 7/23/2025 at 2:19 PM, Stinky said:

We also need a new vacuum canister

Are you talking about the charcoal canister/carbon canister?

 

As @datzenmike suggested, the wrecking yard is a good place for this. For example, Nissan trucks and cars can use the same unit even years apart. There are five-port units and 4-port units (with one port on the bottom) and older ones are 3-hose type with open bottom

 

Nissan calls it: EVAPORATION CANISTER ASSEMBLY or VAPOR CANISTER ASSEMBLY

[Stinky]

GGZila....You have a point, cuz, it sends a brief pulse of "juice" and then nutN.  A relay would just kick the relay for a micro-second and then nut'N.

 

AND, that is the canister that I need. 

 

On the bright side.  It runs on its own now.  I found a plug that needed another 3/16" of penetration.  That energized the TBI.  

 

As a side point....we'd changed the gas and put in a new Fuel Pump.  Today I took off the hose going to the TBI and flushed the line.  Man, did some brown gunk come outa there....and it didn't smell like gas.  I assumed that the line was empty.

 

Now, it won't rev up past 2,700 to 3,000rpm....The Tach needle bounces

[datzenmike]

Try a hot start relay. The signal from the ignition switch maybe low. When the starter engages it's like a huge short on the electrical system dropping the start signal even lower so it can't maintain the solenoid and it jumps out. Borrow a meter and pull the small wire off the starter solenoid and measure the start signal with the ignition in START. My 620 and my 710 were around 8 v. Starter was very hit or miss.

[Stinky]

A productive day on this bucket of bolts...

 

We got the turn-signals adapted in....newer 2 wire in place of older 3 wire.

 

I put a rubber brake arm plug in.  I got it at Napa.  It is for a Honda....$7.75, or so, for 2.

I found 2 split rubber vaccum lines....at the nipple.  All of a sudden it revs up like it should.

 

The TBI is all FUBAR....based on what the manual says on how to adjust the idle, some of the marks are way off.  The PO did some crazy stuff.

 

I'm gonna try setting the timing tonight.  I can't see the marks in the sun.

 

We are getting new wheel cylinders.  When I went to open the bleeding nipple, it opened up quickly, broke right off.

 

OH, and I saw a mouse under the hood

[ggzilla]

20 hours ago, Stinky said:

I'm gonna try setting the timing tonight.  I can't see the marks in the sun.

On mine, i used a wire brush, then put some fingernail polish in the mark. Or a yellow crayon

[Stinky]

It cranks just fine, now, with a new ignition switch.