[Macboy]

Hello all. So excited to be in a cube - even if I'm experiencing my first issue here. I'm hoping someone else has had the same problem or has helped someone who has - it's weird and all the Googling I can do isn't coming up with the same issue. Or it's just not being described the way I'm seeing it play out.

My cube is a 2009, pretty sure it's one step up from the base model. It's not a Krom. I was fitting new roof racks (ski season is coming) today and had the doors open quite a bit. When I was done I went to start the cube and it wouldn't. I thought maybe it was the battery so I put my charger on it and charged it up until the charger readout said 100%. Still no go. So I started trying to figure out what was happening so I could search for solutions.

Power is good, key FOB works fine, spare FOB as well. When I hop in the cube, press the brake pedal and hit the start button the steering lock retracts, the dash lights up and that's about it. After a second or two the radio comes on and the "press brake" light comes back on. It appears to have gone to ACC mode after "trying to start" but failing to activate the starter. If I release the brake and just hit the button it "turns off" and I hear the steering gear relock the steering (and confirmed the steering does indeed lock).

Is this the symptom of the ESCL? Does the car still light the dash etc and then go to ACC mode or will the button not even wake the system up and 'try' to start the cube?

Brake lights work fine, shouldn't be the brake switch. I hope it's a known ESCL issue here....I can drive my truck but LOVE my cube and want to drive it! Thanks in advance for any wisdom and thank you for welcoming me into the forum!

 

[Macboy]

Good morning! Just an update. So I was wrong about the steering lock. It does indeed retract when I press the button, then the car does it's thing but doesn't start and then defaults to ACC mode (I'm assuming). The "press brake" light comes back on when the radio comes on - hence my assumption on ACC mode. Then when I "give up" and hit the button to leave it be and go back inside the steering gear locked things up (verified - the steering wheel does lock).

If the issue is the ESCL, will the car still light the dash etc and then go to ACC mode or will the button not even wake the system up and 'try' to start the cube? I'll edit the post above to remove the inaccurate info.

 

[jeplloyd]

Sounds like brake light switch isn't working. A new switch costs about 20 dollars. You can attempt to fix it by taking it out, taking it apart, and cleaning the connections.

 

[Macboy]

I was hoping but I replaced the brake switch tonight and no change. I recorded some video of what it's doing.

Dash view

Underhood "sounds"

After the car drives by in the underhood view you can hear the second attempt quite clearly - if those sounds mean anything at all.....

 

[jeplloyd]

Sounds like the starter solenoid is shot. You'll need to replace the starter. You can hear the little starter tap noise at 14 and 45 seconds in the second video.

 

[jcurtis359]

It sounds like power isn't getting from the battery to the starter. It could be a dead battery, or it could be that the terminals aren't making good contact, which isn't uncommon. To clean the terminals, remove the negative terminal first and clean inside the clamp. Then clean the battery post. You can use sandpaper or a scraper of some kind, even a screwdriver. You can buy a tool specifically for that - a wire brush for both the clamp and the terminal.

Do the same with the positive terminal and then put the positive cable back on first and then the negative. I have some small "smart" trickle chargers to keep the batteries healthy. I see it's cold where you are, 3°C. Batteries don't like the cold.
Amazon.com : trickle chargers

Good luck!

 

[cubie krom]

It sounds like power isn't getting from the battery to the starter. It could be a dead battery, or it could be that the terminals aren't making good contact, which isn't uncommon. To clean the terminals, remove the negative terminal first and clean inside the clamp. Then clean the battery post. You can use sandpaper or a scraper of some kind, even a screwdriver. You can buy a tool specifically for that - a wire brush for both the clamp and the terminal.

Do the same with the positive terminal and then put the positive cable back on first and then the negative. I have some small "smart" trickle chargers to keep the batteries healthy. I see it's cold where you are, 3°C. Batteries don't like the cold.
Amazon.com : trickle chargers

Good luck!

Hi you

It sounds like power isn't getting from the battery to the starter. It could be a dead battery, or it could be that the terminals aren't making good contact, which isn't uncommon. To clean the terminals, remove the negative terminal first and clean inside the clamp. Then clean the battery post. You can use sandpaper or a scraper of some kind, even a screwdriver. You can buy a tool specifically for that - a wire brush for both the clamp and the terminal.

Do the same with the positive terminal and then put the positive cable back on first and then the negative. I have some small "smart" trickle chargers to keep the batteries healthy. I see it's cold where you are, 3°C. Batteries don't like the cold.
Amazon.com : trickle chargers

Good luck!

It sounds like power isn't getting from the battery to the starter. It could be a dead battery, or it could be that the terminals aren't making good contact, which isn't uncommon. To clean the terminals, remove the negative terminal first and clean inside the clamp. Then clean the battery post. You can use sandpaper or a scraper of some kind, even a screwdriver. You can buy a tool specifically for that - a wire brush for both the clamp and the terminal.

Do the same with the positive terminal and then put the positive cable back on first and then the negative. I have some small "smart" trickle chargers to keep the batteries healthy. I see it's cold where you are, 3°C. Batteries don't like the cold.
Amazon.com : trickle chargers

Good luck!

hi I would check to see if power is getting to the starter go to the starter the small wire should have power when you try to start it the big wire should have power also , if you do then the starter is bad

 

[Macboy]

Hello everyone, just to follow up on this thread in case others have similar symptoms. Winter hit and time was precious and, and, and......so I resolved to let the shop handle this one. When the tow truck arrived we thought "let's try to boost it, why not?". Well, it started but the tow operator said there were sparks shooting forward off the starter when it was cranking and he was certain it wasn't going to start. But it did.

I drove it to the dealership and the end result was a replaced starter. Trouble free for a week now. I'll keep this thread current if things head south again.

 

[Columbia1991]

You’re lucky it was just the starter. We went almost a year with intermittent starting issues and it turned out to be a head gasket issue. Once replaced, we’ve had no issues for over 2 years, which confirms it was a head gasket issue.

 

[Dave65]

You’re lucky it was just the starter. We went almost a year with intermittent starting issues and it turned out to be a head gasket issue. Once replaced, we’ve had no issues for over 2 years, which confirms it was a head gasket issue.

I have owned my little cube for 9 years and 130K+ miles. It has honestly been the most reliable car I have ever owned (and I am mid 50s)
I have been having starting issues on and off for over a year, last week I finally couldn't coax her to start. Here is what happens.
There is power to everything except the starter solenoid. It used to be that when it would act up I could put the key in run position and move the shifter from Park to Neutral and back and it would pretty much always start, on occasion, i would have to let the car roll a couple inches (I honestly don't know if this really made a difference, but the car would start) . Now it will not crank at all. I checked and have voltage at the main starter wire, but I don't get any voltage to the solenoid when the key is in Start position. In the spirit of full disclosure. I am not a mechanic, I don't even play one on TV. I have fixed most problems with my cars over the years with the help of a Haynes manual and a lot of colorful language. I cannot find a Haynes for the cube, but I did manage to find the Nissan Service Manual for the 2011 cube All 4346 pages of it (Yes, Really, 4346 pages). It really hasn't been a lot of help, just gets me to the point I already know and says "Repair the issue". Just really hoping someone on here has had the same or similar issue and can offer me some advise before I completely flatten my forehead on my garage wall. I am ugly enough and don't much enjoy the headaches either.