PLEASE HELP electrical problems

[smily_vigor]

I'm having two problems. One i'm closer to the issue but i'm still nt %100 sure, can someone please let me know if i'm on the right path.

1992 240sx (originally auto) 5 speed. No clutch switch connected

#1. This morning I went to start the car and nothing. No lights, no sound no nothing. I originally thought it was a dead battery but when I put my volt meter on it it read 12.63v. Then I went in the car and after about 5mins of cycling the key the dash lights came on but it still didn't crank. So i'm thinking something is loose but I don't know what. I started pulling apart the whole car, checked the starter connections, checked the battery terminals, checked the ignition switch connection, all seemed fine. Then suddenly it cranked and started. I shut it off and did it three more times and it cranked each time. I decided to leave the car home and come back to it after work. When I reached home at about 6pm went in the crank it, this time all the lights came on but on crank. The chime, lights and whatever come up but no crank. I'm now thinking the starter. I jumped the starter with a screw driver and the pinion just spun. It didn't start it just spun as if it was free wheeling. Is that normal??? then I decided to hit the starter a few times with a hammer to shock the solenoid. After I was moving around the harnesses under the dash. Sat down and the car started right up. Now the problem is I'm not sure if hitting the starter made it start or was it some loose connection that moving around the harness somewhat fixed? I'm gonna wait till morning to try again. Any ideas please help me out.

#2. This problem was going on before the starting thing, it kinda happened in the past but then went away. Now it's back. My model is equipped with ABS, I had an intermitten ABS problem that would illuminate the ABS light. Anyways I fixed that issue, (basically it was low voltage due to a bad battery and alternator) but had happened one day when I was driving was weired. The ABS light came on then went off, then when it went off the cruise light came on. Basically the whole drive they alternated as if they where connected or something. Now when I stopped the car and turned the ignition off the cruise ligth stays on. The cruise botton isn't pressed and I have an aftermarket steering wheel so I didn't even put back the other (acc, decel,) buttons back (been meaning to do it for awhile now) so i'm wondering what could be making this happen. i've had that steering wheel a very long time so it's not something that started since the wheel install. What is making the light stay on? I disconnected the battery for now becasue I can't have it draining my battery. Please Help, any ideas?

[smily_vigor]

Common can anyone help me out?

[IN33DH3LP]

problem #1: As far as the lighting goes it sounds like it was a loose connection or no ground-especially since your battery was still putting out 12.6V. If your not getting power to anything-thats a safe assumption. Since you went through and tightened everything down is it working fine? As far as the starter goes, when you had it out did you test the hold in and pull in solenoid? Hitting it with a hammer probably wasnt a good thing, but if it works it works. Are you still having problems with this?

Question #2: Actually, now that I think about it- how is it getting power? do a visual inspection of the wiring on the positive side of the light and see if its touching anything i.e. alarm system, stereo theft deturent, etc... a wiring schematic will help out a lot in this. Find which wires near your cruise light wires are hot at all times, its probably touching one of them. Thats where I would start.

[jrmiller84]

You can take the starter to a parts store and see if that's the problems. They will make sure that it spins correctly and that the bendix engages. I had a problem very similar and it was a loose electrical connection to the battery. It would cause it to just suddenly not start. Move the connection and it would fire up. Doesn't sound like your problem since you tore everything apart but just some reinforcement.

I've also had the starter go out, producing similar symptoms.

[smily_vigor]

Thanks guys, for the light i'm going to swap clusters to make sure it's not a short in the actual cluster. For the starting problem. I tested the ignition switch and it is getting power and when it's on acc or "on" there is continuity between power and the those pins, so it's functionning. sometimes all the cluster lights and everything come on other times no. Actually now it's a no all the time cause I had to leave my car at work because it wouldn't do anything. Also when the ignition is at "on" one of the relays in the engine bay "egi" is going crazy (buzzing). This obviously isn't why sometimes i'm getting ingnition power and other times not, but figured I'd give all the details. Oh one more thing, in the times that I did get ignition (all the lights cooming on) I would turn to crank the engine them they would all shut off and I wouldn't get now crank. It's not the battery or the terminals we tested those already.