Possible starter problem

[rixx]

I have a '95 Maxima which I have been driving for nearly 10 years now. I have over 300k miles on it. I think the starter has been replaced about 6 years ago. I now have problems starting the car. It's an automatic, and in order to start, I have to push the shifter all the way towards the park position. Only then will it start.

Is this a problem with my starter or could it be something else? I've been thinking of getting another car, but at the moment I can't afford to. I must keep the car running for at least another 6 mos. Has anyone ever experienced this?

Thanks in advance,

Rixx

[maxine95]

Its suppose to do that. For safty it will only start in neutral or park.

[rixx]

Thanks for the reply. The shifter is already in the Park position. I have to really push the shifter in order to start the car. I understand there is a shift lock mechanism which does not allow the car to be started unless it is in Park, but I have trouble with it when it's already in Park.

Any thoughts would be helpful.

I will also try to start the car while in neutral. That might be a temporary work-around.

Thanks,

rixx

[slickroper]

Because the car will only start in park and neutral, there is a chance there is a sensor in the shifter that lets the starter know where the shifter is. If that is dirty or getting old that could be throwing it off. My girlfriend has a 2001 accord and some liquid spilled into her shift column. After that the key wouldn't be released from the ignition because the car was sensing that it was in drive and park at the same time. Anyways, it's worth looking into and could be a cheap fix.