ajspath Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 (edited) I was having problems starting the SUV (1993 Nissan Pathfinder) with an old battery. So I replaced the battery with a used, but fully charged battery (checked with a voltmeter). With this battery, the car was fully functional for a day of driving and turning on/off. The next day, the battery was completely discharged--no clock, no nothing--and the voltmeter reading was 0.4--dead. So I jump started the car. Immediately afterwards it died when I put the car on drive (I wanted to move it). I jump started the car a 2nd time, left everything alone, and let it run for an hour. I came back afterwards, and turning the key to open the passenger side door turned off the engine. I checked the battery with the voltmeter and it managed to charge to about 2. What is going on?! I appreciate your help in advance--and happy holidays! Edited November 28, 2007 by ajspath Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
95shakinPF Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 (edited) Not charging! Check the connections at the battery and alternator thoroughly. If all is well there, the alternator must be going! You should maintain 13.5 to 14 vollts at the battery when running! Have the alt. checked at Auto Zone,Advance,Oreiley's etc. Or you may have an electrical component staying on draining the battery(rear hatch light?). Edited November 28, 2007 by 95shakinPF Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chriskaw440 Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 ....or the battery itsself is shot, as sometimes they just have a cell go bad and will never charge again. it can be as fast as "started when I left for the store, but when I tried to start it to go home, it was dead INSTANTLY, not like the familiar slow cranking sounds that eventually just dissipate to 'click click click' " I've had it happen on my wifes van, our jetskis, and just recently.....my pathfinder. Battery is good one minute, and dead the next. Just one of the ways they can fail. I'm not saying this is the case for fairly new batteries...but older ones that just go POOF with no warning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ajspath Posted November 28, 2007 Author Share Posted November 28, 2007 thanks everyone for the quick replies =D. gonna check all fuses first. afterwards, i will check the alternator by first jump starting the car, and then disconnecting the battery's negative pole from the chassis. is this a good idea? and it's odd that the car was able to run after a jumpstart while the battery had an extremely small amount of power left. so maybe the alternator is working but not giving enough juice. this is probably why the battery was able to charge to 2 on the voltmeter after the car ran for an hour. looks like i'll have to look for weak connections or a loose alternator belt. my 4th or 5th post and i love this forum already! oh yah, i love the chilton's manual too! i'm a novice at repair (and kind of ok at maintenance) so wish me luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 sounds like a dead battery to me... disconnect the pos (+) as there are multiple grounds on your vehicle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhostPath Posted November 28, 2007 Share Posted November 28, 2007 sounds like a dead battery to me... disconnect the pos (+) as there are multiple grounds on your vehicle. NEVER disconnect a power cable on an EFI car while it's running!!!!! Among other things, such as possibly causing a short or surge which will FRY your ECU, it will almost certainly toast your alternator's solid state regulator if it's not dead already. Just take the car to AutoZone, they will test your charging system in the car for free. Of course, if you WANT to blow up your electronics, you're more than welcome to do so... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerranoNZ Posted November 29, 2007 Share Posted November 29, 2007 Sounds like dead battery...dead cell....I'd go with Ghostpath and get a free test Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
revgolem Posted November 30, 2007 Share Posted November 30, 2007 Specific quote from random site, though they ALL say the same thing. Someday it will sink in. "Why is first disconnecting the terminal connected to the frame important? Most automobile batteries are tightly packaged inside of the engine compartment and using metal tools such as wrenches and sockets will probably come in contact with the metal frame or a device connected to the metal frame during the removal of the battery cable. If this was the wrong terminal and not the grounded terminal connected to the frame, this accidental contact would cause a short circuit of hundreds of amperes across the battery, producing an arc, a flash, a burn or perhaps a battery or gas fume explosion! Disconnecting the grounded terminal is at the same potential as the battery terminal and an accidental short circuit will not occur if the tools make accidental contact with the frame during battery removal." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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