Electrical Ghost

[stagnant]

This topic may be similar to the 'Engine Dies' post before it. I have a '94 SE Pathfinder with the works. Here is my short story...

 

The other day, I began to loose power. The more gas I gave it, the less it wanted to go. I was on the highway and I turned on my hazard lights. With each flash of the lights, the truck would almost completely die, and once they flashed off, there was power again. Yes, weird.

 

So we begin back home, it eventually dies and my foot cannot convince it otherwise. We wait 5 minutes and try to start it up, no go, almost dead battery. So we push start, works great...for a few minutes. Then the same thing happens, I signal to turn off the road and loose power when anything electrical is on. Finally it dies and my friend and I push start it all the way home for another 30 minutes.

 

Ok, so I have an almost new battery. I took the alternator off and had it tested at two places, just fine. I have had some strangeness with my starter, it seems to click and not want to turn the engine over. I don't know if the starter is going or if the battery is just too tired to crank it. I got under there and the starter celenoid seems a bit loose, a little wiggling and it seemed to work a bit better. I may have answered my own question there, but I don't know if that could be killing my battery and not allowing my alternator to charge it.

 

This morning, I put my bike on the rack and drove to work on a fully charged battery in hopes that my problem magically disappears. So far so good. I will post more as it unfolds.

 

Sorry for the long story, here are some other strange issues that may be related...

1. Factory security alarm box was unplugged when I purchased the pathy. I plugged it back in and cannot re-program the alarm, just keeps resetting.

2. The suspension adjustment will sometimes be set to sport and hitting the switch does not turn it off.

3. Every once in a while, when I open the door lock with my key, the power lock immediately locks it back down. This may just be a sensitive lock sensor, though.

 

So...any ideas? If I take this baby to the Nissan Dealer, will it be easy to pinpoint the problem, or should I take it to a regular mechanic and hope they can figure it out? I would really like my remote entry and security alarm to function and maybe, just maybe they are related.

[NissanPerson]

The door lock thing...that's a Nissan Problem. Pretty much anybody with a Pathfinder from 87-95 with power locks has that problem (usually in cold weather). As the saying goes, never leave your keys in the car and slam the door to run back inside or to get the mail or anything else. You will likely, at some point, come back to find the doors locked and you'll be thinking "but I didn't lock them" and then your car will idle for an hour as you wait in the -10 weather for a cop or locksmith to come. Anyway, personally, I would doubt this has anything to do with your problem.

 

What I would check first is the battery. Put a new one in and if it runs fine then you're done. If it keeps doing it and the battery is running down, then it's more than likely an alternator or something else that is involved in the charging system...maybe something isn't grounded, maybe it's corroded, something of that sort. So, what I'd do next is replace the alternator. I have had NUMEROUS alternators check "good" at the mechanic and then they die 2 weeks later. That's why I bought my own load tester and if it's on the weak side I just pop a new one in because it's not that hard to do (just take it out through the bottom of the car...the top is VERY difficult). Anyway, I'd leave that battery in and see if that does the trick. If not, change the alternator. If it keeps doing it after that cry and pray and ask for help from someone else...but that's the route I usually go and it has usually worked for me. Good luck and I hope you get it fixed.

[stagnant]

Thanks much for the advice. I love the story about the locks, The second day I owned it, it was bout 20 degrees out and I had it warming up and did the same thing. It idled for an hour while I waited for the locksmith. 5 seconds and fifty bucks later...I was in. Funny thing is I later found a hide-a-key inside the bumper that had been left there. Oh well.

 

I will post more info on the outcome after a few more days testing. Thanks again.

[JonesyUSN]

whats good about our pathys is the door jam goes to the top of the body.. so, at home keep a plastic wedge, such as a door jam.. which might be too soft, and a long metal dowel rod.. thats how we got into almost everything at the dealership i worked for.. if that fails we had so many lockpick kits there.. buuuuuuut since the majority of us are not ase or asc (i dont member which) certified we cant get them.. i tried to buy one off the snap on truck guy and he laughed at me..