01 Pathfinder Wouldn't Start... Charged Batt, Smoke...

[mikeralph7]

pathfinder wouldn't start, so i charged the battery. (battery is a replacement from walmart --- 2.5 yrs old)

 

after i charged it, it started right away. i put it in reverse and it seemed to be caught up on something. then it seemed like i smelled smoke but not entirely certain.

 

my first thought was that the alternator was frozen up and the belt was spinning around it causing it to burn.

 

i shut it down and put a light on it then re-started it and it checked out okay. alternator was spinning. took it for a test drive and it was okay.

 

 

here's the problem.... i'm screwed if i get stuck somewhere because i am new in town and don't know anyone, and i'm far away from repair shops.

 

not sure if i should get a load test done from walmart or just take it in to the nissan dealership and pay to have them check out the entire charging system.

 

 

is there some home-test i can do in the meantime like remove the positive battery cable, turn on the headlights with the engine running and then see if the car continues to run?

 

 

i figure that if the car continues to run and the lights shine bright then the alternator must be putting out current. right ?????

 

 

what does nissan usually charge to check out the charging system? might they do it for free?

 

 

the car is 8 yrs old with 66,000 miles..... how long does the typical alternator last?

[Alkorahil]

I have had bad experinces with Walmart batteries not lasting very long. BUT, I will also say that they have never given me any trouble with the warranty, they swap it out no questions.

Assuming you have the proper size battery 2.5 years is a little soon on a battery, 3-4 is average, but if you have very hot or cold weather where you live it may just be time for a battery. I would strongly recommend an optima battery. They cost a little more but hold up way longer. There are many on here that will attest to that.

 

As for the alternator, 5-6 years for a properly built remanufactured alternator is average, 6-10 for an OEM, so I would not be completely surprised if you needed a new one. They do alot of work and are constanly working when the vehile is running.

Of course, like anything they are built by man, so there are some that dont last at all and some that last forever. The original alternator on my Pathy lasted 13 years....

 

Also the smell, it is possible that the alterator bearings did freeze for a moment then go back to spinning from the tension/pulling of the belt. I have seen this before. There is usually a horrible squeel that goes along with this, something that sounds like a pig caught in a lawnmower.

If this happened there usually is some visable soot on the front and back of the alternator where the fins are that will smell burt.

Are there any lights coming on at all on the instrument cluster? If is is under charging or over charging there should be lights coming on.

 

Is it also possible that you left a light or have a power drain somehwere that drove the battery down?

Sometimes it is somethign simple like that.

 

If the alternator was not charging, and you did a full recharge on the battery, the vehicle should run 20-30 minutes before dying depending on how much load you are putting on the battery.

[edicer2]

make sure to check the connections sometimes a ground could be bad. To test the battery put a volt meter on the battery when its been sitting for a while with the truck not running it should be around 12.0-12.5volts maybe more. When its running you should be up in the 14s if you arent then you have a weak charging system.

 

1 If you think you have a power drain then charge the battery to full and take it out of the car or just disconnect it over night and then test the voltage in the morning if its less then 12 i would say it bad battery.

 

2 then if its holding a charge disconnected and you do the same thing by charging it up and then this time leave it in the truck with it connected and see if it goes less then 12v over night then I would say you have a power draw somewhere.

 

3 if it is holding a charge while disconnected and also connected then i could think its your charging system or a bad connection. check your grounds and terminals to make sure they are all clean and not corroded that can prevent the current from flowing well. Make sure when the truck is on its get over 14 volts under load like with headlights on and maybe the heater or something. that way your working your charging system like you would normally when driving. if you have the stuff off it could maybe read 14v but if you put a load on it it could drop drastically which would cause it to not charge and eventually the battery would die.

 

AN EXAMPLE of this would be in my 86 nissan 300zx with the same motor as my pathy(your motor is simular but bigger) the car would be fine running there but if i turned the headlights on or the heater on or pushed the brakes then the dash lights would light up saying low voltage(out pathfinder should do the same but not always) and then i got the idea to check the voltage(wasnt sure the the guage in the car was right but it read low 12v)and sure enough i was only getting a 12.7 when i had the car running and the headlights on when iturned the headlights off it would go up to 13.6v which is still low so i got a new alternator and it is back to 14.3v when the headlights are on like it should be.

 

the testers basically push a charge on the battery and see how long it holds it then it puts a draw on it to see how fast it drops. then they tell you to turn the car on to and turn on the headlights and heater to put a load on it and it sees if the alternator is putting out the 14 volts. if it doesnt pass all of those it can telll you if its the battery or the alternator.

 

 

 

So try 1-3 that i listed and let me know the results.

 

doing those 3 has sovled my problem everytime. just let me know what you came up with and ill help you figure it out

Edited December 28, 2009 by edicer2

[mikeralph7]

I have had bad experinces with Walmart batteries not lasting very long. BUT, I will also say that they have never given me any trouble with the warranty, they swap it out no questions.

Assuming you have the proper size battery 2.5 years is a little soon on a battery, 3-4 is average, but if you have very hot or cold weather where you live it may just be time for a battery. I would strongly recommend an optima battery. They cost a little more but hold up way longer. There are many on here that will attest to that.

 

As for the alternator, 5-6 years for a properly built remanufactured alternator is average, 6-10 for an OEM, so I would not be completely surprised if you needed a new one. They do alot of work and are constanly working when the vehile is running.

Of course, like anything they are built by man, so there are some that dont last at all and some that last forever. The original alternator on my Pathy lasted 13 years....

 

Also the smell, it is possible that the alterator bearings did freeze for a moment then go back to spinning from the tension/pulling of the belt. I have seen this before. There is usually a horrible squeel that goes along with this, something that sounds like a pig caught in a lawnmower.

If this happened there usually is some visable soot on the front and back of the alternator where the fins are that will smell burt.

Are there any lights coming on at all on the instrument cluster? If is is under charging or over charging there should be lights coming on.

 

Is it also possible that you left a light or have a power drain somehwere that drove the battery down?

Sometimes it is somethign simple like that.

 

If the alternator was not charging, and you did a full recharge on the battery, the vehicle should run 20-30 minutes before dying depending on how much load you are putting on the battery.

 

thanks.

 

no lights on the instrument panel, and i'm positive that nothing was left on.

 

i'm going to let it run with the lights on and see how long it stays running.

[edicer2]

read what i wrote i posted at the same time as u so idk if saw it or not

[Alkorahil]

read what i wrote i posted at the same time as u so idk if saw it or not

 

 

Yeah, do these tests as well, he brought up some good points!