nunya Posted June 29, 2011 Share Posted June 29, 2011 From what I'm reading I still say you got an alty problem... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alkorahil Posted June 30, 2011 Share Posted June 30, 2011 The dash lights all on at once mean the alternator is goign out. The dash warning lights going on and off are exactly what mine did when it went out. The lights all onat once mean the alternator is not charging correctly. Mine too when it went out would come on at idle and go off at 60-70 mph. I got a few more days out of it this way. Eventually the whole alternator crapped out and they were on constantly as the vehicle ran off the battery till it too died and that was it. I really think this is where the problem is despite the other symptoms. Your vehicle uses the battery to start the motor then draws power being supplied by the alternator. The regulator built into the alternator governs how much power is put into the electrical system based on the load of the electrical system. It the alternator goes out your vehicle will still run as it will then draw power from the battery till the battery is dead. With a dead alternator you should be able to go about 20 minutes with power from only the battery assuming a full charge on the battery. The fact that your vehicle did start up doesnt totally surprise me. Ever use a cordless drill, run the battery down and then let it sit for a few minutes then use it again for a few seconds when it was dead before? Your vehicle battery will do the same, it will 'recover' some power from sitting. When you have a battery problem in these vehicles the sure sign that there is no power being supplied to the system is the clock on the instrument cluster is not on. It requires the least amount of power to operate. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted July 1, 2011 Share Posted July 1, 2011 ^Building on what he said, I've read that Pathy starting problems are sometimes due to the ignition switch not having the power to engage the starter solenoid. If you wire your ignition through another relay (so that your starter and starter solenoid get power directly from the battery), this apparently makes them more likely to start (rather than just clicking). So perhaps the battery was a little too low to engage the starter solenoid when they tried it, but when you tried it, the battery had regrouped a bit and was able to flip the solenoid? I read about the relay hack here: http://www.4x4parts.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=0&Number=315995&an=&page=0&vc=1 (Keep in mind that I'm a noob, and this could be total crap.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewcconti Posted July 2, 2011 Author Share Posted July 2, 2011 Get rid of Meineke. They're a bunch of asshats that usually don't know what they're doing and charge way too much. Seriously. I would go through and check every single ground. The battery light being on either indicates that the alternator isn't charging (due to an internal fault or loose belt), or there is a loose wire somewhere and it's tripping the light. However, saying that the lights come on at lower RPMs then turns off at higher RPMs makes me lean towards a loose belt or a faulty from the box alternator. Bad connection, maybe. Definitely check. Also check the connections at the battery. Sometimes the joints in the bundle of wires coming of the positive side of the battery can get weak from all the vibrations/bending/twisting of the engine. At the moment I don't remember which wires trigger the dash lights. Being as you started the truck right up at the shop that means the battery wasn't dead. Unless they did charge it, in which case you need to specify. What was the voltage reading on the dash when the truck died on the highway? Normal? Were there any lights on? Did you lose ALL power? Windows, heater, blinkers, etc? Or just starter power? Big difference. Oh and insert foot in mouth. My NAPA alternator just started failing the other day. It's whining loudly and not wanting to charge at idle or provide amperage under load. LOL! The battery light and brake light came on at the same time and the engine died in the passing lane, I rolled to the breakdown lane and called AAA. I tried to restart the car and nothing, no click nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewcconti Posted August 20, 2011 Author Share Posted August 20, 2011 The battery light and brake light came on at the same time and the engine died in the passing lane, I rolled to the breakdown lane and called AAA. I tried to restart the car and nothing, no click nothing. So after the Pathfinder died on me in the breakdown lane and I had to have it towed home via AAA. I took a new job in PA and left the Pathfinder in my driveway. I am moving back to Mass and will need to get the Pathfinder serviceable and useful for my once a month commute to PA over this winter. Any ideas what the problem could be? As I mentioned the battery light, brake light came on at the same time while I was driving at about 70 mph in the passing lane, when these lights came on the engine died at the same time and would not restart... Meineke replaced my alternator with a rebuilt one less then 80 miles before the breakdown.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 See Alkorahil's post above, what you're describing still seems to fit with what he said. Check your battery, if it's way low, then your alternator (or associated wiring) is probably the issue, and the car just ran it down until there wasn't enough juice to keep it going. Test the alternator, and check the wiring to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewcconti Posted September 2, 2011 Author Share Posted September 2, 2011 Problem Solved! After lots of money and frustration spent with Meineke. I had AAA tow my Pathfinder to Car Services Inc (Nissan Independent Factory Trained Mechanic) in Norwell, Charlie Russell. He found the new/rebuilt alternator Meineke put in was bad...he installed a Beck and Hardley (sp?) Alternator and when giving the truck a through inspection he discovered the distributor cap was a "S" code - not produced for over 15 yrs!!!! With the truck running using a spray bottle of water he sprayed the distributor and the car died. He told me the distributor was "arching"? So now with a new alternator, new distributor and new rotor my Pathfinder is running 100% Thanks for all of the help and advice! I hope this will be a reliable winter beater for me, as I will be using it for a 800 mile commute once a month from Mass to Williamsport, PA. Thanks again, Andrew Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrewcconti Posted September 9, 2011 Author Share Posted September 9, 2011 OK so new alternator Beck and Arnley (the only brand my "new" Nissan Independent Mechanic will use) has been perfect. We have had tons of rain here in New England and the Pathfinder has been perfect, starting right up first try. I guess having a 15+ year old cracked distributor cap and replacing the rotor made a difference. I can not believe Meineke did not check the cap and rotor... Oh well live and learn My shifting is a slight bit notchy. I asked my new mechanic to add 1.5 more quarts to the tranny. He only had GL-5 so he added it to the GL-4 in the tranny. In the meantime I bought 6 quarts of Redline MTL-50 and at the next oil change I will have him swap out the gearoil to the redline. Thanks again to all for sharing their wisdom and input. I really really love the Pathfinder. Next stop is to drop it off to have the drivers seat rebuilt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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