Guest

I have an 1989 Maxima that I just installed a new battery in. The problem is that the car will not start after a few days of non driving.The battery seems to drain. The heater and A/C run only intermittantly. When the heater or A/C starts to run the led lights on the climate control panel dim so much you can not see them. My mechanic thinks that there is a short near the climate control panel and this is causing the battery to drain. My mechanic tells me the alternator is fine. The battery is fine. He can not fix it and is reccommending I either take it to an automotive specialist that works on electrical shorts for 50.00/hour or replace the whole climate control unit.

Does anyone have nay thoughts?

[Edited by backmrob on 10-13-2000 at 11:36 AM]

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

woah..u sure the alternator is ok right?
is there a aftermkt alarm installed?
aftermkt stereo??
if the car has not been in a flood or anything then i would say you should take a look at the wiring behind the temp control panel.

how are the fuses? if all of them are good i suspect bad wiring by someone other than the factory.
electrical is a huge pain in the **** to look for.
good luck
Dan

crsmax

Yeah I agree... I've had both issues to deal with. If the alternator is fine, and the fuses are fine, then most likely its the result of some faulty after-market wiring. An easy way to check the alternator (which I just recently just learned...) is to disconnect the positive battery terminal and the car should still run smoothly. If not, then its in the alternator. Hope that helps.

DanNY

iTrader: (14)

that's a poor test (but ok if you don't have anything else to check)..but if u have a volt meter the output should be 13 to 14.4 volts. if your getting less than 13 the alternator is going soon..real soon. if your getting more than 14.4 then your battery is going to explode and the alternator regulator is shot.
Dan

crsmax

Danny is right that is a poor test, but if you have nothing else... it will at least let you know, especially if you're stuck on the side of the road somehere, but regardless Good Luck.

Guest

Everything is factory in this car including the bose stereo.
The battery was tested fine. The alternator is fine. I have not personally checked all the fuses. How do I tell if they are bad or need replaced?

crsmax

[QUOTE]Originally posted by backmrob
[I]Everything is factory in this car including the bose stereo.
The battery was tested fine. The alternator is fine. I have not personally checked all the fuses. How do I tell if they are bad or need replaced?


Well you have two "sets" of fuses. The ones inside the car and a few inside the engine compartment are really fuses, the others are relays. Look on the boxes located in the engine compartment where they should be labeled (no diagram to show you), and remove the cover. Check to make sure that all of the relays are fit and snug. Also visually check to see if any are burned or look discolored. If so, that might be a possibilty. I am sure that others on this board could give you better instructions but at least that is a place to start. (Check with Matt93GXE or Kaleb) they have always given me good advice (Mr.Bill too...) Also check the panel on the inside of the car (driver's side) at the bottom left of the steering column. There is a cover for all of your fuses there too. Pull off the cover and look to see if any fuses look blown. You may have to pull a few out to really visually inspect them.

brubenstein

The first thing you have to do is determine if there is an abnormal current drain or if the charging is weak. Charging can be checked with a volt meter, as has already been mentioned. Make sure the cables going to the battery are making good contact. The fact that the panel lights dim suggests a charging problem (although if the battery is low it would do this also). If charging checks out OK, then there is a current draw problem.
If the battery is dying after a few days of the car not being used, something is drawing power with the car off. To check this you need an amp meter. With everything off, disconnect the positive battery cable and measure the current flow from the positive battery terminal to the positive battery cable. There should only be a draw in the range of milli amps (Probably only the clock, memory for the keyless entry if you have that and the ECU. Don't lock the doors and arm the alarm.) If you are drawing more than milli amps, start pulling fuses (one at a time and then putting it back) until you find which system is drawing the power.
This should make it possible to narrow things down if you have to bring it in, or replace something.
Good luck.