My cousins got a Max that has gone through about 5 batteries in the last 6 months. He's out my way for the holidays so I thought I'd look into it for him, but to be honest Im stumped myself. Quick and to the point here are some facts:

Had the alternatory and battery checked since he's been out here, both items checked out as good.

Two days later, battery is dead. It was not low on juice, it was toast. Same Autozone that checked it last week.

His speedometer and RPM gauges tend to go a little funky before the battery dies.

Most recent job done to his car was replacing the alternator. This was done late last year. His battery problems started about 5 months after that.

Any input the org can give me is very much appreciated.

Capitone

 

bad alt. tried running it with no batt attatched to see if the alt really is good? how long does it take to drain? (and no i dont mean driving it a few miles with no battery attatched)

 

Not sure I follow you 2da. Do you mean to start the car then disconnect the battery and see how long it runs before it dies?

sorry buddy, but Im lost...help me out

 

Giving it more thought, I don't see a more accurate way to test an alternator than right at the source like they do at Autozone, unless someone here knows something about these tests that I do not.

Still seeking input!

Thanks,
Capitone

 

alts fluctuate. if the car is running and the batt is disconnected (it should run forever as long as you run out of gas). Now if it stops working, the car will shut off. but you didnt answer the other questions. how long does it take to drain?

if you have a test light, (or better yet a multimeter) turn the car off, disconnect one of the terminals and put the meter in the circuit to see if there is a short somewhere else.

 

Ok, I think I follow you now. Im at work, so I won't get to test ANY ideas till this evening, so to answer your question, I dunno because I haven't tried it yet.

Now my question for you is, how do I go about disconnecting the battery once the car is running again? Positive first? Negative, both together? I know batteries can be finicky pieces of equipment in general so if there is a correct way to disconnect while running let me know.

 

just disconnect the positive battery terminal;
the alternator will still be inducting a charge into the system, so the battery isn't needed
and also do what 2da said, check to see if there are any parasitic draws; if you didn't understand what he said, get a meter and put it up to 20V, disconnect a terminal, and put one end of the meter to the harness and other end to the battery terminal
if you have someone to do it with you, it'll be better by keeping the terminal on and puttin one end onto the battery and other end onto the harness, then tell your buddy or relative to disconnect the battery; that way you don't have to wait like 3 minutes for the ECU to restart and stuff like that when you reconnect and disconnect battery

 

Sweet. Looks like I've got a plan of action. Going to give the alternator thing a shot this evening.

Does it matter what kind of meter I get? How much do they usually run. I ain't paying for it, but Im sure My cousin would like to know. If its reasonable, he can pick it up while Im at work....Lucky b*stard has the entire week off.

2da, Tony, thanks for your input.

Capitone

 

an easier way to check the alternator is to put a multi meter across the battery (negitive to positive)(on volts) while its running to see if its hitting 14+ volts. if it is, you know your alternator is giving the right amount of volts. amps however is different. if its not charging enough amps that could be the problem as well. its better to bring it to a place to check the amps cause you have to put loads and stuff on the system while checking it and its a head ache.. ehhh also check your connections at the starter. the battery/starter/alternator are all connected together and if your starter has a bad connection it can keep the alternator from charging the battery. happened to my last car, the starter wires were loose and it blew up the starter.. litterally.. there was a hole in the side of it from the resistance .

 

btw capitone, you have 666 posts. ;p

 

Hi all, my maxima eat the battery too, and some times when i press the acelerator, the RPM increase but the aceleration not, i see that my maxima eat the battery complete when it was turn off for more than 2 consecutive days, if something keeps wasting energy from the battery.

When i used every day the car, the battery is ok, but when i dont use for more than 2 days the battery die.

i cheked the alternator putting a multimeter on the terminals and everithing is ok.

Now the engine check light appear, i read the codes and show me:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
0407
Diagnostic Trouble Code 0407 indicates a malfunction was detected when...
A) 120 degree signal is not entered to ECM for the first few seconds during
engine cranking.
B) 120 degree signal is not entered to ECM during engine running.
C) 120 degree signal cycle excessively changes during engine running.

Possible causes...
- Harness or connectors
- Crankshaft Position Sensor (REF)
- Starter motor
- Starting system circuit


0503
Diagnostic Trouble Code 0503 indicates a problem with the front Oxygen Sensor on the right cylinder bank. The right bank is also called the rear bank. It is cylinders 1,3,5. A normal signal sweeps back and forth between 0.2 volts and 0.8 volts. This malfunction was detected when the Engine Control Module received a signal from the sensor which was a constant value of approximately 0.3 volts.

Possible causes include ...
- Harness or connectors (the sensor circuit is open or shorted).
- Defective Oxygen Sensor
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
I dont know if these sensors are responsible for my maxima hungry
What can i do next to check these anomalie.

Thanks you

 

Wow, you do know that when you pull your positive cable on these cars the ecu kills the motor? I hope you knew this, for you might waste your time!


(chuckle)

 

Could you explain me more because im a newbie.
Thanks

 

Eh.........no.

 

on top of your batter, there are two covers that cover where the battery acid goes to. When the battery dies, are the covers propped open a lil?? Either your alternator is over-charging, or something is draining your battery completely. I would actually pull out all the fuses except for the ones needed, like headlights, brake lights, fuel pump, etc, etc, and drive like that for a while and see where the battery is at. If the battery doesn't die, it means those are not the cause of your problems and wa la. You now know that there is indeed something drawing too much power. BTW, if you put a meter on the battery, it should read aroudn 12-13 v with car off, 14-15v car on, 18-19 v when given gas and returned to 14-15v once the rpms go down. if it doesn't, you are over charging, frying the battery, making it useless. also, before the battery dies, does the brake and battery light come on???

 

If your ground wires are corroded that might cause it. Check the negative cable going to the engine block.

 

What about a fusible link. If the first alternator was put in without taking off the ground cable and sparked to ground, a soft wire called a fusible link could melt. This is to protect the system from ground shorts. But sometimes, the fusible link melts, but the wiring is seemingly intact and the two (now broken) pieces inside the insulated wiring are close enough to touch occasionally, enough to start the car intermittently. Replace the fusible link if this car has one.

 

A lot of bad info. here.

First of all DO NOT RUN THE CAR WITH THE BATTERY DISCONNECTED. The alternator sends voltage that is converted to a different level that is required for the electrical components with the battery connected.

When you disconnect the battery, the alt. charges differently. I forget the term whether it's AC / or DC. But to test your alternator check the voltage at the battery with the car running.

YOUR CAR'S ALTERNATOR SHOULD NOT GO HIGHER THAN 14.5 VOLTS. Anything higher than 14 or 15 you have MAJOR issues. 17-18-19 volts WILL FRY your electronics. Check the "ALT. S" fuse in the engine bay. If the battery keeps on dying something is draining it.

 

seems you are providing the "bad info". Alternators in cars never put out a/c whether the battery is connected or not. That is why in an alternator you will find a rectifier. The battery supplies power at startup and acts to buffer the voltage change of an alternator. However, a spiking alternator will fry your system whether or not you have a battery attatched. In case you havent noticed, the current does not run through the battery, but simultaneously to the battery and the system.