New Maxima owner! On a 1995 Maxima SE the battery discharges if not cranked in a few days. Everybody keeps saying battery or alternator but, the battery and alternator have been replaced. I cannot think what would cause this. Also chilton's does not have any info on this topic. Any response would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

You could have a bad alternator, things alot of people do not realize is alternators and starters are usually reman and can be faulty even new.
Get a shop to do a leak down test on the charging system and see if it has a current draw on it.
Most places will do it for free for you.
Depending on the year it could have a wiring issues with the harness over the strut tower.

 

Check that your trunk switch is not faulty and the light is staying on or you may have something else on and drawing current when the car is sitting.

 

Something is drawing power. Do you have any aftermarket electronics in there?

 

Used to be you could take off the negative battery cable a put a small bulb inline with it - the bulb would light up if there's current going through it. Then you can start unplugging fuses to isolate the circuit.

Nowadays there's computers and other always-on devices (that don't drain the battery) that could give a false signal, but if you unplug their fuses first you can eliminate them sooner. If the current draw is small enough then even a multimeter on DC amps will give you a good current reading.

 

The car is completely stock. It has no upgrades that have been done yet. I do have the right front corner light is busted due to a prior accident. Could this be a problem? I have done the drain down and they told me to take it to a shop. The battery and alternator test good. I am in a rut. Anyone know of a reputable shop in Austin, TX.

 

no it wont...


you need to do this.. take an ammeter and put it in series with the positive terminal.. to see if there is any draw form the car when its off...

 

I had this problem but it would not start after like an hour, I cleaned all the grounds and it was fixed.