Here is the thing.... I have gone through freaking 2 batteries, and thinking that they are all bad, and that wasted me alot of money that i could have spend on mod but that's not the story. i left my lights on, and it died (yes, my fault) my friend jumped my car, and after 20 minutes, I tried restarting again (my car has been on for 20 minutes) my car won't start anymore, the alternator should have charged the battery enough for me to start the car...but here is the weird part.... i went to Pepboys, to have my alternator check out, thinking that my alternator has died. after they checked it, they told me that my alternator is outputting hundred+ volts, so it's not dead. he told me that i got a bad battery (even though it's a week old). so i got another new battery i drove the whole day and it was fine... no problem at all, but finally when i got home around 10 at night..i can't start the car again well... it's my battery again.... anyone got any suggestions?? i got S-AFC, but that's hooked up to ECU... i have a shift light and also a radar detector...u think that'll suck up my power?? any idea??? please help...those peepz at Pepboys didn't know jack sh*t. thanks!!

 

Read this it might help you.
http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?threadid=17449

 

i just read the whole thing....but did you ever ended up solving the problem? i don't think it's the O2 sensor for me nor CAS...because i checked my battery...it is completely drainned...i guess in my case it would be more of electrical??? my battery would drain no matter how long i drive the car...and it should not do that at all.

 

here is another thing..my car would start if i get a new battery grrrr... damn it!!! i really want to kick it now...

 

Have the battery tested. Most come with warrantees nowadays so if it is defective, you probably can get a replacement. Maybe try another place to have the alternator tested as well. Doesn't seem like you are charging the battery effectively.

 

it might be the starter....i was talking to one of my co-worker, he was telling me that if my starter is stock and grounded to something then it will start to drain the battery life. he had that happened to him, and his battery will only last for about a day. i went through about 2 and now 3 batteries..i really doubt that's the problem..something is drainning....

 

If you can, try to put a amp meter in line with the bettery terminal and the rest of the car and see if it's drawing any current when the car is off.

Assuming the batteries were good, what can destroy a battery? A bad voltage regulator can overcharge the battery causing the battery to boil over/out gas and dry out. Seeing that the alternator is putting out all that voltage, the voltage regulator could be bad which could then fry the battery.

I don't think it would be the start, but it seems like something else in the car might be causing a current leak. Maybe a modification, or something as simple as a stuck pin-switch for the trunk leaving the trunk light on.

-V

 

thanks alot! i am going to give that a try tomorrow ^_^ got any idea how i can put a amp meter inline though?

 

Sometimes too, if you really discharge a battery, no matter how long you try to charge it, it won't hold a charge. It's weird though that you keep going through them. Just to clarify, when the alternator was tested it was putting out 100 amps, not volts??

 

yes it's 100 amp. here is update from yesterday...i took it to the shop, they said that my battery cable is loose, and they just tightened it, and suprisingly it worked fine. about 2 hours later, the car is doing the same thing, and this time i thought my battery cable is loose again....so i tried to tightened the battery cable up again...still the same thing. this morning i drove my car, and while the car is on....everything is dimming in and out, and the worst thing is...my headlight is dimming too...my rev meter would go crazy..jumps around....but here is the thing..when the car is moving..is doing it..when the car is not moving just sitting there idling..it'll be stable.... ahh...this is annoying the hell out of me. but my guess is the alternator? because the car would dim while the car would be on???

 

If you look at some older posts, you will see that this is a common sign that the alternator is bad. Lights, dash, guages start flaking out on you while the car is on, even while driving.

 

Rather than the alternator itself possible just bad wiring at the connection to the regulator, or a bad voltage regulator.

 

thanks for all you all's help ^_^ mind pointing out where the voltage regulator is??? and is there anyways i can test it???? oh yeah...did i say that my car would kinda rev up and down??? around 600-700? and when i drive, i can actually feel the car acting weird on me rev wise??? does that mean it's knocking?

 

I'm not positive, but I think the voltage regulator is internal(inside the alternator).

You should be getting 13-14 volts at the battery when the car is running. If your alternator is not putting out enough volts, the car may run poorly. It takes a lot of electricity to fire spark plugs, run the ecu, etc. . .

Also, make sure your belt is tight. It can be hard to detect, but if it is slipping a little, the alternator may not be turning fast enough to keep up.

 

we use chain or belt? i always thought that we use chain... but i'll give that a try thanks again

 

The timing for the engine is done with a chain, but a belt is what drives the alternator. I kinda doubt the belts a problem, if it were loose enough to cause the lights to dim, I'd think it would squeal like a pig too, but you never know. If you decide to tighten it, make sure you don't over do it. If you put too much of a load it you can over stress the bearings in the accesory's and they can fail.

 

Hey Sprintmax, notice that I used the word pig in the above post without referring to a cop?