Hello everyone. well my max has had trouble starting on and off for the past 3 weeks. I got a new starter from autozone (lifetime warranty) after mine died (I think). I changed it out and car starts as new no problems, then 5 days later the same thing happens. I get a new one and its fine when I start the car after shutting it off for a min or so. When its parked overnight it doesn't start very well. I changed the starter again yesterday.

Today I tried to start it (after sitting over night) and it does not start. When the key is at the position before cranking. I noticed the radio turned on but no sound, fans are weak, int lights are weak, headlights are weak. If I hold the key in the crank position, the car eventually starts after a lot of attempts. Once started all radio, fans, lights are 100%. when i shut off the engine w/the lights on, the int lights dim a little. No warning lights or anything, airbag light takes a little time to turn off but that's about it.

Any ideas? i cant keep changing the starter, with the lights dimming and so forth seems like the starter isn't getting power? I dont think its the alt bc brake and batt lights are not on. Battery? once the car eventually starts w/OUT a jump everything turns on 100%, so im not sure if that's it either...

plllease help!

Specs:
2000 auto
New Alt 2 Months ago, new belts (but are squealing and need to be tightened)
battery: yellow top around 4 years old?
2 amps, 1 sub.

EDIT: Problem fixed - it was the battery, read summary at the bottom.

 

It almost sounds like a weak battery to me to be completely honest with you, but I could be blowing smoke out my *** or be on the opposite end of the answer spectrum. Either way, I notice that the lights in my car start to dim then get brighter as you drive. You open the door and it's bright (overhead) then gets slightly dimmer then brightens again.

While I would consider the overhead light to be the culprit, the HVAC control buttons do it too, so I'm starting to think my battery is week because this only just started after I jumped our Murano.

 

Battery. Get it tested just to be sure.

 

Check that the terminal connections are tight if the negative is loose or moves in anyway your ground will be poor and cause a lack of available power to start the car. As for why the problems with the alternators, did you have them checked at all before replacing to determine what voltage is being put out? If you had very low voltage being putout then yes it needs to be replaced, but you need to determine what is chewing up the alternators. Check all the grounds and wiring harness's something has to be causing them to fail

 

I agree with everyone:

- double check starter connections, especially the fat positive cable connection
- test battery
- check battery connections

First thing to check if your car cranks slow.

 

i got the battery tested at an autozone, they said it was fine, but when i went to my mechanic to get my belts tightened he said the battery was failing. he tried to start it and no go (after driving on the freeway, the battery should be charged up) so he jumped it and it started up fine. I just bought a new one installed it and we'll have to see over the next few days.

thanks everyone for the comments hopefully the battery was the problem.

 

Classic battery failure because the Alternator failed. Can not handle current draw.

Let us know if symptoms go away.

 

I would go to to 3 different autozones before taking their word.

 

Please start with the simple solution when repairing your car. Most batteries require a load test to tell if they can retain power. The simple volt-meter test of 12 volts or more is inaccurate for cars. The machines that test the batteries cannot always detect a slowly failing cell within the battery.

My advice is get a new battery w/ 2 year warranty or so, because it's cheap insurance for your vehicle.

Test the alternator on your own. Buy a 20$ multi-meter, start the engine and look for 13-14 volts at the battery cables. This will indicate that your alternator is providing a charge to your battery. Also, Fix your loose belts, because the belts drive the alternator and it's possible that it can't fully charge your battery if they are too loose.

Finally, you can check the battery cables for corrosion, loose grounds etc. Or, after passing all the above tests... Unplug battery cable overnight. If engine starts consistently, look for a short that is draining the battery.

I have nothing against auto-zone or any of the auto parts stores in particular.

Just gonna tell a quick story. About 3 years ago I went to a Pep-boys to buy a battery. The employee wanted me to give make/model/etc. I told him that I picked the battery that I wanted off the shelf. (They literally have dozens of new batteries in all sizes in the back).

He insisted on testing the battery on the machine, it failed the test. He then got a 2nd battery off of the shelf (same size etc). It failed the test!!!

A supervisor then got involved and instructed the employee to put the battery on the machine and charge it for a while. After waiting for about 5 min, I asked the employee how long would it take for me to buy this battery?

He replied something absurd, like 45 min. I then told him, I will buy this battery as is. My alternator in my car will charge it faster than this machine. I took the battery and installed it into my second vehicle, and it worked perfectly. There is no automotive schooling needed to work retail is all i'm saying. Sometimes you get lucky and the employee is a car guy or girl, and knows what they are talking about. Other times they just babble.

 

ok to follow up on my problem for future searches. the problem was the battery. When the car was starting in a colder temperature (recent storms/morning/night) the battery wasn't able to start the car. In warm temps (after driving/warm day) it started fine. So I just bought a new battery and it starts like a champ, split second turn over.

 

Keep in mind when adjusting the belt, before you start turning the strut hat bolt, loosen the 14 mm idler pulley bolt. Otherwise you will strip the strut bolt. Then tighten the idler bolt.