Dropped to 500RPMs (repeatedly) stalled, click but no crank, killed battery on day 1!
06-02-2014, 10:28 PM
#1
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Location: Ridgefield Park, NJ
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Dropped to 500RPMs (repeatedly) stalled, click but no crank, killed battery on day 1!
EDIT!! - Much shorter and just necessary info!
Ok, I am stumped but I will try to keep this short and sweet to see if anyone can help.
I have a 2002 Maxima with 130K on it. Never had any major problems (although one mechanic told my parents he replaced the timing belt on it but only charged them $250 and returned it the next day - I think they might have been swindled by a jerk and a thief).
May 26 – May 30, 2014:
On Monday driving at night (cool weather, car not overheating):
1) I got to a red light and the RPMs dropped to 500 and would not respond to the gas peddle and all sorts of error lights started to come on and off at random;
2) The clock and dashboard backlight started to dim;
3) ALL the gauges dropped to zero then started bouncing up and down at random;
4) It WOULD rev in park but not in gear;
5) It WOULD brighten the dash and clock significantly when revved in park (I took this to mean that the alternator was working);
6) It stalled about 15 minutes later after several attempts to rev it in park then put it in gear to find it still not responding to the gas pedal when in gear;
7) Turning the key would make an electronic clicking sound but would not crank;
8) I got a jump and it started right up and got me home (only about 7 miles). It lasted on that one quick jump until Wednesday so I still think the alternator must have been working at that point because a quick jump would not have stored that much power.
Tuesday:
1) No problems but it idled and ran a bit rough. It has been running rough for many months but I always attributed that to age and thought it was normal.
2) AutoZone read the codes for me and found: p0011 (IVT) , p0021 (IVT), p0031 (o2 sensor heating element) , and p0128 (thermostat).
Wednesday and Thursday:
1) The same problem happened a few times but not every time I drove.
2) Sometimes it would restart after idling for a few minutes. Sometimes it would need a jump and hold it for several hours. Sometimes it would need a jump and hold it for only a few minutes.
3) Sometimes it would start cleanly. Sometimes it would not crank but would make this electric clicking sound.
Friday:
1) The mechanic charged it for an hour (no charge – he is an awesome guy and SUPER knowledgeable – but very busy now and I don't have the money to pay to have him do the work this time anyway). The battery read 12.75 Volts when first hooked up to the charger which was good and he was surprised it had just stalled. After charging, he tested and found 680 CCA.
2) I was able to drive and buy a new battery with 800 CCA and rated for 62 amp hours.
3) Started, ran, and restarted for about 2 hours well (still rough but no starting or running problems)
4) SON OF A MONKEY!!!! THIS IS A BRAND NEW BATTERY!!! IT HAPPENED AGAIN!!;
5) A regular jump from an SUV was NOT enough to restart it this time so I called AAA;
6) While waiting for AAA, I put the key in the start position and heard a strong buzzing sound from where the bank 2 camshaft sensor is and thought maybe that was a short circuit somewhere;
7) Got towed home and researched until I found out about the Camshaft/Crankshaft sensor recall on 2002 Maxima's. I would call Nissan in the morning to ask about it.
Saturday:
1) My VIN was not included in the recall but I had it towed to Meadowlands Nissan anyway and asked them to check the sensors.
2) The manager at the dealership is extremely nice and he SEEMED to be very attentive when I told him the symptoms and said he would tell the mechanic to check the sensors like I asked but he didn't write any of it down except the codes (p0011, p0021, p0031, and p0128).
3) He came back and said p0011 and p0021 are IVT codes, not sensor codes as I had told him (sort of true but not entirely since faulty sensors are the 2nd and 3rd things that can cause those codes). So they would need to do a pressure test on Monday;
Monday:
1) They called me and said the alternator is shot and needs to be replaced which would be $800-something. No mention of this pressure test they were supposed to do or testing the sensors as I requested.
2) I went to the dealership with a multimeter and tested the bank 2 camshaft sensor resistance myself. It should be between 2 and 5 ohms. I came up with 1400 OHMS!!!
3) I asked them to verify because I figured maybe I just didn't do it right. The head mechanic argued with me for 10 minutes saying maybe it was a false reading because the alternator is shot but that is nonsense since you do a resistance test with the sensor unplugged. They tried to convince me to change the alternator first but I read that many people with this sensor problem reported that they paid tons of money making alternator, starter, and battery replacements before they figured it out so I wanted to be sure;
4) Later, I bought the sensors and decided I would take it home;
5) The dealership said the battery had a charge of only 91 CCA! I couldn't even try to drive that home so I kept the rental car for one more night. He also said the sensors can't be the problem because we read the codes again and p0011 and p0021 are gone now (but he doesn't know I left the bank 2 sensor unplugged after I did the resistance test on it so I doubt they plugged it back in). Also, there is now a “rear wheel speed error” - I forget the number of it but it was in the p03XX range. I bought a portable jump starter with 750 Amps in case I need it on the way home.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014:
Today I will go pick it up around 5pm. They kept it on the trickle charger overnight for me – they really are very nice and extremely helpful at Meadowlands Nissan but I am just not very happy that they did not test the sensors when the symptoms fit and they should know that there has been a similar problem with these cars in the past.
If it won't drive, I will just call AAA and have it towed home again.
Once home:
1) I want to test the harnesses and the sensors for the 2 camshaft sensors and the crankshaft sensor. If any of them are bad, I will replace them.
2) Then I can make sure it is hooked up to a strong, well charged battery and test the alternator myself (I bought a new 750 CCA battery yesterday just in case the battery I bought on Friday is already destroyed somehow).
3) I also want to do a draw-down test. I'm not sure that's the right name but I want to see how many amps are being drawn when the car is in the start position to see if there is a parasitic drain on the battery.
Does anyone have any ideas about anything else I might try? Any other possible causes?
Oh, I checked all the fuses under the knee panel and under the hood. The 80A fuses marked Main 1 and Main 2 show a bit of green crud along the sides of the fuse strip but are not blown. All of the other fuses are fine.
I haven't checked any of the relays. Should I check those as well?
Anyone have any idea what could cause such a huge drain on an electrical system so fast?? Sure, having no alternator will lead the battery to drain - I understand that. But to kill a brand new battery with 62 amp hours in less than 2 hours of driving and 2 starts seems a bit crazy... right?
If anyone has read through all of this (Bless your patience!!), and has any thoughts on what to do, please let me know.
Thanks, all!!
Ok, I am stumped but I will try to keep this short and sweet to see if anyone can help.
I have a 2002 Maxima with 130K on it. Never had any major problems (although one mechanic told my parents he replaced the timing belt on it but only charged them $250 and returned it the next day - I think they might have been swindled by a jerk and a thief).
May 26 – May 30, 2014:
On Monday driving at night (cool weather, car not overheating):
1) I got to a red light and the RPMs dropped to 500 and would not respond to the gas peddle and all sorts of error lights started to come on and off at random;
2) The clock and dashboard backlight started to dim;
3) ALL the gauges dropped to zero then started bouncing up and down at random;
4) It WOULD rev in park but not in gear;
5) It WOULD brighten the dash and clock significantly when revved in park (I took this to mean that the alternator was working);
6) It stalled about 15 minutes later after several attempts to rev it in park then put it in gear to find it still not responding to the gas pedal when in gear;
7) Turning the key would make an electronic clicking sound but would not crank;
8) I got a jump and it started right up and got me home (only about 7 miles). It lasted on that one quick jump until Wednesday so I still think the alternator must have been working at that point because a quick jump would not have stored that much power.
Tuesday:
1) No problems but it idled and ran a bit rough. It has been running rough for many months but I always attributed that to age and thought it was normal.
2) AutoZone read the codes for me and found: p0011 (IVT) , p0021 (IVT), p0031 (o2 sensor heating element) , and p0128 (thermostat).
Wednesday and Thursday:
1) The same problem happened a few times but not every time I drove.
2) Sometimes it would restart after idling for a few minutes. Sometimes it would need a jump and hold it for several hours. Sometimes it would need a jump and hold it for only a few minutes.
3) Sometimes it would start cleanly. Sometimes it would not crank but would make this electric clicking sound.
Friday:
1) The mechanic charged it for an hour (no charge – he is an awesome guy and SUPER knowledgeable – but very busy now and I don't have the money to pay to have him do the work this time anyway). The battery read 12.75 Volts when first hooked up to the charger which was good and he was surprised it had just stalled. After charging, he tested and found 680 CCA.
2) I was able to drive and buy a new battery with 800 CCA and rated for 62 amp hours.
3) Started, ran, and restarted for about 2 hours well (still rough but no starting or running problems)
4) SON OF A MONKEY!!!! THIS IS A BRAND NEW BATTERY!!! IT HAPPENED AGAIN!!;
5) A regular jump from an SUV was NOT enough to restart it this time so I called AAA;
6) While waiting for AAA, I put the key in the start position and heard a strong buzzing sound from where the bank 2 camshaft sensor is and thought maybe that was a short circuit somewhere;
7) Got towed home and researched until I found out about the Camshaft/Crankshaft sensor recall on 2002 Maxima's. I would call Nissan in the morning to ask about it.
Saturday:
1) My VIN was not included in the recall but I had it towed to Meadowlands Nissan anyway and asked them to check the sensors.
2) The manager at the dealership is extremely nice and he SEEMED to be very attentive when I told him the symptoms and said he would tell the mechanic to check the sensors like I asked but he didn't write any of it down except the codes (p0011, p0021, p0031, and p0128).
3) He came back and said p0011 and p0021 are IVT codes, not sensor codes as I had told him (sort of true but not entirely since faulty sensors are the 2nd and 3rd things that can cause those codes). So they would need to do a pressure test on Monday;
Monday:
1) They called me and said the alternator is shot and needs to be replaced which would be $800-something. No mention of this pressure test they were supposed to do or testing the sensors as I requested.
2) I went to the dealership with a multimeter and tested the bank 2 camshaft sensor resistance myself. It should be between 2 and 5 ohms. I came up with 1400 OHMS!!!
3) I asked them to verify because I figured maybe I just didn't do it right. The head mechanic argued with me for 10 minutes saying maybe it was a false reading because the alternator is shot but that is nonsense since you do a resistance test with the sensor unplugged. They tried to convince me to change the alternator first but I read that many people with this sensor problem reported that they paid tons of money making alternator, starter, and battery replacements before they figured it out so I wanted to be sure;
4) Later, I bought the sensors and decided I would take it home;
5) The dealership said the battery had a charge of only 91 CCA! I couldn't even try to drive that home so I kept the rental car for one more night. He also said the sensors can't be the problem because we read the codes again and p0011 and p0021 are gone now (but he doesn't know I left the bank 2 sensor unplugged after I did the resistance test on it so I doubt they plugged it back in). Also, there is now a “rear wheel speed error” - I forget the number of it but it was in the p03XX range. I bought a portable jump starter with 750 Amps in case I need it on the way home.
Tuesday, June 3, 2014:
Today I will go pick it up around 5pm. They kept it on the trickle charger overnight for me – they really are very nice and extremely helpful at Meadowlands Nissan but I am just not very happy that they did not test the sensors when the symptoms fit and they should know that there has been a similar problem with these cars in the past.
If it won't drive, I will just call AAA and have it towed home again.
Once home:
1) I want to test the harnesses and the sensors for the 2 camshaft sensors and the crankshaft sensor. If any of them are bad, I will replace them.
2) Then I can make sure it is hooked up to a strong, well charged battery and test the alternator myself (I bought a new 750 CCA battery yesterday just in case the battery I bought on Friday is already destroyed somehow).
3) I also want to do a draw-down test. I'm not sure that's the right name but I want to see how many amps are being drawn when the car is in the start position to see if there is a parasitic drain on the battery.
Does anyone have any ideas about anything else I might try? Any other possible causes?
Oh, I checked all the fuses under the knee panel and under the hood. The 80A fuses marked Main 1 and Main 2 show a bit of green crud along the sides of the fuse strip but are not blown. All of the other fuses are fine.
I haven't checked any of the relays. Should I check those as well?
Anyone have any idea what could cause such a huge drain on an electrical system so fast?? Sure, having no alternator will lead the battery to drain - I understand that. But to kill a brand new battery with 62 amp hours in less than 2 hours of driving and 2 starts seems a bit crazy... right?
If anyone has read through all of this (Bless your patience!!), and has any thoughts on what to do, please let me know.
Thanks, all!!
Last edited by markeldeiry; 06-03-2014 at 12:12 PM. Reason: Tried to make it much shorter and clearer.
06-02-2014, 10:44 PM
#3
Sorry A$$ maintenance free batteries!!! But you may have a loose battery connection or loose ground or power wire....bad altenator, even a starter can discharge a battery just sitting there...but you need to test you charging system after you check your connections!
06-02-2014, 10:46 PM
#4
timing belt 
It sounds like an alternator to me... It's barely putting out enough juice to run at driving RPMs. When you idle, then of course it's going to kill the car. It clicks b/c the battery is dead from driving it with a **** alternator.
It idles rough b/c your IVT solenoids are clogged up. The timing is over-advanced.
DO NOT buy anything from junkozone.
It sounds like an alternator to me... It's barely putting out enough juice to run at driving RPMs. When you idle, then of course it's going to kill the car. It clicks b/c the battery is dead from driving it with a **** alternator.
It idles rough b/c your IVT solenoids are clogged up. The timing is over-advanced.
DO NOT buy anything from junkozone.
Last edited by Child_uv_KoRn; 06-02-2014 at 10:51 PM.
06-02-2014, 11:29 PM
#5
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Ridgefield Park, NJ
Posts: 29
A few notes
1) Clearly, short and to the point was a dismal failure. Sorry.
2)
I've checked (and had two mechanics confirm) that the battery connections are tight.
I will check for a loose ground or power wire. I can do a load test on the car and see if something is drawing a lot of amps then pull fuses one by one to see if the draw drops significantly.
3) I should also mention that when it clicks on trying to start, the dash lights up properly and the headlights (when I try them briefly) light up well also. It seems to be getting enough power to start but I suspect the sensors are preventing it from starting because if they think the cam and crank are out of time with each other, letting it crank would crush the valves and piston heads.
Is that possible?
4) Even assuming the alternator is completely useless, would it be possible to drain a new battery that fast unless there was a loose ground or power wire, or a faulty electrical part (like the crappy sensors on those cars) to cause it to draw way too much energy? Also, if it is ONLY the alternator, then why would a regular jump start from a regular passenger car (Toyota SUV) not be enough to start it? Why would it need a high powered jump?
2)
loose battery connection or loose ground or power wire....bad altenator, even a starter can discharge a battery just sitting there...but you need to test you charging system after you check your connections!
I will check for a loose ground or power wire. I can do a load test on the car and see if something is drawing a lot of amps then pull fuses one by one to see if the draw drops significantly.
3) I should also mention that when it clicks on trying to start, the dash lights up properly and the headlights (when I try them briefly) light up well also. It seems to be getting enough power to start but I suspect the sensors are preventing it from starting because if they think the cam and crank are out of time with each other, letting it crank would crush the valves and piston heads.
Is that possible?
4) Even assuming the alternator is completely useless, would it be possible to drain a new battery that fast unless there was a loose ground or power wire, or a faulty electrical part (like the crappy sensors on those cars) to cause it to draw way too much energy? Also, if it is ONLY the alternator, then why would a regular jump start from a regular passenger car (Toyota SUV) not be enough to start it? Why would it need a high powered jump?
06-03-2014, 11:01 AM
#6
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Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Ridgefield Park, NJ
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Also VERY difficult to shift the car into reverse for months now...
Hi guys,
I don't know if anyone is still following or can help with this but I read through some other threads and found that difficulty moving the shifter may somehow be related to this.
Ever since I got stuck in the snow in mid-March, it has been VERY difficult to move the shifter into reverse. I was thinking somehow I bent something while trying to force my way out of the snow (I lost almost all of the plastic guards off the bottom of the car during this hour-long ordeal of freeing myself).
Could it be part of the electrical trouble that has been making it difficult to shift?
I don't know if anyone is still following or can help with this but I read through some other threads and found that difficulty moving the shifter may somehow be related to this.
Ever since I got stuck in the snow in mid-March, it has been VERY difficult to move the shifter into reverse. I was thinking somehow I bent something while trying to force my way out of the snow (I lost almost all of the plastic guards off the bottom of the car during this hour-long ordeal of freeing myself).
Could it be part of the electrical trouble that has been making it difficult to shift?
06-03-2014, 12:33 PM
#7
Fix the known alternator/charging problem with the car FIRST. Then address the rest of the issues after that. If the car can't charge enough to keep itself running, then jacking around with sensors that could possibly be getting damaged from improper voltage is only wasting time.
06-03-2014, 12:45 PM
#8
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Location: Ridgefield Park, NJ
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But it was a brand new battery!
From Monday to Thursday, it was an 18-month old battery (originally had 750 CCA and tested on Friday morning with 680 CCA) and that one was able to be jump started and would keep working for several hours at first then dwindled down to a few minutes on Friday.
So if it was holding a charge for up to a whole day at one point, wouldn't that indicate that the alternator was at least partially working at that point?
By Friday afternoon, I had a brand new battery with 800 CCA and 62 amp hours. Even if the alternator were completely useless, would driving for 2 hours and starting the car twice be able to drain that battery to the point that it would not take a jump start from an SUV? And it would only stay on for 5 minutes when jumped by the tow truck's super strong portable jumper.
Could a useless alternator cause a new battery to drain that fast and not take a regular jump start?
06-03-2014, 04:07 PM
#10
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UPDATE - Drove home from dealer with no problems!
Ok, I picked up the car at the dealership today at 5:45. They left it on the trickle charger overnight and I was hoping it would hold enough of a charge to get me home. It had just started torrential rain.
The car started up immediately, it idled more smoothly and at a lower RPM than it has in years, and it ran smoothly the whole way home (about 5 miles).
All this while I was stuck in stop and go traffic so it took over 30 minutes to go the first 4 miles of that trip. So the RPMs were very low most of the trip and it still did not die.
During the whole trip I did not notice the dash lights getting any dimmer or any other problem I had been having. I didn't turn on any accessories just in case, but there was no problem at all. I even stopped to buy something and got back in and it started up with no trouble.
So now it is home safely. In an hour or so, I'll put it in the garage and start testing the battery and see if anything is draining energy excessively. And I will also check the sensors to see if they are the problem.
Once that is done, then I can check to see if there is really a problem with the alternator or if this is all the result of a malfunctioning electrical component which is draining the system like mad.
I've started to think that if there is ever an electrical problem with a car, the FIRST thing to start with is to see if there is a parasitic drain or some other malfunction. Otherwise, even if the alternator and battery are fried, if you replace those without fixing that problem, you'll just end up frying them over and over and go broke before you resolve the problem.
I'm starting to think there is a lot of foolish thinking in the car repair industry because so many people (on here and in mechanic's shops I've been to) do not test these things properly before doing the most expensive jobs first. That's just not smart.
The car started up immediately, it idled more smoothly and at a lower RPM than it has in years, and it ran smoothly the whole way home (about 5 miles).
All this while I was stuck in stop and go traffic so it took over 30 minutes to go the first 4 miles of that trip. So the RPMs were very low most of the trip and it still did not die.
During the whole trip I did not notice the dash lights getting any dimmer or any other problem I had been having. I didn't turn on any accessories just in case, but there was no problem at all. I even stopped to buy something and got back in and it started up with no trouble.
So now it is home safely. In an hour or so, I'll put it in the garage and start testing the battery and see if anything is draining energy excessively. And I will also check the sensors to see if they are the problem.
Once that is done, then I can check to see if there is really a problem with the alternator or if this is all the result of a malfunctioning electrical component which is draining the system like mad.
I've started to think that if there is ever an electrical problem with a car, the FIRST thing to start with is to see if there is a parasitic drain or some other malfunction. Otherwise, even if the alternator and battery are fried, if you replace those without fixing that problem, you'll just end up frying them over and over and go broke before you resolve the problem.
I'm starting to think there is a lot of foolish thinking in the car repair industry because so many people (on here and in mechanic's shops I've been to) do not test these things properly before doing the most expensive jobs first. That's just not smart.
06-03-2014, 05:20 PM
#11
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True but...
Fix the known alternator/charging problem with the car FIRST. Then address the rest of the issues after that. If the car can't charge enough to keep itself running, then jacking around with sensors that could possibly be getting damaged from improper voltage is only wasting time.
There are ways to test whether the sensor is good or bad. In this particular case, since these sensors are infamous for being bad and for causing people to repeatedly replace batteries and alternators, I think it makes sense that they are the more likely cause. Especially given all the other additional symptoms I listed.
Also, if I do the sensors first and I'm wrong, then I've wasted about $100 and about 30 minutes of work.
But, if I do the alternator first and I'm wrong... that's several hundred dollars down the tubes AND, a decent chance the alternator and/or battery would have to be replaced yet again!
To me, that just does not make sense.
Anyway, I just tested the battery with the car off and it reads 12.63 Volts. So much for the dealer's comment that the battery is shot simply because it was at 91 CCA yesterday. He left it on the trickle charger overnight for me and today it is fine... for now.
I will be doing a few more tests momentarily.
06-06-2014, 08:16 AM
#12
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An update - there is a parasitic battery drain
I replaced the sensors and the car runs much more smoothly now.
It also starts faster and easier than it has in a long time.
But something is still draining the battery it seems.
I started to run a test to see if there is a parasitic battery drain and it seems there is. I bought a high end multimeter (one of those clip on ammeter models that measures from milliamps up to 400A and from millivolts up to 750V both AC and DC).
It reads that there is a draw of 1.45A while the car is off, the key is out, all lights are off, and all doors are closed (except the hood which has no light on my car).
To do the test, I disconnected the ground wire from the negative terminal and attached one end of the meter to the ground wire and the other end to the negative.
For some reason I also checked if there was a voltage differential between the ground and the negative and I found 12.4V! To be clear - this is putting the meter in series between the negative terminal and the ground wire that normally attaches to the negative terminal.
Is that normal? Here are the voltages I found.
Battery pos to battery neg - 12.4V (just how you would regularly measure the voltage of the battery. This is a new battery that I installed yesterday. It is a bit low - I realize that - but that is the whole reason I am doing these tests in the first place).
Battery neg to ground wire - 12.4V (I don't think that's supposed to happen, right?)
Battery pos to ground wire - ZERO! (I also think that's not supposed to happen, right?)
So does that mean something is grounding out (shorting out) my battery and continuously draining it from the positive terminal straight into the ground? I am not sure I am understanding this.
Any advice would be great.
It also starts faster and easier than it has in a long time.
But something is still draining the battery it seems.
I started to run a test to see if there is a parasitic battery drain and it seems there is. I bought a high end multimeter (one of those clip on ammeter models that measures from milliamps up to 400A and from millivolts up to 750V both AC and DC).
It reads that there is a draw of 1.45A while the car is off, the key is out, all lights are off, and all doors are closed (except the hood which has no light on my car).
To do the test, I disconnected the ground wire from the negative terminal and attached one end of the meter to the ground wire and the other end to the negative.
For some reason I also checked if there was a voltage differential between the ground and the negative and I found 12.4V! To be clear - this is putting the meter in series between the negative terminal and the ground wire that normally attaches to the negative terminal.
Is that normal? Here are the voltages I found.
Battery pos to battery neg - 12.4V (just how you would regularly measure the voltage of the battery. This is a new battery that I installed yesterday. It is a bit low - I realize that - but that is the whole reason I am doing these tests in the first place).
Battery neg to ground wire - 12.4V (I don't think that's supposed to happen, right?)
Battery pos to ground wire - ZERO! (I also think that's not supposed to happen, right?)
So does that mean something is grounding out (shorting out) my battery and continuously draining it from the positive terminal straight into the ground? I am not sure I am understanding this.
Any advice would be great.
06-06-2014, 01:15 PM
#15
You have determined that the car is drawing 1.45A while the car is off, the key is out, all lights are off. Hopefully you are reading the meter corectly because that seems way high. Normal in that condition should be about 0.1 Amps.
At this point I would start removing fuses and see which ones cause the current to drop to a more normal level. This way you may be able to isolate the problem to a particular circuit.
If you have not already accessed the FSM this should help. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2002/ Go to EL page 10 it will give you an idea of which fuses to pull and their corresponding circuits.
At this point I would start removing fuses and see which ones cause the current to drop to a more normal level. This way you may be able to isolate the problem to a particular circuit.
If you have not already accessed the FSM this should help. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2002/ Go to EL page 10 it will give you an idea of which fuses to pull and their corresponding circuits.
Last edited by Nopike; 06-06-2014 at 01:41 PM.
06-07-2014, 08:10 AM
#16
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I will do a parasitic draw test sometime on Monday or Tuesday.
You have determined that the car is drawing 1.45A while the car is off, the key is out, all lights are off. Hopefully you are reading the meter corectly because that seems way high. Normal in that condition should be about 0.1 Amps.
At this point I would start removing fuses and see which ones cause the current to drop to a more normal level. This way you may be able to isolate the problem to a particular circuit.
If you have not already accessed the FSM this should help. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2002/ Go to EL page 10 it will give you an idea of which fuses to pull and their corresponding circuits.
At this point I would start removing fuses and see which ones cause the current to drop to a more normal level. This way you may be able to isolate the problem to a particular circuit.
If you have not already accessed the FSM this should help. http://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Maxima/2002/ Go to EL page 10 it will give you an idea of which fuses to pull and their corresponding circuits.
But I am also very confused by why there would be a voltage between the battery negative and the ground wire. Any thoughts on that?
Other of electrical behavior in the car:
1) I have suspected that there is something wrong with the seat heaters for a while because I feel like I'm roasting in the summer months. I removed the fuse for that a while back and two days ago, I actually detached the switches from their harnesses altogether.
2) For some reason the moon roof feature works but not the sun roof (it will tilt open and closed but not slide back).
3) The passenger window. If I use the auto up position on it, the window will close completely, then open about 2 inches again. Even if it is completely closed - if I press the auto up, it will open about 2 inches.
4) When I press the lock button on the key fob, the turn lights still flash twice but it did not honk for years. Then two days ago while the type driver was using his power box on it, he pressed that bottom and the honking is back to normal ever since.
Now that I think about it, I'm thinking maybe the computer is just going haywire. How do I check that and correct it? In fact, there may be a voltage regulator that is malfunctioning and interfering with proper alternator function as well. Any thoughts?
06-07-2014, 08:53 AM
#17
with the engine running put a DVOM on the positive and negative terimals and check the voltage, should be around 14.1, if its under 13, you alternator is definitely toast.
as for the draw, with your meter plugged in showing the 1.45amps, pull one fuse at a time then reinsert until it drops to almost 0, then check the circuit and everything related to the fuse you just pulled. you will find your draw. is the trunk light staying off after the trunk is closed?
you could also have an internal short in your alternator causing the draw, happens often with older sentras.
check the ground cable from the battery, make sure the end isnt broken that connects to the engine.
as for answers 2 and 3, im pretty sure they need to be calibrated again
answer 4, if you hold lock and unlock together on the fob for about 6 seconds the lights will either flash and the horn will honk or the lights will just flash, you can turn the honk feature on and off
as for the draw, with your meter plugged in showing the 1.45amps, pull one fuse at a time then reinsert until it drops to almost 0, then check the circuit and everything related to the fuse you just pulled. you will find your draw. is the trunk light staying off after the trunk is closed?
you could also have an internal short in your alternator causing the draw, happens often with older sentras.
check the ground cable from the battery, make sure the end isnt broken that connects to the engine.
as for answers 2 and 3, im pretty sure they need to be calibrated again
answer 4, if you hold lock and unlock together on the fob for about 6 seconds the lights will either flash and the horn will honk or the lights will just flash, you can turn the honk feature on and off
Last edited by NSMO240; 06-07-2014 at 08:58 AM.
06-07-2014, 02:34 PM
#18
But I am also very confused by why there would be a voltage between the battery negative and the ground wire. Any thoughts on that?
This is because your battery negative is no longer ground once you remove the terminal. I would not be surprised if all batteries measure this way. I do not think this is relevant.
If your battery is getting drained and dying you need to focus on current draw. Your small meter should be fine. You just need to use it properly to measure current draw.
This is because your battery negative is no longer ground once you remove the terminal. I would not be surprised if all batteries measure this way. I do not think this is relevant.
If your battery is getting drained and dying you need to focus on current draw. Your small meter should be fine. You just need to use it properly to measure current draw.
06-07-2014, 11:45 PM
#19
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