nelgin

Hi all,

I went outside yesterday to start my car and it was dead. I charged the battery for a few hours and it would crank pretty strong but wouldn't actually start.

Next I disconnected the negative terminal over night and reattached it this afternoon and it was dead again, so I guess I have a bad battery.

I put the charger on 50amps to try and get it going so I could go to the parts store for a new battery but I got the same thing. I plugged in my ODBII but it didn't give any faults.

Neither the remote not mechanical key worked. The fob does lock/unlock the doors.

Right now, I'm at a loss. Everything was fine a few days ago when I used it. I'm open to suggestions before I get it towed to the shop.

Thanks,

User1

Put a new battery in it.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Does your charger have a readout which tells you the voltage and if it's fully charged or not? Might just need more time on the charger.

However, it sounds like your battery is dead dead and charging it isn't viable. You'll need to charge it for more than a few hours just to give the car enough juice to start. Then, drive straight to your local parts store and install the battery in the parking lot. Or, ask a friend or family member to take you to get a new battery. Bring the old battery with you to avoid the core charge. The latter is probably the best option to be safe.

User1

Jump it with another car to see if the car will even run, then replace the battery.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Definitely a very good option/suggestion, provided he let's it charge for at least 15 minutes with the two cars hooked together. If the battery is toast though, this doesn't even work.

User1

You can jump a car with no battery at all in the dead car. You're just hooking up a starter (and once running, engine, lights, etc.) in parallel with the jumping car.

nelgin

I'm going to get a new battery tomorrow so I'll give that a try. I did charge plenty and my charger did say it was 100% charged before I tried to start the car.

Thanks,

nelgin

New battery installed and still turning but not starting. What's next?

User1

Pull codes. Probably a crank sensor.

nelgin

As I said:

User1

Yup, I read that. And your car still doesn't run. Pull them again.

nelgin

If there were any I would post them. There are not. Would you like me to send a video to prove it? Either using the ODBII or by using the "pedal" method.

User1

How are you pulling them? What device are you using? Describe your method and equipment.

User1

Not trying to bust your *****, but you haven't given a lot of info to go off of. There have been people that pull codes without even having the key in the ignition then claim there weren't any.

nelgin

It's a bluetooth one that I've used many times before on this and other vehicles so I know it works fine. I also used this method.
https://www.nissanhelp.com/diy/commo...des_read_2.php

nelgin

That wouldn't be possible. The ODBII needs power. I know it works, I monitored the voltage and saw it drop with the old battery when I tried to start. It works.

User1

Time to go back to the basics then I guess. Air, spark, fuel.

Granted you aren't locked out by NATS, which cuts fuel.

nelgin

I'll just have it towed to the dealer tomorrow and throw money at them.

User1

That sounds like your best bet.

nelgin

For those following along, it seems oil has been leaking from the engine into the alternator which is causing a voltage drop. $4200 later, I have my car back.

During the inspection, they noted that I need new front shocks, and both outer tie rods are worn, which is complete BS. I replaced them myself in 2019. I work from home, have done for 8 years. I only do about 3000 miles a year. There's absolutely no way they are worn out.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

$4,200 !! Oh man, they took you to the cleaners! The whole car is only worth 4,200 dollars, max!!
What did they do for this much money?

nelgin

Actually, it was 4400...but here we go...

Reset immobilizer and reprogram keyfob
Labor 150.50

Found rear main seal needs to be replaced
Parts 156.72
Labor 1435.97

Found that valve cover gaskets need to be replaced
Parts 907.08
Labor 526.75
Included replacing both vale covers, brake booster hose, clamps, and cleaned off all the oil residue

Alternator needs to be replaced
Parts 330
Labor 376.25

Lube/oil/filter service
Parts 23.65
Labor 13.,55

Replace CV Axle - supposedly the axle nut seized due to rust and found thread damaged
Parts 220.92
Labor 244.05


Alternator 330 parts 376.25 labor
Replace LH CV axle assembly (They said the axle nut seized due to rust and found thread damaged) 220 part 244.05 labor

Yeah, so that's about it. Runs fine one day, next it's $4400.

It would have had to go to the dealer anyway for the immobilizer and I get the 12 month warranty on everything. I know it's about as much as the car is worth, but I hardly drive it so probably going to keep it until it falls apart.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Thanks for sharing the cost breakdown. As long as you plan to keep the car for a very long time, it's money well spent.

User1

Aha, locked out by NATS after all. Post #17

Child_uv_KoRn

iTrader: (7)

It's 1 minute to program keys.

We'll round up to an hour for the alternator.

About an hour for valve covers.

You don't replace RMS unless your half moon is dumping oil.

And they tore up the threads instead of lubing them, but even replacement is cheap and fast.

Just wow. I would've done all of that minus replacing VCs (waste of money) for $1,400 and still made fat cash.

toastedoats

iTrader: (4)

I'm sorry, I have to be brutally honest. You got ****ed on labor... really ****ed... hard and dry. You need to find a new mechanic ASAP.
$2xx to change an axle, $3xx to change an alternator, $5xx to change valve covers? Those are each ~1hr jobs. A decent mechanic would have all of those finished in 2-3 hours and you got taken for $1000

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

He paid top dollar because he took it to the dealer.