oGod

Hi, I'm new to this website but I'm here to stay. I have a 2004 3.5 SE. I love the car but recently I have been having some trouble with the battery. I charge the battery to full (It's a third car to the family so it doesn't get everyday use) and let it sit in the driveway for a day or two, i'll get in and the battery is dead. I don't have any ideas on it nor do I know much about cars being young. The battery is just over a year old so it's a good battery. My only thought being that there is a open ground (not sure if that makes any sense). Please give all ideas. The car has 175K miles but still running strong besides a few little things here and there that are irrelevent to the battery.

DennisMik

iTrader: (2)

If you have a fully charged battery that is truly in good condition, it should start the car after a month of sitting.

As you admit to being young, here is something that you need to learn about diagnosing and repairing things. A part that is new or almost new DOES NOT guarantee that it is good. This translates to get the battery checked.

It is also possible that something in the car is draining the battery. Check to see if your brake lights are on all the time. Same for the light in the trunk. There is something called a "parasitic draw" that can drain the battery. This takes someone with electrical experience and a lot of patience to diagnose.

Then there is the part of "I charge the battery to full." How is that being done? Maybe the process you use is not a effective as you think.

oGod

The battery is charged with a wall charger that senses when the battery if full, that's what I'm basing the "I charge the battery to full" off of. I will check the trunk light and I have not seen the headlights nor the brake lights. How would I go about getting the battery checked, just bring it to a local shop?

Gen 5 GSE

oGod, here are a few things to look at. If you live in high altitude where weather has been up and down as it has been for me I.E. temperature swings of 40 degrees in a given day. I had a new battery 1yr old as well. I assumed right away that since the battery was newer it could only be the alternator that was bad. I still had the battery checked first since it was the easiest to check and that was the actual issue. Do a visual inspection of the battery for bulging, but I would just pull it out and take it to an auto parts store if you are unable to drive the car there, they will test it for either no fee or a nominal fee.

Gen 5 GSE

Also, just a side note. If there is a bulge in the battery anywhere, do not put that trickle charge on it, just carefully take it out and go to the parts store immediately to replace. It could be a ruptured or damaged cell. If that is the case it can blow and that would be a mess with battery acid all over.

wingnut2006

1st thing to do is to remove the battery from the vehicle and take it somewhere and have it tested. If it is good have them fully charge the battery on low charge. Reinstall the battery but do not attach the ground. Install a volt meter between the battery and ground cable. The volt meter should be reading DC amps. With the doors closed and all lights off (including the light under the hood, if it has one) the reading should be almost zero. If you have a high reading then you have a parasitic short. To find the short start removing the fuses one at a time. My son has sold his Maxima but I know that the vehicle has fuses in two or three locations. The box on the passenger side is located under a plastic cover. You will have to remove the plastic cover to access the fuse. Start with items that have electric motors first. When you pull the correct fuse the reading should drop to almost zero. After you find the problem then you must find the reason for the problem. Good luck

oGod

For anyone that sees this, I have some what located the issue. It's a parasitic draw somewhere in the stereo. Not exactly sure where but the last owner did put in a new one. Any one have any tips to find the grounding wire?