Hi guys, I wanted to let the forum know about a problem I had with my recently purchased 2K1 Maxima. This is my 3rd Maxima. I had a 1994 which my brother has now and my wife still drive a 1998 SE.
The problem relates to those cheap batteries Nissan puts in our Maximas. I bought the car used after a 3 year lease and the water was way down in the battery. If the water level goes too low it shorts out one or more of the cells. This can cause problems with the alternator over the long run. Makes the altenator work too hard to keep the battery charged.
It can also cause the SES light to come on and give false error messages.
My SES light would come on and go off at various times for no apparent reason.
I suspected my battery might be a problem even though it was filled properly. I had problems with my wifes 98 battery after only 3 years old. It had to be replaced too.
I had a load test done on my battery and it failed the load test.
Bought a new Diehard Gold several weeks ago and the Maxima has not given me any further trouble with the SES light and it starts great.

Not sure if anyone else has had a similar problem but I thought it might be worth posting.
ps this is an awesome forum. I have learned alot from all of you about my Maximas.
Thanks Paul

 

Not to worry you, but this is just FYI. Myself and several other 2K1 owners have experienced alternator failures. A fellow member's alternator failed about a month before mine did. And my battery failed two weeks before. Have yours checked every 3-4 months. You never know.

 

i replaced my battery b4 it agve me any problems.

 

Those of us with systems know all too well how crappy Nissan stock batteries are. My stock battery bit the dust after only 2.5 years. By comparison, the factory Delco Freedom in my '95 Camaro was still going strong when I finally pulled it out in 2002 just in case. At the time I pulled it out it was still holding a good charge!

Didn't most other manufacturers stop making "add water" batteries 30+ years ago?

 

Replaced my 2002 Maxima SE battery after only 1 year.
Since then, I've added a solar "battersaver" that plugs into
the lighter and give a trickle charge to keep the battery
fresh. Hope it helps with this second battery...

 

I had to replace my battery about three months ago. Replaced it with the Optima 75/35 from Costco. Big difference when cranking...

 

As far as I know all Japan built car have "add water" batteries, I think in Japan they only have maintance battery. EX-Honda Accord US built car don't have add water bettery, they also have factory Delco Freedom batttery.

 

I agree that the OEM Nissan battery is a cheapo. I have not replaced mine with a DieHard yet but I will in the near future. The reason your SES light was coming on was probably due to unstable input voltage to the ECM. If the voltage is too low, the computer does not function as designed.

*Edit*
I think I jinxed myself by saying that earlier. I was driving down the highway and my SES light came on. I will do a little checking but plan on taking it to the dealer this week in case it has a hard code.

 

my battery is almost 3 yrs old... from what i read, i am planning to replace it soon, would anyone pleaes post a DIY about putting in and removing the battery ? thanks :-)

 

pruizgarcia, i am planning to get an optima too... did yours fit perfectly into the slot or you need to get new strap or mod anything ?

 

IIRC the battery is held down by 2 10mm bolts, you will need an open end wrench or deep 10mm socket because the screw thread sticks up quite a bit.

Just loosen the nuts holding the terminals on (do + side first) move the wires out of the way, loosen and remove the 2 10mm bolts holding the tie-down on. Pull off your OEM battery cover then pull out your battery. Put the new battery in (and the cover, if you want it and it fits) then rebolt your tie-down on (uses 2 J hooks that fit into holes on the tray.) Don't overtighten the tie-down it should be just enough to hold the battery snugly. connect - side, tighten securely, connect + side. Thats it

 

You will need something underneath the battery to bring it up about two inches so you can fasten the cables to the posts. I used the battery tray that you can get when you purchase the Optima. It clips on to the bottom of the battery.

Pedro

 

thx pruizgarcia... i was wonder what the tray was for. i got my optima at costco too, very good deal. i did some price comparison with a few local auto stores, their prices were much higher.

paralyse, thx a lot for the lucid instructions. got to luv this forum, people are so friendly and helpful.

 

installed the optima... thx you guys again, took me less than 30 mins, included time for cleaning out the battery tray, and sprayed wd-40 over a few rusted spots. tell me it is a figment of my imagination, but it is not as noisy when i crank and i think the ride is smoother too... hehe, cheers.

 

My 02 Maxima battery went bad last month after ~2.5 years.

I thought about the solar chargers since my Maxima doesn't get much use... Does that really work on a Max? It seems that both cigarette lighters don't get any power if the car is turned off, so to me, there isn't even a complete circuit.

I've had some old American cars that still supplied cig lighter power w/the key out...