I have been storing my car at my mom's friend's house, because she had a garage where i could put my car for the winter since i wont be driving it. i am there now and i am trying to start the car but it will not start. When i try to start it i just hear small hollow sound, not like the full sound you hear while the starter is cranking the enigne. i think it sort of sounds like the battery just doesnt have enough power to start the car but i am not sure about this. Anyway, the battery has been disconnected for the past 3 weeks so i just hooked it up, and then when i wanted to start the car, it would not start. if i turn the key just one click, the radio and clock work just fine, but the car does not start. I also noticed some kind of red substance on my black battery cable connection, like the metal part that actually connects to the battery. I dont know what this is or if this has anything to do with my problem but i thought i should mention it. I guess that is pretty much all i can say, i am not going to be here much longer so any help that you could give me would be greatly appreciated. Thanks

 

Okay. To me it sounds like a battery problem. If you want to check it, just take a volt meter and connect the negative and positive to the according side. It will tell you the voltage of your battery. If I'm not mistaken, it should be a little above 12V. If you don't have access to a volt meter, then you can try some other things. When you honk the horn is it as loud as it normally is? Turn on the headlights and try to start the car...how much do they dim? They will dim slightly, but if they dim significantly, then its probably your battery. Also, how fast do the windows roll up and down? If everything seems to be fine, then it is probably your starter. I'm betting its the battery though. Oh, and clean the red stuff off of the battery cable. You need to have a good connection to start the car.

 

Yeah, unplug the battery connections and scrub them with a baking soda/water solution and a scrub brush.

 

is it a Maxima? J/W!! =)

 

Yeah, i tried some more things and i am pretty sure it is the battery. I cleaned the red stuff off. I turned the headlights on and then turned the car to the on position. All the lights lit up, then i tried to start it and the headlights almost completely dimmed and the lights on the dashboard all dimmed so i am now pretty sure it is a battery. I am going to jump the car tomorrow and make sure that the car starts that way, if it does then i know my problem is the battery and i will buy a new battery later this week. So, what is a good battery to buy? =) by the way, car has 100,076 miles and still original battery, it is time to replace it anyway.

 

and yes it is a maxima, thank you very much. 1995 SE Auto trans

 

batteries positively die WHENEVER THEY WANT TO

I have 106K on my maxima, replaced the battery
at about 75K miles, by the way,

my starter went this summer. cost me $290 at
Firestone to have it replaced. $160 was the
parts price. 24 months/20,000 miles warranty.
good price, good warrranty.