HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP..Please..1998 Nissan

I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima..
A few months back, the battery died..got a new one..
alternator died next..the new battery refused to hold a charge after that, so I got another new battery..
The car refused to start..pulled the starter, had it checked..solenoid rotten..starter fine..
bought a new solenoid..
The car ran like a purring kitten for two weeks..then yesterday, nada..turn ignition key and nothing..

The battery reading was "low"..tried charging it..nothing happened..pulled the starter..took it to a guy down the road who rebuilds them..$54 later, he said the starter was deader than a doornail..
My son just put in the rebuilt starter, turned the ignition and..nothing..just a whirring noise as if the flywheel wants to be engaged but isn't.

Tried jumping the battery..no go..
When he turned off teh ignition, the starter continued to whir away..he had to disconnect the battery cables..sigh.

So..:
With a brand new alternator, and brand new battery, can anybody take a guess as to why the battery was reading "low" after I drove 10 miles yesterday? Wouldn't the alternator have charged it up?

and..why in heaven's name would a rebuilt starter continue to whirr with the ignition turned off?

I'm broke..and this is my only vehicle..would love to just have it towed to a mechanic and say, "Fix this thing", but cannot..any ideas??

[heelpin]

Sounds like you have a short in the starter circuit, battery to switch to solonoid to starter. I recently had this same problem on a F150 truck and it turned out to be bad wires under the dash.

[zant]

Yep,wiring problem---Bad news-it's a 98 which means it has wiring everywhere and finding it may not be any fun...Remember KISS-look for all wiring to and from starter first,progress from there...

[clovis]

It takes a while to recharge a battery. I really doubt that 10 miles of driving did anything for you, especially if you were using lights, radio, blower motor, etc.

[zito]

A quick and dirty alternator test is to pull the positive lead off of the battery, while the car is running. (make sure you don't ground that cable anywhere, eg. touch it to any metal) If the alternator is putting out enough power the car will keep running. If the car dies, your alternator isn't charging. When reconnecting the positive lead to the battery, make sure the car isn't running at the time. I know you've already replaced the alternator, but it's just something to keep in mind for future if it doesn't charge.

As others have mentioned, sounds like it could be a problem with wiring somewhere. I'd also recommend checking the ignition switch. Nissans are somewhat known for problems with them (I used to work at an auto wrecking yard... that's about the best way to get an education on what are/aren't good vehicles, what are common problems for vehicles, etc. at least imo) Try an auto wrecking yard, or an aftermarket parts store. If you have an auto wrecking yard nearby, especially a "do it yourself" type, you can often buy the parts, and then return them if you end up not needing the part. Check first on that though, as everyone has their own policy. Also check the dealership; sometimes on older vehicles, parts are cheaper than you can get them anywhere else.

Failing all that, I'd also suggest it might be the ECM/computer of the car. That would be a smaller chance, but it has happened.

Good luck with it.

[agmantoo]

Originally Posted by bostonlesley

I have a 1998 Nissan Maxima..
A few months back, the battery died..got a new one..

At this point you only had battery problems...we, at this end, do not know how old this battery was. This battery could have failed because it was not being charged.

alternator died next..the new battery refused to hold a charge after that, so I got another new battery

How do we know the new alternator was functioning properly? Did whomever you got the first new battery from check the system on the vehicle before replacing the battery?

The car refused to start..pulled the starter, had it checked..solenoid rotten..starter fine..
bought a new solenoid..

The solenoid goes bad....a weak battery (low volts) will force the solenoid to handle a lot of current in order to make the horsepower required to turn the engine.

The car ran like a purring kitten for two weeks..then yesterday, nada..turn ignition key and nothing..

The new battery and the replacement solenoid runs fine for a duration. Then problems reoccur. A weak battery again? Sounds like it to me.

The battery reading was "low"..tried charging it..nothing happened..pulled the starter..took it to a guy down the road who rebuilds them..$54 later, he said the starter was deader than a doornail..
A low battery should have charged if the charging was done properly with a good charger. The fact that the battery was low indicates that the system is not charging.


My son just put in the rebuilt starter, turned the ignition and..nothing..just a whirring noise as if the flywheel wants to be engaged but isn't.

With the rebuilt starter anything can and may happen. Rebuilt starters a a misuse of the word rebuilt. Only the most defective components in the starter were replaced by off shore junk.

Tried jumping the battery..no go..
When he turned off teh ignition, the starter continued to whir away..he had to disconnect the battery cables..sigh.

With most jumper cables it is near impossible to jump a very weak battery. With a weak battery is possible you have welded the solenoid contacts together creating the inability to turn the starting system off.

So..:
With a brand new alternator, and brand new battery, can anybody take a guess as to why the battery was reading "low" after I drove 10 miles yesterday? Wouldn't the alternator have charged it up?

and..why in heaven's name would a rebuilt starter continue to whirr with the ignition turned off?

I'm broke..and this is my only vehicle..would love to just have it towed to a mechanic and say, "Fix this thing", but cannot..any ideas??

I realize the vehicle may not start at this time. With a charged battery and a starter solenoid and possibly another "rebuilt" starter the vehicle should crank and make it to the auto store. At this time I think the alternator is at fault. It may be charging when the engine is running but it is draining the battery when parked. The alternator may have a shorted diode in it that is not showing up when being tested. You can take the battery cable off when the vehicle is not going to be used to verify if there is a drain like overnight. Do not disconnect the alternator with the engine running...so doing could damage the computer!

Good luck

Thanks everyone

The new alternator and battery were put in by mechanics..brand new stuff..
the solenoid also was brand new ..
I agree that "something" is draining the power from the battery..haven't a clue what it is though..
BTW, when I drove to the store yesterday, I wasn't using lights/radio/wipers..

I'll have to wait a few weeks before I can do much of anything about it..(money )..but now at least I have a better idea of what could be wrong..

[dirty]

don't know if this will help. but it's an idea.

i'd check the ground connections. not so much on the battery.

but follow the ground from the battery to wherever it connects to the engine block or frame.

there may be more than one wire coming of the ground at the battery.

remove and clean/sand that connection and the area it is bolted to. just cause it "looks" good doesn't necessarily mean it couldn't use a cleaning.

all the different people pulling these wires can cause the condition to worsen or get better.

if the ground isn't connected clean and tight the battery may not take a charge. and it can cause a havoc with the starting components.

this should be cheap and easy to do.. like me.

[Rocky Fields]

Hey.

There was a recall on the alternator. Read all three of these links:

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2...05/143250.html

http://www.automallusa.net/1998/niss...a/recalls.html

http://en.allexperts.com/q/Automotiv...axima-1998.htm

You have been getting sold a lot of stuff you never needed. Find a new mechanic.

Check starter solenoid. Check to make sure an alternator of the correct amperage was installed...if the output is too low, it may not keep the battery charged when you use accessories. Make sure alternator belt isn't slipping or it won't charge right.

RF

[Rocky Fields]

Bad ignition switch is another possibility.

Thank you

[cfabe]

I was going to also suggest cleaning/checking grounds. It can cause a lot of wierd problems, and it's a free repair! Worth a shot.

[zant]

Ground is an excellent place to start,if you're in snow country or anywhere they use salt on roads,grounds could be corroded...cheap and easy .

An update ..kind of "long", but IMHO worth the telling..

My brother called this morning..he lives in Cape Cod..just got back from vacation and asked "What's new Sis?" LOL..
He told me to call around until I found a mechanic who actually knows what he's doing as far as wiring issues, then call him back.

I made a few phone calls and was delighted..turns out that the young man with whom I spoke is the SIL of one of my neighbors..he said, "Oh..I've heard of you..everyone says you're a nice lady..( wow..that's nice to know!)..he's going to come over Sunday with his flat bed and pick up the Nissan..no charge!!

He'll look it over Monday & give my brother the estimate..brother will pick up the tab for fixing it..

My goodness..I am incredibly blessed..will post the results of "what was wrong" as soon as it is fixed..
Thank you ALL so much for helping..