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car trouble - dead battery?

ElFenix

ElFenix

Elite Member
Super Moderator
try to start the car this morning, and the thing is almost completely dead. after one try at cranking there is barely enough power to operate the locks.

so i get it jumped. turns over just fine. let it idle a bit. then i hit the button to turn on the a/c. car dies immediately.

now, normally i'd just figure its a dead battery. but the using the a/c killing the car strikes me as something that wouldn't normally happen if it was just the battery.

any thoughts?
 
Did it start up again okay? You may have a bad AC clutch, which is dragging a weak car down. Usually, this would just smoke the belt, but in your case??? The car just sounds like its not hitting on all cylinders. Need more info.
 
that is a weak battery because of a dead alternator. Once the engine is running, you should be able to operate all acessories within reason. turning on one thing and killing the engine? Bad alternator for sure.
 
Originally posted by: skyking
that is a weak battery because of a dead alternator. Once the engine is running, you should be able to operate all acessories within reason. turning on one thing and killing the engine? Bad alternator for sure.
Click to expand...

of course, the a/c isn't driven by the alternator...
 
While I agree I that the ac is not powered by the alternator, I would have your electrical systems checked out. It might be a short somewhere, so your engine mis-fires when you hit your ac. Did i t just putter to a stop or was there some shaking?
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: skyking
that is a weak battery because of a dead alternator. Once the engine is running, you should be able to operate all acessories within reason. turning on one thing and killing the engine? Bad alternator for sure.
Click to expand...

of course, the a/c isn't driven by the alternator...
Click to expand...

The clutch is, and takes a fair amount of juice to operate.
 
Originally posted by: Ned
DEAD ALTERNATOR

You need both a new alternator and a battery(probably, deep deep discharge really hurts the battery).
Click to expand...


Yes indeed, it's a coin toss on the battery.
 
Originally posted by: amdskip
I say its your alternator, not recharging it.
Click to expand...

This is the main problem... your battery may be dead as a result, but a good charge may make it as good as new... either pull the alternator out & take it to Autozone (or similar)
& have it tested, or take it to a mechanic you trust & do the same.
 
Originally posted by: Tsaico
While I agree I that the ac is not powered by the alternator, I would have your electrical systems checked out. It might be a short somewhere, so your engine mis-fires when you hit your ac. Did i t just putter to a stop or was there some shaking?
Click to expand...

just stopped immediately.

of course, the thing had been pinging with the a/c on for a long time. i first brought it to nissan's attention while under warranty. they claimed i was because i was using 89 octane. which the manual says to use.

i'll test the alternator tomorrow morning.
 
Originally posted by: skyking
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: skyking
that is a weak battery because of a dead alternator. Once the engine is running, you should be able to operate all acessories within reason. turning on one thing and killing the engine? Bad alternator for sure.
Click to expand...

of course, the a/c isn't driven by the alternator...
Click to expand...

The clutch is, and takes a fair amount of juice to operate.
Click to expand...

i think i'm going to have the whole assembly looked at next time i get the serpentine belt replaced.
 
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: skyking
Originally posted by: ElFenix
Originally posted by: skyking
that is a weak battery because of a dead alternator. Once the engine is running, you should be able to operate all acessories within reason. turning on one thing and killing the engine? Bad alternator for sure.
Click to expand...

of course, the a/c isn't driven by the alternator...
Click to expand...

The clutch is, and takes a fair amount of juice to operate.
Click to expand...

i think i'm going to have the whole assembly looked at next time i get the serpentine belt replaced.
Click to expand...

I'm glad we agree 🙂
 
Originally posted by: us3rnotfound
Originally posted by: Ornery
I trust ElFenix will report back what the problem was, unlike some people:I'm wondering if we should extract a promise to update, before offering any help!
Click to expand...

sorry dude, im in my senior year in hs, its IMPORTANT STUFF!
i'll update when i get the right stuff from napa or wherever
Click to expand...
Updates anyone?
 
I had the same problem with my car a couple years ago.
Dead battery plain and simple. I got the car jumped, tried to turn on the headlights after a few mins, the car died instantly. The alternator was fine, the battery had just died.

Sounds like with any luck that's all it is.
 
If the battery is dead enough, the voltage drop from trying to charge it can be enough to cause other electrical systems to malfunction. When a battery is dead enough that it can't crank the car, it needs to be put on a shop charger overnight. Jumping the car will get you home, but the battery will still need to be charged properly.

The alternator is designed to trickle-charge the battery, not deep-charge it. You'd need to run the engine for several hours to put any appreciable charge back into the battery. Take the battery out of the car, and put it on a real charger.

ZV
 
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