03 keeps killing battery

[G-Girl]

Hello all, I’m new to the forum and hoping you can help with a problem.

I purchased my 03 sedan about 18 months ago with 62k miles. Since around the second month of ownership I’ve had a problem with my battery going dead after the car sits for an extended period of time. At first it was five or more days but lately it sometimes happens overnight. Thinking it was a battery problem I replaced the original with an aftermarket from AutoZone. When that one went bad I returned it to AutoZone and they said it was a faulty battery and replace it free. Now the second AZ battery is failing and I’m sure it’s the car causing the problem. Someone told me 03 G35 where notorious for having a problem with their stereos running batteries dead but my dealer knows nothing about it.

Has anyone else experienced this?

Any other ideas of what could be causing the problem?

If this has been covered in this forum I apologize for not finding it.

Thanks,~Brandi
Modified by G-Girl at 6:40 PM 10/29/2007

[gwoods]

How do the battery cables look?

Do any lights stay on after the car is off. Maybe the glove box or trunk light isn't turning off?

Are you buying the most exspensive Autozone battery? I've had bad luck with their $30-$40 batteries only lasting a couple weeks without any electrical problems.

Good luck,

Jeff

[joe603]

Welcome to NICO!

Yes, the 03-04 stereo head deck is known for this issue. I would bring it to the dealer if it's under warranty.

There has been a few discussions on this issue, try doing a search for other posts, and possible fix actions.

[G-Girl]

Jeff, The cables are clean and it appears all the lights are turning off. I’m not sure where in the lineup of AutoZone batteries I have but it cost around $70.00, do you still think it could be a bad battery?

Thanks for the welcome Joe. Unfortunately it’s not under warranty so I’d like to have some knowledge of what might be happening before I pay shop rate for what might be a witch-hunt.

Thanks guys,~Brandi

[gwoods]

Witch hunt is right. If you were in AZ I'd have shop for you. Haven't lived in Missouri in 5 years.

Try pulling the fuse for the stereo and see if you battery lasts longer? Just a guess.

Jeff

[WhiteG35Bullet]

Brandi, I noe whats is wrong wit ur car because I also brought a 03 coupe two wks ago and did a research and the 03 has a recall so bring it to any Infiniti dealership and complain about this:

NO RECALLS APPLY FOR 2004 MODEL YEAR2003 Infiniti G35 Recall Date : Nov 2003Potential Number Of Units Affected : 58,000 Summary:On certain passenger vehicles, the circuit board for the crank position sensor may have an improper solder joint due to solder deformation caused by heat stress accelerated by the existence of flux residue during the soldering process . Consequence:This could cause the "Service Engine Soon" warning light to come on, create a no start condition, cause reduce engine power, or cause the engine to stop running without warning during vehicle operation, which could result in a crash Remedy:Dealer will replaced the Crank Position Sensor. Vehicles involved in a previous campaign, are also included in this new campaign. The replacement sensors used in that campaign are also affected. Owner notification is expected to begin during December 2003. Owners should contact Nissan 1-800-647-7261 or Infiniti at 1-800-662-6200.

But it might also be something in the electrical so don't really quote me.

[telcoman]

Jeff, The cables are clean and it appears all the lights are turning off. I’m not sure where in the lineup of AutoZone batteries I have but it cost around $70.00, do you still think it could be a bad battery?

Thanks for the welcome Joe. Unfortunately it’s not under warranty so I’d like to have some knowledge of what might be happening before I pay shop rate for what might be a witch-hunt.

Thanks guys,~Brandi

Hmmm, Interesting! I would follow Joe's advice & take it to the dealer. I seem to remember reading previous posts that indicate that this trouble is related to the stereo. If the battery is going dead after a few days you could always remove the battery & keep it out of the car for 4 or 5 days. If the vehicle starts after putting the battery back in then you can assume that something is draining the battery. Check with Infiniti parts on how much a replacement battery is for your vehicle.? Ask what is the required CCA rating? (Cold Cranking Amps) If Infiniti confirms you have an incorrect battery you should be able to get a refund from AutoZone. I checked on Interstate's web site and they have a 800 CCA Battery for $99.00. I put in a 06 G35 since that is what I have. Since you live in a cold climate, you may want to consider getting the best battery you can find?With a cheap digital voltmeter from radio shack you should be reading about 14 volts across the battery terminals from the alternator with the engine running. If the belts are original, I would replace them.

Good luck

Telcoman

[gwoods]

Interstate makes the best wet cell batteries IMO.

I do like the Optima gel batteries though! I had a yellow top in my Hemi Ram.

[eastvolt]

Quote »

Any other ideas of what could be causing the problem?

[/quote]Disconnect your positive (or negative) battery cable and put a small value resistor (like 1 ohm) between cable and battery terminal. (Of course, do this with the car NOT running and everything turned off)

Using multimeter, measure voltage across the resistor. Using ohms law, you can determine what the drain current is. If you measured say 0.1 volt across the 1 ohm resistor, you'd have a 100mA draw.

This way, you can be sure to know that you have a load draining your battery and exactly what that load is. Next you can try disconnecting accessories such as the radio etc... to try isolating the probem.

[G-Girl]

Thanks so much everyone for your input. Before I replace the battery I think I’ll take Eastvolt’s suggestion and test the ohms, (after I read up on want an ohm is). I think I can get the guys at work to show me how to use a multimeter but I’m not sure want a valve resistor is. Eastvolt, is that something I can buy at Radio Shack?

~Brandi

[G-Girl]

Telcoman,I checked and my batteries CCA is 731 with 535 reserve. Is that what it should be?

~Brandi

[telcoman]

Telcoman,I checked and my batteries CCA is 731 with 535 reserve. Is that what it should be?

~Brandi

G-GirlI believe it should be higher as you are in a cold climate.My owners manual and the shop manual is silent on what battery to use in my G35. At least when I looked last evening I could not find any info. When I went to the Interstate web site and entered my vehicle information the battery for my vehicle was rated at 800 CCA.

I also tried the Sears website but could not obtain the CCA requirements.You could also try calling one of their automotive departments in one of their stores and ask. I would also ask the same question of your local Infiniti dealer. There is another post on this topic a few postings above yours and that person replaced the stereo & solved the problem.Lead acid automotive batterys lose capacity in cold weather.The difference in price between a battery with 600 or 700 CCA and one with 800 or 900 CCA is probably only around $20. You are always better off getting the best battery with the longest warranty because if you ever have to start your vehicle in zero or below zero weather, you'll be glad that you did.

Telcoman

[joe603]

Check this thread out for more info:

zerothread?id=286635

[NIGHTMAREG35]

EVERYONE HAS GREAT SOLUTIONS... HERES YOUR STEPS...STEP ONE CHECK THE TERMINAL CONNECTORS FOR RUST OR OXIDATIONSTEP TWO CHECK YOUR POSITIVE TERMINAL TO MAKE SURE ALL WIRES ARE SOLID.. (HAVE YOU HAD AN ALARM/STEREO SYSTEM INSTALLED RECENTLY?)IF THERE IS NOT A LOOSE WIRE...STEP THREE CHECK OUT YOUR ALTENATOR (MOST LIKELY ITS THIS PROBLEM)NOW CHECK THE DEALER FOR THE WELL KNOWN RADIO PROBLEM..GUY WITH THE RESISTOR ANSWER...GREAT ANSWER BUT A LIL COMPLICATED FOR EVERYDAY PEOPLE

[G-Girl]

Thanks to help from this forum I was able to pin my battery drain problem down to my Bose Amp.

Bose customer service was very accommodating and sold me a replace unit for $140.00 exchange. BTW, I was told by a Bose engineer the radio is actually made by Clarion even though it carries a Bose name. The amp and speakers are made by Bose.

So if anyone else experiences a battery drain I recommend to first unplug the amp, (located under the speaker shelf on the left side of the trunk) to see if that corrects the issue.

Thanks everyone for correcting a problem that Major Infiniti of KC couldn’t diagnose.

~Brandi

[infinititech1]

yes the audio units are clarion and they suck. could have done a draw test on the battery to see how many amps are being used with the car off... you don't need a resistor tho. if ya need help with anything else let me know...i get many IM's a day lol. keep 'em comin

[G_whizz]

Thanks to help from this forum I was able to pin my battery drain problem down to my Bose Amp.

Bose customer service was very accommodating and sold me a replace unit for $140.00 exchange. BTW, I was told by a Bose engineer the radio is actually made by Clarion even though it carries a Bose name. The amp and speakers are made by Bose.

So if anyone else experiences a battery drain I recommend to first unplug the amp, (located under the speaker shelf on the left side of the trunk) to see if that corrects the issue.

Thanks everyone for correcting a problem that Major Infiniti of KC couldn’t diagnose.

~Brandi

Nice!!! NICO FTW... as always

[phoneix]

I've read so many of these posts on all auto forums.

I have the same problem, but i just found out today it wasn't the amp in my case. Pulling the amp and re-wiring the power cable worked for about two days and drained.

I need to replace the Fuse Box next to the battery. I had HID lights put in my car and the d!ck who did them did something wrong with the wiring and 1k dollars, endless mornings jumping my car, and headaches later I now know this is the problem.

Forum def. helped though trying to narrow the problem down. Does anyone know how much a new fuse box would be by any chance?

[Georgeb]

Hello,

I have seen over 200 cases of G35 battery draining. Believe it or not almost all the cases I ran in to are caused by the radio. Try disconnecting the radio, and see if your car continues to die. We specialize in radio repairs; if you need help with the radio repair please call me 408-209-9113

George

[Blindman374]

Hi all,

I am having the same problem and am not that car savvy. So when I see notes on "disconnecting the amp" or "disconnecting the radio" or "removing the fuse for the radio" I'd like to know how to go about doing this? Doing a google search for 2003 infiniti g35 sedan disconnect amp didn't provide very good information. As much detail as possible is helpful (such as how to remove the siding in the trunk to find the amp, how to determine which fuse in the driver-side wheel well is the one for the radio, etc).

Thanks,Bob

[champagneG35]

Just a quick easier option for those less savy in electronics a real quick way to find out if your battery is causing a no start/dead battery problem or your alternator, is to simply disconnect the battery after you start the car. Your car will run off alternator alone if it's working right if not it will die, the battery is only there to start it and run multiple accessories when off.

[telcoman]

Hi all,

I am having the same problem and am not that car savvy. So when I see notes on "disconnecting the amp" or "disconnecting the radio" or "removing the fuse for the radio" I'd like to know how to go about doing this? Doing a google search for 2003 infiniti g35 sedan disconnect amp didn't provide very good information. As much detail as possible is helpful (such as how to remove the siding in the trunk to find the amp, how to determine which fuse in the driver-side wheel well is the one for the radio, etc).

Thanks,Bob

One of the best ways to learn is to obtain the shop manual and make sure you have the owners manual for your vehicle and read both when you have questions.Some of them can be downloaded elsewhere on this site but I purchase one whenever I get a new vehicle. My 06 Infiniti shop manual paper version is 4 thick volumes well over 1000 pages. It cost me a little over $300 and I've already saved more than double its cost. I also can make notes and provide more detail for myself.

If you do ever have to take your vehicle in to the dealer, being well informed will result in you less likely to get ripped off.

Telcoman