'11 M56x deader than a door nail

Post by **Ilya** » Mon May 15, 2023 4:16 pm

2011 M56x with 140kmi on it.

I barely drive my car these days. It's only done 180 miles since February 12th of this year lol (we primarily use the wife's QX60).

That being said, the car was deader than a door nail yesterday so I connected my 2500Amp booster box (NOCO) and it didn't do a damn thing. Zero reaction to the key and me sitting inside pushing the button. Even tried to put the fob close to the button and nothing. It only reacted/started once I had the NOCO AND jumper cables connected to it (connected to the QX60).

Now, my car has the ECM-Alternator mod done so I drove it about 15-20 miles yesterday and when I got home and parked it, I couldn't start it. Again, zero response. Not even a flicker from the interior lights.

Any ideas why it's so dead? The battery was replaced 14kmi ago which was in 7/20. The battery was manufactured 6/20. It's a Diehard AGM.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Mon May 15, 2023 4:32 pm

Sounds like a bad connection and not a bad battery or charging system. Put a test lamp from the negative post to various places on the positive connections and see if you find a spot where the light dims or goes out. If not, put the gator on the positive post and do the same thing on the ground side. Chances are something in there simply isn't making contact.

Post by **Ilya** » Mon May 15, 2023 6:08 pm

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Mon May 15, 2023 4:32 pm
Sounds like a bad connection and not a bad battery or charging system. Put a test lamp from the negative post to various places on the positive connections and see if you find a spot where the light dims or goes out. If not, put the gator on the positive post and do the same thing on the ground side. Chances are something in there simply isn't making contact.

I don't have a test light (should get one though!) but I do have a volt meter and once I was done with work today I tested the battery at rest to be 1.228v. I managed to get it jump started and it is now on a battery tender so lets see if it's that in the morning.

Turns out, battery tenders don't seem to 'engage' below 3v, and the NOCO is behaving similarly because once I connected the NOCO to the battery with the jumper cables already attached, it's 12v light turned on and it made the familiar 'click' when it did.

I forgot I had a battery tender laying around that I used to use with my motorcycle when I lived in upstate New York (no longer needed in sunny and warm Florida).

Post by **VStar650CL** » Mon May 15, 2023 7:18 pm

Deep-cycled batteries actually resist a charge, so they won't trigger a lot of the new-fashioned chargers which think they're hooked to a doornail and not a battery. The way to recover it is to trickle until the charge rate comes up, then slow charge up to full. Fast charging at any time before it's near to recovery almost guarantees sulfation, and you'll probably have some of that anyway. I'd get the capacity tested after you recover it.

FYI, a voltmeter can't be used for testing bad connections unless there's current running in the circuit to show you a voltage drop. The nice thing about a $4 test lamp with a bulb is that it is a load, so any circuit that will light it up at the same brightness as the battery posts is very likely healthy. Even with a voltmeter, a lamp makes a handy test-load to give you some Vdrop in case connections are so poor that a circuit or car won't wake up. I'd never be without one.

Post by **Ilya** » Tue May 16, 2023 10:39 am

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Mon May 15, 2023 7:18 pm
Deep-cycled batteries actually resist a charge, so they won't trigger a lot of the new-fashioned chargers which think they're hooked to a doornail and not a battery. The way to recover it is to trickle until the charge rate comes up, then slow charge up to full. Fast charging at any time before it's near to recovery almost guarantees sulfation, and you'll probably have some of that anyway. I'd get the capacity tested after you recover it.

FYI, a voltmeter can't be used for testing bad connections unless there's current running in the circuit to show you a voltage drop. The nice thing about a $4 test lamp with a bulb is that it is a load, so any circuit that will light it up at the same brightness as the battery posts is very likely healthy. Even with a voltmeter, a lamp makes a handy test-load to give you some Vdrop in case connections are so poor that a circuit or car won't wake up. I'd never be without one.

All good info! I'm picking one up on Amazon as we speak.

That being said, I replaced the nearly 3yr old battery with a new one just now and this time will have the car sitting on a trickle charger any time it's in the garage since it's now a special occasions car lol. I had it on the trickle charger all night and it was still dead so my guess is the trickle charger didn't know it was on a battery as you said.

Post by **Ilya** » Sat May 20, 2023 9:03 am

Got the new battery installed and my negative terminal is very loose (same battery model and everything as before so not sure why).

What's the best way to get that resolved? I tried these types of shims but they were too big for the negative cable itself and were a little loose while on the battery. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B61TPRLR?ps ... ct_details

Is my only choice to replace the whole negative cable (it's like a foot long but the other end on the car isn't a simple nut).

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat May 20, 2023 9:55 am

Ilya wrote: ↑
Sat May 20, 2023 9:03 am
Is my only choice to replace the whole negative cable (it's like a foot long but the other end on the car isn't a simple nut).

Short of a new cable or some DIY crimping, I don't think you have a lot of options. If you have a cable crimper and enough slack, you can cut the old terminal and crimp on a new ring, then use a stud-type 24340-7999B terminal to bolt the ring to the battery. The screw-type lugs from the parts store won't usually last long and often corrode invisibly under the crimping plate, so personally, I wouldn't go there.

Post by **Ilya** » Sat May 20, 2023 7:36 pm

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Sat May 20, 2023 9:55 am

Ilya wrote: ↑
Sat May 20, 2023 9:03 am
Is my only choice to replace the whole negative cable (it's like a foot long but the other end on the car isn't a simple nut).
Short of a new cable or some DIY crimping, I don't think you have a lot of options. If you have a cable crimper and enough slack, you can cut the old terminal and crimp on a new ring, then use a stud-type 24340-7999B terminal to bolt the ring to the battery. The screw-type lugs from the parts store won't usually last long and often corrode invisibly under the crimping plate, so personally, I wouldn't go there.

New OEM cable (24080-1MA0A) from what I can tell is around $150 + shipping which is insane. I'd prefer to do it right so it lasts...

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sat May 20, 2023 8:09 pm

I see it has that funky right-angle terminal at the bottom, that has to cost an extra $100 to construct (NOT). Honestly, my reaction to that would be a $5 steel angle bracket from Home Depot, a $15 universal ground cable, and a $5 can of spray paint.

Post by **Ilya** » Sun May 21, 2023 3:38 pm

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Sat May 20, 2023 8:09 pm
I see it has that funky right-angle terminal at the bottom, that has to cost an extra $100 to construct (NOT). Honestly, my reaction to that would be a $5 steel angle bracket from Home Depot, a $15 universal ground cable, and a $5 can of spray paint.

Any opinion on something like this? Or will I be changing this regularly like my oil? lol

https://www.amazon.com/CZC-AUTO-Termina ... r=8-9&th=1

Post by **VStar650CL** » Sun May 21, 2023 3:50 pm

Yah, those are the kind I said not to use. Yes, you'll be changing them or de-crudding them regularly. You're better off investing in these:
https://www.amazon.com/Sanuke-Crimping- ... B07V6V7XZC
https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Nissan-T ... B09NMKT2LN

It will still come out less than half the price of the OE cable, make for a much easier job, and you won't need to repeat it.

Post by **Ilya** » Tue May 23, 2023 5:00 am

VStar650CL wrote: ↑
Sun May 21, 2023 3:50 pm
Yah, those are the kind I said not to use. Yes, you'll be changing them or de-crudding them regularly. You're better off investing in these:
https://www.amazon.com/Sanuke-Crimping- ... B07V6V7XZC
https://www.amazon.com/Genuine-Nissan-T ... B09NMKT2LN

It will still come out less than half the price of the OE cable, make for a much easier job, and you won't need to repeat it.

Thank you!

I'm shocked how bad that brand new Nissan terminal looks lol. Sheesh! But I will go this route, thanks!

EDIT: I actually found the exact terminal for this car on Amazon and it's about $6 cheaper than the other OEM Nissan terminal:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0841 ... 7XAU&psc=1

Everything will arrive between 5/31-6/6 so I will have it sorted then.

Post by **VStar650CL** » Tue May 23, 2023 5:48 am

'11 M56x deader than a door nail

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