1998 Infiniti I30 battery problem

[Metalmirq]

i have a 1998 infiniti i30 with 127,000 miles on it. Recently, the battery died so i bought a new one. A couple weeks later the new battery died so i brought it to my mechanic assuming it needed a new alternator. He said it wasnt the alternator after he tested it, so he blamed it on a bad battery terminal and replaced it free of charge. A couple days later the battery dies again, this time while i was parking the car, i noticed my speakers shut off and the dash lights started dimming. When I shut the car off, naturally, it wouldnt start up again, so I brought to a different mechanic and this one said that my door switch, which had been blinking on and off while i was driving because the switch was making bad contact with door was causing the problem. He said when i park the car at night the switch would contract (because of the cold) and turn on overnight, draining the battery. The mechanic shimmed the switch so it wouldnt come on all the time. Two days after i picked the car up, the same problem happened. I was parking the car, the speakers shut off and the dash lights started dimming, so of course it wouldnt start up again. This is currently where I stand with the car and any help from experienced mechanics on here would be appreciated

[Metalmirq]

another problem i was having is that the car was stalling out at stop lights. the 2nd mechanic i brought it to said it was because the crank sensor was installed backwards. Since ive had the car back, it doesnt stall anymore but the battery is still dying.

[loystock]

From your description, looks like you have multiple electrical problems. With the engine running, the alternator should provide electrical power aside from charging the battery. If the alternator is good, even with a defective door switch, you should not lose electrical power for as long as the engine is running.

Verify you battery connection is clean and tight. Use steel brush to clean battery poles and connectors. Make sure the battery leads and wires are intact. with engine off, battery voltage must be >12.5VDC. If not, you have a weak battery (or something draining it). With the engine running, the alternator charging voltage must be >13.8 VDC (spec is 14.1-14.7VDC). Replace alternator as required.

If the door switch is defective (failed in CLOSE position), then it's possible to drain the battery due to illumination of the door lights and depending on setting, the dome light. But it should not cause power loss with engine running. Each door switch is secured by a Philips screw. If the mounting screw is loose, the door switch operation may be erratic. Make sure you tighten each screw. Another possibility is that the rubber cover for the switch is broken causing the switch to remain close (must be open when the door is closed). The switch has to be repaired/replaced.

As a patch until you can fix the door switch, you can remove the bulb of each door light and select the Dome Light switch to OFF.

[Metalmirq]

thanks

From your description, looks like you have multiple electrical problems. With the engine running, the alternator should provide electrical power aside from charging the battery. If the alternator is good, even with a defective door switch, you should not lose electrical power for as long as the engine is running.

Verify you battery connection is clean and tight. Use steel brush to clean battery poles and connectors. Make sure the battery leads and wires are intact. with engine off, battery voltage must be >12.5VDC. If not, you have a weak battery (or something draining it). With the engine running, the alternator charging voltage must be >13.8 VDC (spec is 14.1-14.7VDC). Replace alternator as required.

If the door switch is defective (failed in CLOSE position), then it's possible to drain the battery due to illumination of the door lights and depending on setting, the dome light. But it should not cause power loss with engine running. Each door switch is secured by a Philips screw. If the mounting screw is loose, the door switch operation may be erratic. Make sure you tighten each screw. Another possibility is that the rubber cover for the switch is broken causing the switch to remain close (must be open when the door is closed). The switch has to be repaired/replaced.

As a patch until you can fix the door switch, you can remove the bulb of each door light and select the Dome Light switch to OFF.

thanks for the reply. The car was dead last night but when I went to leave for work this morning it started up fine. When i got to work, I used my fluke multimeter to test the voltage at the battery while it was running. The reading I got was 13.1 VDC. When I was leaving work, once again the car started up fine and I tested the battery again while the car was cold and running, this time I got 14.4 VDC. When I got home i tested it again with the car running and this time it read 12.8 VDC. This was after I had been driving the car for about 15 mins. Anymore help with this would be appreciated. Thanks

[loystock]

If your battery connections are clean and tight and the leads are good, then the problem is with the alternator (intermittent failure of internal voltage regulator which should maintain the voltage at 14.1-14.7VDC ). YOu have to replace the alternator (loosen idler pulley first then remove alternator).

[Dj Eves]

See if something is draining the battery while the car is off. That is what was going on with my i30. Wires crossing or shorts. I took it my local shop and the dropped 4 drop lights and found the short in less than 2hrs. I used this clap multimeter to detect the drain when the car was off. I just clamped it on the battery terminal cable.

whttp://www.fieldpiece.com/images/SC76.jpg

[loystock]

Here's the corrected link:

http://www.fieldpiece.com/images/SC76.jpg

What you used is a Clamp Meter. It's very convenient instead of using a regular multimeter (connect in series to measure current flow). 'Fieldpiece' is a relatively new company.

[Metalmirq]

i brought it to the nissan dealer and they replaced the alternator and belt. no more problems. i dont understand why 2 mechanics couldnt figure it out

[Sentientbydesign]

i brought it to the nissan dealer and they replaced the alternator and belt. no more problems. i dont understand why 2 mechanics couldnt figure it out

Heat can play some funny tricks on electronics. That said, the efficiency of the faulty alternator may have varied significantly depending on it's temperature.

So a mechanic might have tested the alternator cold and it have fine output, but when the hood is closed and the car drives for hours, that's when the alternator output decreased.

Just a possibility.

[loystock]

The fact that the alternator charging voltage is fluctuating is indicative of internal problem with the voltage regulator or with one of the rectifiers. Have you fixed the problem with the door switch?