2006 M35x not starting - electrical problem?

[rbaman]

I have a 2006 M35x with approx 130k miles on it. It is a great car, but now I am having what (to me) seems to be an unusual issue. I had dropped it off at the local tire place because one of my tires was leaking (turned out the wheel had a crack, not a tire issue), but when I went to pick it up, it wouldn't start. It's not a battery issue; we checked that. I shot a video the shows what is happening to the dash lights, etc, but let me explain as well.

Unlock car, get in, put foot on brake. Brake feels hard and resistant, not spongy/mushy like it should at this point. Hit the push button. All driver's display items dims/turns off. I hear a single click. Let it sit for a few seconds, then take foot off of the brake (ignition still in the on position). Driver's display items light up bright, and then 4-5 clicks heard, as parking brake light clicks on/off in time to the mechanical clicking heard from the engine compartment. Radio works, all accessory items work.

Any thoughts, help? Anything would be appreciated at this point.

(back story: last year, two years ago, the same year I brought the car out to the northwest from Chicago, it started having weird electrical issues such as not starting, display not working correctly, or driving just fine, then seeming to go into limp mode while driving, gearindicator on dash disappearing while driving, etc. Took it to the Portland Infiniti dealership, they couldn't figure it out. Took it to a local guy I know, we tore the engine compartment apart, and found that there were pine needles clogging one of the water drain spouts so that water was sitting in the battery compartment and also in the compartment where the one of the ECUs sits. Could this be a similar occurrence?)

Video:

http://youtu.be/2qRCfZeqPvQ

thanks!
raj

[svard75]

Weak battery my friend. Those are the exact symptoms I experienced. Things still seem to work but there just wasn't enough amperage left to crank the starter. How did you test the battery? Use jumper cables from a different running vehicle and attempt to start the car.

The car sounds like a flood salvage title. Did you carfax it?

[rbaman]

So, svard, just to update you, I had it diagnosed and fixed in the past two days. We were both right. It was the starter, and also the battery. Starter was dead, not enough juice going to it, and battery was only at 60% under load. They tested the starter using a battery pack just to make sure it wasn't primarily battery problem, but even then starter was a no go. So got a new starter, charged battery, and will be getting battery this weekend when I have some time off work.

Oh, in answer to your question re flood salvage, it is not a flood salvage. Clean carfax (still in filing cabinet), and have all the service records from previous owner, etc.

Thanks for your help.

raj

[svard75]

Awesome!! Im glad you got it figured out. When replacing the battery all memory will be wiped so be prepared to reset your power windows auto down feature, memory seat and sunroof. Lots of threads on how thats done.

Cheers