98 Q45 No Start

[LuckyBoyOne3]

So as the title say went out this morning to go to work and had a no start.

When I parked it last night everything was great, no charging system light, no check engine light, nothing. Went out this morning, opened the door, dome light came on, key in the ignition, dash lights on, turn the key, FAIL!!!

So when I get home tonight I am going to jump start it, and of course with it running, use my multi-meter to check alternator output, and replace as necessary.

My question for you GURU's is what else should I be looking for? Do these Q's have secrets that are specific to the infinitis? Are there any special precautions I should be taking with this precision machine that I would not normally take with my other cars? Any help and/or input is appreciated.

[Q45tech]

Other than attending 2 years of trade school and reading and memorizing FSM nothing unusual compared to other Japanese cars in the same $50k range.If you know the 98 Lexus V8 won't take you more than a few months to learn the Infiniti.

Frequently people reverse the jumper cables blowing the master fusable link.

About time for alternator to fail 10+ years.

Lack of push rods, plug wires, points, and carbs seem to confuse old timers.

[LuckyBoyOne3]

Yea, I work in a chevy parts department, we llove it when we get a cross-jump modules are not cheap. The only thing that makes me think battery over alternator is this morning was the coldest in a while, i think it may have dropped a cell.

[maxnix]

Well, check the battery first and skipt the jump start if possible. If it is the battery, be sure to stress test the alternator as they will kill batteries and vice versa. A truly symbiotic relationship between the two.
Modified by maxnix at 1:29 PM 9/18/2008

[NightRiderQ45]

This used to happen to me with my car. You battery connections are getting bad. Yep, you jump in the car, all of the lights are on, but when you turn nothing! This happend to me infront of a night club!!!! After I replaced my battery terminals it cured the problem. This what i did before I was able to get it fixed. Turn your headlights to the on/lowbeam position. Right now they shouldn't come on. Get something and tap on the terminals until you see the headlights turn on. At that point there is a connection. Then jump in your car and start it...it should work IF you had the same situation that I had. Let us know of the update.

[LuckyBoyOne3]

So, the solution was simpler then thought, a multi-meter showed a good charge, so we jumped it to make sure the starter was working, fired right up, checked alternator out put and it was on spec., cables were tight to the battery, but I noticed some corrosion between where the cable meets the battery end, un-bolted it, cleaned it up and reassembled awesomeness.

[qship96]

Replacement battery cable terminals are always suspect as far as function and longevity due to poor ability to secure the cable to the terminal, resulting in corrosion buildup and poor transfer of current.

Generally best to replace the entire cable which includes factory cold welded terminal attached.