Help! My 2003 Altima won't even turn over

[amyjalapeno]

I've had no problems starting my Altima in the past. Out of no where (as of yesterday) it won't even turn over. I can drive fine after it's jumped, although I noticed the power flickering when the air conditioner was on. I drove it for about ten minutes, turned it off, then immediately tried to see if I could turn it back on and...nothing. Not one sound or indication of a turn over. Also, I had difficulty even putting it in neutral (with the key turned on, of course) to push it out of my driveway. The stick would simply not budge. I had a friend jump it again. I left it running for about a half hour and it died on its own.

What could this possibly be?

Please help. I'm a single working mom of three kids. I don't have a lot of money right now and my lively-hood depends on this car.

Thanks for the help,Amy

[audtatious]

Sounds like the battery for one but it could be the alternator. Do you have anyone close by who can use a multimeter? After jumping the car you should see 13.5-14.5 volts at the battery terminals. If you see less than 12v then you probably have a bad alternator.

[amyjalapeno]

Thanks! I'll definitely see if I can find one.

[amyjalapeno]

So it wouldn't be a starter issue?

[audtatious]

Not if you can crank the car with a jump and the car dies out a bit after you disconnect the jumper cables.

From what I understand from your posts, the car won't crank at all. If you jump the car it will crank but after disconnecting the jumper cables it will eventually die. If the battery itself was bad then the car would keep running after you jump it because it is getting the power to run from the alternator itself and not the battery. Since the car will still die out then it means the alternator is not giving enough power for it to run, thus it sounds like the alternator has a problem.

Now, since you have deep-cycled the battery a couple times (drained it all the way down) you may end up having a problem with it after getting the alternator replaced. Just be aware.

[MaximA32]

I'm fairly certain that it's an alternator issue. If the car starts with a jump but does't stay running, the alternator is no charging the battery as it should be. Have the charging system checked out.

[amyjalapeno]

Thanks much!

[amyjalapeno]

Thanks again!

[adidas2go]

Sounds like the battery. In theory, if the alternator and battery were dead the car wouldn't start. If the car starts with a jump and stays running at all, either A. the alternator works or B. Battery is still charged. We know the battery is dead because the car shuts off from having no power. Therefore, the alternator must be working

[audtatious]

Except for the fact that the car won't stay running after a jump, thus the alternator is not pushing enough power to simply run the motor and necessary electronics. Once the battery uses up the power it received from the jump then the engine will die

[MaximA32]

Blake, you couldn't be any more wrong. If the alternator isn't working, that means it's not charging the battery while the car is running. When she jumped it, the battery got a charge on it which is why the car was able to run for a limited period of time.

So, dead battery=no start, dead alternator=battery doesn't charge, jump start+battery=small charge on battery=car runs for a bit. With the jump, the battery gets some juice to work with and when that juice is gone, car dies. Hence, alternator is no good.

Good try though.

EDIT:Matt=jerk

[adidas2go]

Not a chance in hell the battery gets enough power from a jump to run the car for 30 min guys.

[MaximA32]

If you don't think I know what I'm talking about, I'll be happy to show you what it is I do day in and day out. I'll also be happy to post a picture of my ASE certificates as well.

So, not a chance in hell you say? It's pretty hot in southern California right now...

[adidas2go]

Alright Kenny you win. What do I know right? I just build electrical systems Get a free charging system check at advanced auto, or somewhere simliar, then come back here and tell Kenny a battery fixed your problem I love you Kenny, I just have a difference of opinion

My theory is, If it takes 36 hours to charge a 12v battery at 2 amps. Then an 80 amp alternator jump for 20 seconds would give it around 3 min of battery life.

[audtatious]

Not a chance in hell the battery gets enough power from a jump to run the car for 30 min guys.

Depends on how long the car is left on the jump. Regardless, you can jump a car and disconnect the battery and it should run until you run out of gas since the electronics and firing is being powered by the alternator itself (tho not suggesting by Nissan as if could cause ECU issues I hear). Now, if you do the opposite and disconnect the alternator and run the car, then it will run until the battery dies.

That being said, the car won't start, so the battery does not have enough charge. This is either a bad battery or the alternator is not functioning. To check the battery, you jump the car and let the alternator charge it up. If the alternator fails to charge the battery while running then you probably do have a bad battery. If the car does not charge the battery and proceeds to die after a jump then the problem is pointing back to the alternator as it is not charging the battery nor producing enough power to run the car itself.

Based on the car not able to sustain the power requirements on the alternator then it becomes the focus. Only a multimeter will say whether it is producing enough power or not and since that has not been tested (or reported in this thread) then I still say look at the alternator.

Who knows, maybe the battery has a dead short, but then I would doubt that the car would start on a jump. Alternatively, if the starter was bad and pulling too many amps, which would drain the battery as well, then the car still would not die after it is running. Again, points back to the alternator.

[MaximA32]

Depends on how long the car is left on the jump. Regardless, you can jump a car and disconnect the battery and it should run until you run out of gas since the electronics and firing is being powered by the alternator itself (tho not suggesting by Nissan as if could cause ECU issues I hear). Now, if you do the opposite and disconnect the alternator and run the car, then it will run until the battery dies.

That being said, the car won't start, so the battery does not have enough charge. This is either a bad battery or the alternator is not functioning. To check the battery, you jump the car and let the alternator charge it up. If the alternator fails to charge the battery while running then you probably do have a bad battery. If the car does not charge the battery and proceeds to die after a jump then the problem is pointing back to the alternator as it is not charging the battery nor producing enough power to run the car itself.

Based on the car not able to sustain the power requirements on the alternator then it becomes the focus. Only a multimeter will say whether it is producing enough power or not and since that has not been tested (or reported in this thread) then I still say look at the alternator.

Who knows, maybe the battery has a dead short, but then I would doubt that the car would start on a jump. Alternatively, if the starter was bad and pulling too many amps, which would drain the battery as well, then the car still would not die after it is running. Again, points back to the alternator.

/thread

[adidas2go]

Doesn't matter if I'm in the military bro. Basic electronics are all the same. Still a positive and ground whether its in my plane or on your maxima We'll see. However, I'm willing to bet there's 14.4 volts coming outta those alternator terminals

[MaximA32]

That's fine. You'll just owe me a cookie. There are a lot of people here who owe me cookies so I can just add you to my list.

[adidas2go]

I imagine Ill need to start a cookie list after this as well

[audtatious]

lolz

It could be about anything but based on the information available and lack of multimeter output I stick by my evaluation