QX4 How to jumpstart??????

[kate2014]

I have a 1999 Infiniti QX4, never has it given me trouble before. I went away to university far away (Sept 2013-April 2014) and left the car on the driveway, and my mom never drove it, moved it or let it run (unfortunately), and it was my father's car but he passed away last summer. In April 2013 I had a new battery and new alternator put in at a Nissan dealership, and it was running great. When I came home April 2014 I tried to start it up and the battery was completely dead, so I tried jumping it with cables, but the alarm started going on (more of just the horn honking every 2 seconds or so but the lights weren't flashing, so I don't know what was going on). I reconnected the cables 3 times and this kept happening. The battery was clean, I wiped the corrosion off, so I don't know what the problem was. Do I need to have the key in the ignition (turned on?) I had it in the lock position, since I didn't know what to do. It's got gas in it still, oil, everything is looking good but it just won't charge. I have the battery hooked up to a wall charger in the garage currently, but I would like to know how to jumpstart it in case it ever dies on me in the winter.

Thanks!!

[AZhitman]

Hi Kate! Welcome aboard.

Sounds like you did everything right, but here's the process for jump-starting most ANY vehicle:

Obviously park the jumper car close enough so the cables reach... Connect the red clamp to your + terminal and the black clamp to the - terminal. Then, start the jumper car. Hook the red clamp to the jumper car's + terminal, and the black clamp to the - terminal. Hop in your car and turn the key. Once she starts, remove in reverse order.

IF it cranks but slowly, or chatters, or anything less than a full, healthy crank, try connecting the black clamp (on the dead car) to something metal, such as an UNPAINTED bracket or bolt. Obviously, make sure you're not connecting to anything where the belts will hit the cable, but this allows a more healthy ground and can sometimes be the difference between a weak crank and a strong one.

Once yours starts, drive it for 15-30 min to charge the battery back up. Also, pull the terminals and clean them with a wire brush, then when you re-install them, smear some dielectric grease on the terminals AND the posts. This will prevent further corrosion and improve the connection. You can buy a small packet of it for like a buck at any auto parts store.

Lots of QX4 fans here, so you've found a good place to be!

[kate2014]

Hi Kate! Welcome aboard.

Sounds like you did everything right, but here's the process for jump-starting most ANY vehicle:

Obviously park the jumper car close enough so the cables reach... Connect the red clamp to your + terminal and the black clamp to the - terminal. Then, start the jumper car. Hook the red clamp to the jumper car's + terminal, and the black clamp to the - terminal. Hop in your car and turn the key. Once she starts, remove in reverse order.

IF it cranks but slowly, or chatters, or anything less than a full, healthy crank, try connecting the black clamp (on the dead car) to something metal, such as an UNPAINTED bracket or bolt. Obviously, make sure you're not connecting to anything where the belts will hit the cable, but this allows a more healthy ground and can sometimes be the difference between a weak crank and a strong one.

Once yours starts, drive it for 15-30 min to charge the battery back up. Also, pull the terminals and clean them with a wire brush, then when you re-install them, smear some dielectric grease on the terminals AND the posts. This will prevent further corrosion and improve the connection. You can buy a small packet of it for like a buck at any auto parts store.

Lots of QX4 fans here, so you've found a good place to be!

Whenever I connect the wires to the battery, the car alarm starts and cannot be silenced, even when I click the remote button... The battery is fully charged, and the security system is obviously working, but how do I make it stop honking? Thanks

[04pathse]

Is the alarm system aftermarket or factory? You can cut the wire or unplug the wiring connector on the horn until you get it sorted. Or pull the horn fuse.

[kate2014]

Is the alarm system aftermarket or factory? You can cut the wire or unplug the wiring connector on the horn until you get it sorted. Or pull the horn fuse.

Nope its the key and remote that came with the car. I've tried all the buttons and the unlock button works sometimes, but the alarm starts up 5 minutes later. Also, the positive battery cable won't stay attached....do I need to replace it or just find a way to clamp it?

[kate2014]

Oh and the steering seems really hard to turn, and jumpy. It feels like it's skipping almost, or jerking. I don't know. I can't turn the wheel properly without it being easy then really hard, then easy then really hard, etc.

[Chuck Tribolet]

Your steering problem is unrelated, so I'd suggest a separate thread for that.

AZhitman left out a step. After hooking things up and starting the door, but before starting the recipient, run the donor in Park (automatic) or neutral (stick) at about 2000 RPM for five minutes to get a bit of a charge on the recipient battery before starting the recipient.

The positive battery cable that won't stay attached: That's the trucks own positive cable, right? Well, you gotta fix that. It could be as simple as a loose nut. Disconnect the negative battery cable, tighten the positive, then reinstall the negative. That's to prevent starting a fire or melting a wrench if you accidentally ground the wrench while tightening the positive nut.

Chuck

[AZhitman]

K8, shoot us a pic of the battery terminal that's acting up.

Lets also check the battery in the remote - sometimes it's as simple as that.

[Towncivilian]

Also inspect your driver wheel well for rust. If the strut housing has collapsed due to rust, the steering column would be rubbing and causing your steering problem. See this thread for more information.

If that's alright, ensure the power steering fluid level is within range and the fluid is not excessively burnt smelling or brown. If it is, get a turkey baster from the dollar store and siphon out a reservoir's worth of fluid and refill with any synthetic automatic transmission fluid. Do this again in a week. This will exchange much of the old fluid in the power steering system.