Altima Won't Start

Asked by spooon Jan 09, 2019 at 12:57 PM about the 2001 Nissan Altima SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2001 Nissan Altima that won't start. I checked the battery and it was about 7.5v. I jumped it; started and ran fine. I let it run a while, shut it off, waited a bit again and tried to start. Nothing. Battery was around 10-11v. I disconnected the battery, replaced the neg terminal (was loose), and cleaned the posts/terminals. Reconnect battery and checked the voltage: was about 4.5v now.

The alternator is only a few months old, and the battery is maybe 1-2 years old (it's a factory 2nd). Does it seem like a bad battery is the culprit? Or is there something draining it? Any way to further test/troubleshoot? The issue started after we came back from a vacation and the car had sat for a few days. Any help or suggestions greatly appreciated!

1 Answer

GuruBK6T9 answered 5 years ago

1st thing I would do is clean both battery terminals, must be tight and clean. Then charge with a trickle charger to around 13 volts. So it can get a proper charge. Batteries should rest and be fully charged around 12.7 volts. Then try to start car. If the car starts. And you have access to a volt meter, test the battery with the car running. if the alternator is working properly, you should be gettting a reading around 13.8 to 14 volts.

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