No crank no start loses power

Tiny
ASHLEELYNCH0021
  • MEMBER
  • 1996 NISSAN MAXIMA
  • 3.0L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 250,000 MILES
My car will have power but when I go to start it it will not even crank and I lose all power for hours.
Wednesday, December 19th, 2018 AT 8:09 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,291 POSTS
Hello. To me this sounds like either a loose connection somewhere or your battery has failed. If there's been a recent cold snap, that could cause the battery to fail. Your car has battery terminals that mount on top of the battery, aka top-mount terminals. A couple examples of those are in the attached images. Raise the hood and look at them. If you see any greenish whiteish gunk on them, clean it off using a cloth or something, and tighten the terminals as much as you can. A 10mm or 12mm wrench should take care of tightening the terminals.

Here's some more specific information on cleaning and tightening the terminals: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/everything-goes-dead-when-engine-is-cranked

If that doesn't solve the problem, then the next step would be to take the battery out and go get is tested at the local parts store. They will check it for free.

So start there and let us know how it goes. We will go from there if necessary.
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Wednesday, December 19th, 2018 AT 9:32 PM
Tiny
ASHLEELYNCH0021
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
I have replaced the battery and there is no green or white stuff on the battery terminals. Still got nothing.
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Thursday, December 20th, 2018 AT 7:44 AM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,291 POSTS
Try following the battery cables to their other ends and make sure that they are super tight and clean there too.

You can also try checking the fusible links, which are pictured in images 1 and 2 below, located under the hood of the car. Failed fusible links can cause all sorts of bad things to happen, and it's a common problem.

Finally, you might also look at the other fuses in the underhood fuse box, the layout is in image #3 below. In particular, look at fuses 7, 8, and 9. Check this guide out if you need some pointers on checking fuses: https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-fuse

Actually, it wouldn't be a bad idea to inspect the connections and grounding of the fuse box as well. Again, a loose connection here could cause all sorts of wacky things to happen.

Let us know what you come up with, we'll go from there.
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Saturday, December 22nd, 2018 AT 8:45 PM

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