Battery electrical issue

SUBANA

MEMBER
1995 NISSAN ALTIMA
4 CYL
2WD
AUTOMATIC
120,000 MILES

I have an electrical issue. There is a button inside my driver's door that locks/unlocks all doors & it doesn't work. My car won't start either. Last week I had the battery replaced, the car was not driven, then about 12 hrs later, the car still won't start! What could cause a new battery to lose it's power in that short space of time? I'm trying to figure out how much it will cost to fix it

Monday, July 25th, 2011 AT 5:21 AM

1 Reply

WRENCHTECH

MECHANIC
20,761 POSTS

When you posted on the other site you stated the dome light was on. If that is the case, then resolve that issue first. If not There is a procedure for finding a battery draw like that.

You will need a digital ammeter and a jumper wire with clips on the ends to do this.
First rig any door switches so you can have a door open without triggering the interior lights and unplug the hood light. Remove one battery cable and attach the meter in series between the battery cable and battery post. Take the jumper wire and also attach it the same way. Leave the jumper wire on for at least 10 minutes to expire all the automatic timers. Now remove the jumper wire and read the meter. Anything over 50ma is too much draw. The way you locate this is to start removing fuses one at a time until the meter drops to normal level. This will be the circuit with something staying on. Determine what components are part of that circuit and check them individually until the problem is isolated.

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Monday, July 25th, 2011 AT 10:08 AM