2006x Sedan. I've searched and read multiple threads, and of course the potential causes are multitude. But I haven't seen anything described quite like what I have experienced.

Last month when I had the oil changed with complementary inspection, dealer said battery test showed it was weakening, about 60%. I'd had no issues with starts, so said I'd wait to replace. Fired up with hardly even turning over every time since then, just like always.

Home from work Friday, parked it, went to start Sunday evening. Nothing. Non-responsive to intelligent key. Had to use the manual key to get in, very dim dash warning light that seat belt not fastened, no map lights... By Monday morning, not even a dim light on the dash.

So I figured it was the battery. Checked the records, sure enough--OEM battery installed in November, 2010. Surely it's EOL. Didn't even bother trying to jump it. Bought a new Group 35, followed Texasscout's DIY, and...

Nothing. Still more dead than a doornail.

What I've learned is that I was doing not so smart by the battery: short daily commute with in-town traffic and lately no extended highway driving to recharge. So I figure I just accelerated its demise. I've had no other electrical issues since buying the car in March 2013. No Bose radio issues. No mods, all stock.

So I'm perplexed as to why the car would remain dead after installing the new battery?

Some things of note:

There was about a half-inch of water in one (only one, and it was crystal clear) of the four "wells" of the battery tray. The rest of the tray was dry, though it did have some reddish discoloration where it appears there has in the past been more water there stimulating a tiny bit of rust. There was inconsequential corrosion to a couple of the bolt heads down in the bottom of the wells.

Nothing stood out about the IPDM while I had the battery out, but after reading some of the threads, I wonder if water has gotten in to it if that would cause a dead system even with new battery?

No corrosion anywhere on the terminals or positive or negative leads.

Is there some special incantation I need to invoke to bring the car back to life with a battery change? Or if it gets particularly really super electrically dead that I need to have something reprogrammed by the dealer?

Thoughts? Suggestions? Scoldings? Thanks.

 

Most battieries are sold charged, but it wouldn't be surprising to find a weak one.

One question...when you hooked up thenew battery, did you have any power? Able to roll the window down, or turn on the radio?

If you had ZERO power, i'd suspect a bad connector or another issue other than the battery. Most weak batteries at least can power on the lights dimly, or get a door chime or something to happen.

Most often when i have ZERO power in a car, the issue is a connection problem. Loose/corroded connection, or even the terminals incorrect. It's also possible the brand new battery is junk.

Do you have a digital multimeter? You can get a cheap one from radio shack or ebay. Touch the leads to the battery and you should have 12V. If you do, you should be able to power things. Even 10V should do something. If you have absolutely no power, but around 11V or higher, i'd suspect a connection issue

 

Thanks for the thoughts. No power when the new battery was installed. Part of the mystery to me was that I had the dim warning lights when I first found the problem, which suggested that I had some connection, not a total fault. I didn't install the new battery until the next evening, but it was stone-dead that morning after discovery...not even the dim dash light.

I have no electrical test equipment. Never have had a mind for things electricity; to me it is a magical mysterious thing that I have a healthy respect for not sticking my nose into. Handy with lots of stuff, but not electrical. I'll check out Radio Shack to run the test you suggest. I have elite warranty and that will help me out if the battery tests OK. I'll also try a jump tonight when I get home.

 

The old battery shows 10V. The new battery shows 13V.

Time to invoke the warranty.

 

Try checking your ground connections? My ground wire was flimsy and I ended up having to replace it with another one. Check in the + side wire also I think there are some fuses in there see if they are blown?

 

Appreciate the thoughts on the ground wire.

Just got off the phone from a very pleasant and efficient exchange with Infiniti Roadside Assistance. The tow will be here tomorrow AM (just before the "big" storm hits and all the tow vehicles are busy). I'll report back as to the diagnosis and repair. The tow will be completely covered.

This will be the first significant snow event here (Raleigh) since I got the AWD sedanX this past spring, and it is killing me that my first experience with AWD vehicle in snow will be spent...

...not experiencing it as the car sits in a dealer service bay.

Sigh.

 

Well this is embarrassing... before reading further, you might want to be sure to swallow whatever you are drinking right now lest it come out through your nose and make a mess of your monitor/phone.

So when I changed out the battery it was a 33 degree rain in the pitch dark of night. The car was parked on the street, the flashlight wasn't the best... you get the picture, a rather unpleasant task to try to get through quickly.

Too quickly it seems. I pulled off the red plastic cap from the positive terminal, but neglected to do the same for the grey plastic cap that matched the color of the negative post, and which I didn't see in the dark of night.

Pretty sad. I'm glad that I could provide a bit of entertainment and enter into the idiot car owner lore of the dealer's service corps. I fancy that I'm pretty handy, but I may have to revisit that assessment.

They also said that the group 35 battery is not the right size, which is contrary to what I have read in numerous places. Don't know what to think about that. Service manual says 80D23L.

Oh well, that's my story. I wonder why I was able to get an 13 V reading through the plastic cap?

 

Haha, I catch people turning the screwdriver the wrong way all the time. It's okay OP.

 

That's awesome. At least it wasn't a huge expense and it was easily fixed. You probably connected the multimeter to the top of the battery terminal which was exposed while the car's connection to it are around the sides of the terminal, i dunno

 

I've seen worse done. Don't sweat it.

 

Life is a learning process, you just haven't turned enough wrenches...yet!
Gary

 

Thanks for the gentle kindnesses. I promised I'd report back and I am a man of my word.

But it was hard