Hello,

I have a 2004 G35 coupe. I went to start the car and it wouldn't start...I noticed there was a lot of build up of corrosion on the positive terminal so I cleaned it up and was able to start the car. Fast forward a month or so and I ran into the same issue and again cleaned the terminal/connector and was able to start the car. I was driving it yesterday and it died on me while idling...I popped the hood and there was no corrosion this time. Called AAA for a jump and the car wouldn't jump start so I towed home. While hooking it up for the tow I noticed that the headlights were flashing as if the hazards were on but they weren't, also when I put the key in the ignition it makes the beeping noises so there is some power there electric wise. I took the battery down to autozone and had it tested and it had 100 percent charge but a dead cell...the voltage I believe was 12.5. I bought a new battery...hooked it up and am still having the same issue. No crank, no dash lights or power or any signs of electric other than putting the key in the ignition and hearing the beeping noises. When I turn the ignition to start the car I get absolutely nothing. I was thinking maybe the alternator but considering that the battery had 100 percent charge when I had it tested I figured that wouldn't be the problem. I am curious if anyone can help to troubleshoot what might be going on. Any info is appreciated.


EDIT : Also the check engine light has been on for a month or so. The codes I am getting are P0037, P0031 and P0300. I know the P0037 I know these can cause the car not to start but am I don't believe they would have anything to do with not having any electric as far as dash lights, clock etc.

 

Heavy corrosion on the battery terminal posts is a sure indicator that you have a slow drain on the system because something is leaking current to ground. This also explains a dead cell battery and the constant state of discharge you're experiencing.

Start looking around for wiring issues, do you have an aftermarket stereo? Does anything in the vehicle NOT WORK? Tear up the panels in the trunk if you have a bose stereo and look for wiring problems on the amp, something is probably pinched SOMEWHERE and causing the current leak. Has the vehicle every been involved in an accident? Look through the headlight/parking lamp/turn indicator wiring for anything that's pinched or damaged.

A band-aid fix while you are troubleshooting this issue is a battery disconnect that you use every time you leave the car for any length of time. This way it won't be constantly draining the battery which is going to quickly DESTROY that new battery.


This could be a difficult issue to fix unfortunately, as an electrician the proper way to find the problem is to literally disconnect everything and use a megohmeter to check the insulation on every wire, it's probably not something that would be feasible for you though unfortunately. Electrical gremlins suck.


In the meantime, re-clean the terminal and cable lug with a wire brush and jump-start the vehicle or unplug the battery and get it on a charger to make sure it's actually at 100% capacity and get it running with that new battery installed, they may have sold you a discharged battery. Also, not sure what you are using to prevent oxidation on the battery terminals and cable lugs but try to use this stuff.


The "corrosion inhibitor/terminal spray" they sell at the auto-shops is junk, ilsco de-ox can be purchased at any electrical supply house or home depot / lowe's and is REALLY good stuff.

 

First and foremost...thank you for the response and also such a quick one. I really appreciate it.

As of now the battery is disconnected. I do not have any aftermarket stereo or electronics. The only thing that DOES WORK in the vehicle is the beeping noise it makes when I put the key into the ignitin...everything else (dash lights, clock, radio, windows, trunk, seats etc) does not work. The car has not been in any accidents and it is a base model so there is no bose system or navigation etc.

I took a few pics of the wiring to the negative terminal because they look a little frayed...not sure if the two exposed wires touched if that would have caused this issue. I also took a picture of the harness that holds the fusible link. There was a blown fuse in the fusible link 2 months ago and the shop I took it to for an opinion said that the harness was okay to still use and to just replace the fusible link. The harness had slightly been melted when the fusible link fuse blew which was a result (I believe) of trying to start/jump the car with a dead battery a few months ago. The car has been running with no electric problems with the harness the way it is since the fusible link was replaced.

I tried jumpstarting it yesterday and the car won't even jumpstart at this point. Funds are a little low so I'm already disappointed that I spent money on the battery only to find out it didn't fix the issue. Below are pics of the cables connecting to the negative terminal and also of the fusible link harness.

 

Both those components need to be replaced, they're fried.

Negative wire looks like the secondary ground to chassis (the one that's landed under that rusty bolt) is not making a good connection at all. Considering how badly frayed those wires are I would suggest cutting off those lugs and getting a generic battery terminal to replace the whole thing, they look like this.

https://www.amazon.com/ACDelco-3BA35-Professional-Battery-Terminal/dp/B0054T95ZS/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1498349764&sr=8-3&keywords=battery+terminal

Then you can just take both those ground wires and land them under the same termination point, just de-ox everything good so it won't corrode too bad, it's not an IDEAL fix but it's cheap.

DON'T BYPASS THE FUSIBLE LINK WITH ANOTHER GENERIC BATTERY TERMINAL LIKE THE NEGATIVE SIDE, IT KEEPS YOUR VEHICLE FROM BURNING TO THE GROUND DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAULTS!

DO NOT BYPASS THAT FUSIBLE LINK WITH ANOTHER GENERIC BATTERY TERMINAL LIKE THE NEGATIVE SIDE, IT KEEPS YOUR CAR FROM BURNING TO THE GROUND DUE TO ELECTRICAL FAULTS!

EDIT: DO NOT BYPASS THAT FUSIBLE LINK WITH ANOTHER GENERIC TERMINAL, IT KEEPS YOU FROM BURNING YOUR CAR TO THE GROUND!

The fusible link it a bit harder, but you should be able to junkyard one or maybe even find at a parts house for around $20, I think they're literally all the same for all nissan's. I've NEVER seen a fusible link blow from a jumpstart though (but it can happen if the jumper cables fall off and cause an arc or something), that thing is designed to open circuit when the amount of current (amps) being drawn through it exceeds it's rating, the starter can't do that on it's own unless it's being held in the start position and cranking the motor for WAY too long. Don't crank the motor for more than 5-6 seconds at a time and allow time for the cable to cool between crank attempts, it blew so the cable wouldn't catch on fire.

The damage to the fusible link further reinforces my theory that you have an electrical fault in the system somewhere, I would fully remove both the positive and negative cables and fully inspect for damage/corrosion before trying to start the vehicle again.

 

That statement is funny

You had a useless battey!

No go replace your frayed battery cables, a new battery, test alternator output and start from there.

Telcoman

 

LOL. I appreciate the warning being as clear as it is. The fusible link holder is actually OK...all of the fuses are intact. Its the harness the fusible link holder connects to that's damaged. The last fusible link that went bad caused the harness connected to it to burn/melt the outside plastic and connecting metal inside. Do you happen to know what that harness is called?

 

Wow, that looks gnarly. I would replace those ground cables and clean up the areas they connect to. That connector needs to be replaced and there is no way you are getting a good connection from it. I would start at the connector and follow the wire down.

Check it out for damage, perform continuity, and voltage drop tests. I'd either source a replacement, junk yard, or get some thick copper cable and then splice/solder. If you're battery had dead cell maybe it caused a huge current spike and fried all of that.

 

I’m having the same issue, ever fix this?!

 

Original poster had a dead cell in his battery, a bad fusible link, and multiple codes including misfires.

Since you are having the SAME ISSUES I suggest you to replace your bad battery, replace your bad fusible link. Then clear all the codes you have and see what comes back.

Or start a new thread since you might not be having THE SAME ISSUE