SR20 Forum banner

Car Won't Start...

2K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  dart64 
Yeah, I was thinking it may be the alternator, but if that was it, wouldn't the car shut off after driving for awhile?
If it is the alternator, do you know how much it will cost to fix, including labor? I don't know how to fix much on my car.
 
Can anyone please give me some advise?
About 3 weeks ago I went to start my car and it wouldn't start. The clock wasn't on and no lights worked, so Ifigured it was the battery since the battery looked pretty old and I bought the car used, and well, I don't really know the history of the car, so how could a new battery hurt?
So, I bought a new battery and it worked fine; started no problem. I thought the problem was fixed.
Well, yesterday I went to start the car and it didn't start. Again, the clock didn't work and no lights went on, so my battery is dead. I know I didn't leave any lights on, so I didn't drain the battery myself. Does anyone know what could be wrong? I need to drive to NJ in 3 days, so I need to fix this quickly.
I should also note that I leave my car parked without starting it, somettimes two weeks at a time. However, my older Sentra always started, even if I didn't start in for 3 weeks in New Engalnd weather.
Any help would be great.
Thanks,
Daniel
 
Ok, time for an update.
I jumped the car yesterady, which took a long time because the battery was really drained.
After the car started, I let it sit and run for 20 minutes because I read somewhere in the post that this is how to charge the battery/alternator.
After charging, I drove the car around for about 15 minutes and then brought it to Autozone. The guy checked my battery and said it had had about 12 volts, which is a little low but since it was cold outside, it's normal. He then checked my alternator by disconecting the battery terminals while the car was running, and thankfully, the car still ran, so it's not my alternator.
I think this is what happened. When I bought the new battery 3 weeks ago, I probably didn't charge the alternator long enough, causing the car to die out agin. I think I read this somewhere else in the posts where someone was jumped but then the car died fifteen minutes down the road because he didn't charge the alternator long enough. Does this sound correct?
I'm going to start the car again today just to make sure it starts again.
Thanks everyone,
Daniel
 
ARRGGG!
Ok, I just went to start the car and it was dead again!!!
This is pissing me off. I called my unlce and he asked me if I had a regualtor in the car. What the hell is a regulator?
He said it could be this regualtor or I could have a short, like mentioned in the previous post.
So, I guees my next question is, how hard is it to find a short, and once it is found, how expensive to fix?
Will Autozone be able to find the short with their little machines they roll out to the car? Or do I have to spend money and bring it to a shop to find the short?

Oh, and to top it all off, it's pouring in Boston and my car is sitting in water that comes up to the middle of the rims.
What a sh**ty day.
 
One more thing.
If I do have a short, will I be able to drive the car from Boston to NJ without fixing the short?
I do not have a lot of money now, and since my car will not be in use for about a month when I get to NJ, I would rather fix it later.
Poor and unhappy,
Daniel
 
So I took the car to cambridge Nissan today and did a diagnostic check.
They found that I have a short in my dome light circuit. He doesn't know if it's a wire or what (said they needed more time to figure out), but he said I could just take the dome light fuse out and then my battery wouldn't drain. So, now I don't have a dome light or clock, but that's ok, I can live without either.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top