what the (expletive deleted) is wrong with my car?

jonathan_matos5 · #1 08-23-2011, 10:30 PM

my car (2005 Sentra S-ER) is having electrical issues.

i drove over to a friends house to hang out. when i decided to go home the battery is dead. he offers me a jump. it wont crank. no problem, we let it charge for a bit and now the ignition will click but the starter is not getting power. the horn will not blow, but the windows, the radio, and dome light work.

does a starter just quit like that? i thought they kinda wore out and stopped working? is it a fuse or several? the battery? a short in the electrical system?

Fine Cut · #2 08-23-2011, 10:35 PM

considering the windows and other accessories have power, i'd say the horn could be a bad ground or blown fuse. as for the starter, it's absolutely possible for a starter to simply stop working; happened not too long ago on my Buick, in fact.

i'm not sure how the Sentra's cables are routed, but i know that on my Buick there are two positive leads from the battery. one runs to the main relay, the other is a hardline run directly to the starter. in this case, if the starter isn't responding with current in the battery, the starter's dead. if the Sentra is NOT wired like this, check to see if the starter has a fuse which has blown.

hope ya get it all sorted out man

OldDog52 · #3 08-23-2011, 10:45 PM

Take it to a place that can test the battery and alternator. Around here that would be Les Schwab.

hbarcat · #4 08-23-2011, 11:23 PM

Any car from 2005 is going to have computer chips controlling everything and much of it is interconnected. Diagnosing electrical problems such as this like you did with cars in the old days is a waste of time.

Unless it's something that's easy to isolate from the rest of the car for troubleshooting you should just have a professional look at it. They're paid to do that and they have the testing equipment necessary and the knowledge to use it properly and efficiently.

elgecko · #5 08-23-2011, 11:32 PM

Original battery? If so, it's probably toast. Also, check the battery posts for corrosion. A little cleaning with baking soda and a wire brush never hurts.

jonathan_matos5 · #6 08-23-2011, 11:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by elgecko

Original battery? If so, it's probably toast. Also, check the battery posts for corrosion. A little cleaning with baking soda and a wire brush never hurts.

second battery still probably toast though. i try to keep up with that kind of maintenance. yes there is corrosion and i was waiting until next month to take the car in for some TLC replace battery, flush radiator/transmission change spark plugs clean fuel injectors. (basic tune up) looks like the car had other plans.

DRafalske · #7 08-24-2011, 06:08 AM

Get the alternator and battery checked.
Sounds like the alt. went t/u on the way to your friend's house and the car ran on the battery, thoroughly draining it. Normal car batteries are not designed to be fully discharged and then recharged - that's why your getting some power but not enough to crank the engine.

D

arbitrary · #8 08-24-2011, 06:17 AM

Call Click 'n Clack!!

Matthijs · #9 08-24-2011, 06:25 AM

Did you try again some time after recharching the battery? A lot of modern car electronics have a failsafe that will prevent the car from starting up untill maybe 15 minutes after the voltage has dropped below a certain point. This serves as an anti theft measure.

**Rune Bivrin** · #10 08-24-2011, 06:27 AM

I've had this happen a few times. Usually one cell in the battery has gone bad. Low currents work OK, but the starter is far beyond what it's capable of.

hover · #11 08-24-2011, 06:50 AM

did you actually take the battery leads OFF the posts, clean them and the posts, and reattach? Even the best charged battery cannot complete a circuit if corrosion impedes it. Which means your "charge" did nothing but heat up the positive terminal, and possibly fouling the otherwise fine battery. When you jump a car, the donor battery's car should be running and pulling 12-1500 rpm's while you try to crank.

Clark Dark · #12 08-24-2011, 06:55 AM

Also check the condition of the cables. The positive cable and the negative cable. Sometimes corrosion can build up where the wire goes into the solid ends.

capnjim · #13 08-24-2011, 07:35 AM

Even a with a dead battery, you will still be able to boost it. As Hover said, take the leads off, clean the posts and put them back on tighten. But, chances are its some weird computer thing.

Clark Dark · #14 08-24-2011, 08:13 AM

the clicking you hear must be the starter solenoid. Some models have the solenoid built into the starter, and some models have the solenoid mounted elsewhere. If your solenoid is clicking and it's mounted directly to the starter then your starter has died. The starter draws so many amps when engaged its circuit isn't ran through the computer.

Jay Ralston · #15 08-24-2011, 06:50 PM

Most likely it is your alternator. It ran your battery down so low it is completely dead and may also need to be replaced too but not always. Your started did not go out. The clicking noise you are hearing is because there is not enough power from the battery to fully turn it over. With your horn, it could be a separate issue or somehow linked to your bettery being super dead.

HaRd · #16 08-24-2011, 07:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jay Ralston

Most likely it is your alternator. It ran your battery down so low it is completely dead and may also need to be replaced too but not always. Your started did not go out. The clicking noise you are hearing is because there is not enough power from the battery to fully turn it over. With your horn, it could be a separate issue or somehow linked to your bettery being super dead.

This is what I would presume as well. I've had experiences with Sentras in this generation and it just has alternator/starter problems (amongst other things) up the ass. I would get the alternator checked asap... I really hate these cars (no offense).

EDIT: It also couldn't help to check the fuse box to make sure. It literally takes seconds and it's pretty obvious when a fuse is blown even to someone who knows nothing about electronics or cars.

Bob Lee (QSC) · #17 08-25-2011, 12:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hover

did you actually take the battery leads OFF the posts, clean them and the posts, and reattach? Even the best charged battery cannot complete a circuit if corrosion impedes it. Which means your "charge" did nothing but heat up the positive terminal, and possibly fouling the otherwise fine battery. When you jump a car, the donor battery's car should be running and pulling 12-1500 rpm's while you try to crank.

+1

OP: The clicking isn't the ignition. Most likely it's the starter solenoid not getting enough current to actuate properly. It's possible that the starter's gone bad, but it's more likely (and cheaper to fix) that there's a poor electrical connection--probably the negative connection to the engine block and/or the chassis, but it could be on the positive side too.

Joe Nerve · #18 08-25-2011, 12:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by capnjim

Even a with a dead battery, you will still be able to boost it. As Hover said, take the leads off, clean the posts and put them back on tighten. But, chances are its some weird computer thing.

That wsn't the case w my car, and my wife's a few months after. Both our batteries died and couldn't be boosted. AAA replaced the batteries and everything was fine. Windows and lights worked also, just could turn the car over.

Then again, we didn't clean the posts, so maybe I take back my first sentence.

()smoke() · #19 08-25-2011, 11:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joe Nerve

That wsn't the case w my car, and my wife's a few months after. Both our batteries died and couldn't be boosted. AAA replaced the batteries and everything was fine. Windows and lights worked also, just could turn the car over.

Then again, we didn't clean the posts, so maybe I take back my first sentence.

no, you're right...if the battery is completely dead, it won't function so jumping won't work

MatticusMania · #20 08-25-2011, 11:30 AM

Ive had a similar probem with my 2004 Saturn Ion. I think your starter is not getting enough current from your battery. Though, it doesnt necessarily mean your battery is dead.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Matthijs

A lot of modern car electronics have a failsafe that will prevent the car from starting up untill maybe 15 minutes after the voltage has dropped below a certain point.

This is what happens to my car. If Ive been driving alot, and then make a short trip somewhere, there is about a 20% chance this will occur.