Technical Problem: 2004 Max Having Problems Turning Over...Electrical (Computer/Battery?) - my6thgen.org

DarthPrater · 05-26-2012, 05:49 PM

Hello all,
today I went out to start my car, and when I turned the key, all of the dash/gauge lights went out and just died. if I tried to turn it again the lights just stayed off. when I removed the key for a few seconds and tried again, the lights were back on, but the same thing happened when I tried to start her. i disconnected the battery for a few seconds, reconnected it, and it started right up. when I got out of the restaurant and back into my car, it did the same damn thing, and this time disconnecting and reconnecting the battery didn't work. would this just be a simple dead battery issue? it wouldn't make sense to me. it started right back up the first time i had issues and disconnected it...

**Kontra-vers-E** · 05-26-2012, 07:20 PM

When you try to start it does it click and all the lights go out or does it not make a sound at all? And have you tried jumping it to see if that would work? You can take your battery to AutoZone and have them check your battery to see if it's dead or not.

Thundershott · 05-27-2012, 12:19 AM

Alternator?

DarthPrater · 05-27-2012, 01:21 AM

well, call me an over-worrier, but I have confirmed that it was the batter . PLEASE, PAMELA, BE NICE NOW! thanks guys!

**NiZMo1o1** · 05-27-2012, 08:49 PM

yeah if its the OEM battery they are known to just lay down , I think I had my car for 3 years on the OE battery and one morning DEAD ! you should put a ohm meter to check it tho for safe measure

ernietoth · 06-19-2012, 09:14 PM

i am having the same issues and i have a brand new battery what else could it be besides an alternator that doesnt seeem like the problem

**Chemax** · 06-19-2012, 09:33 PM

Check the battery terminals too, if there is a lot of corrosion, it'll open the circuit.

ernietoth · 06-19-2012, 09:47 PM

there was alot of corrosion but i beat it all off, still having same issues, im freaking out with what it could be

b15son · 06-19-2012, 09:55 PM

If you had a lot of corrosion on the battery terminals, the. You have have damaged the fusible link. Check the fusible link. Its a fuse that protects the ECM when one accidentally jumps it backwards. Its where the positive battery terminal bolts onto. Remove the plastic cover covering the positive terminal and link and check if the fuse is open (has popped). If it is or there is poor contact, it can cause most electronics in the car not to function and it will cause a no start condition with no crank or no click.

ernietoth · 06-19-2012, 10:07 PM

i pulled the fuse and its all good, maybe ill pull the termanail apart and clean it better but its been sitting for 3 hours now and it starts just fine but the brake light and battery light come on and off, ive noticed if i go to start it and give it a little gas it starts ok but i shouldnt have to do that its a 2004 not a 1986 chevy truck,

DAlastDON · 06-19-2012, 10:54 PM

Originally Posted by ernietoth

i pulled the fuse and its all good, maybe ill pull the termanail apart and clean it better but its been sitting for 3 hours now and it starts just fine but the brake light and battery light come on and off, ive noticed if i go to start it and give it a little gas it starts ok but i shouldnt have to do that its a 2004 not a 1986 chevy truck,

Brake+Battery Light=Alternator Going Soon.

b15son · 06-20-2012, 10:38 PM

If your brake and battery light come on that means your alternator is not working properly. A properly working alternator should produce minimum 13.5V and above while the engine is running. You can check this with a volt meeter. Anything below means the alternator is not charging the battery properly and may cause your battery to get drained. Warning: if you buy aftermarket alternators it may take 2,3, even more before you get one that works right. Especially autozone. After replacing it hook up a volt meeter to the battery while running and make sure that it read 13.5 volts minimum

Spags324 · 09-21-2012, 01:52 PM

I had a problem with my alternator and the batter + brake light came on solid and car died. now a week later my car started shaking an wouldn't accelerate. pulled over and my service engine soon light came on. now towed it to shop and they said computer is bad since it won't turn on. Is this true? Should I rely on this advice? Was something else shorted out?

**BurntOrangeAppeal** · 09-21-2012, 11:25 PM

Originally Posted by Spags324

I had a problem with my alternator and the batter + brake light came on solid and car died. now a week later my car started shaking an wouldn't accelerate. pulled over and my service engine soon light came on. now towed it to shop and they said computer is bad since it won't turn on. Is this true? Should I rely on this advice? Was something else shorted out?

First of all, You should start you own tread in the Help/Technical section. Since you are new we will cut you some slack...

Need more info bud.
What was done to the vehicle during that week since you battery and brake light came on?

Those two lights combined are an indicator that the alternator diode/s are gone. Needs alternator replacement.
Since you drove with the light on, the vehicle was operating on battery power alone as the alternator was not charging.

I doubt its your computer...
You need to start by getting a new battery and see if the car will start. Then use a voltometer and check battery voltage while the car is running, with heater on and lights on you should see above 13 volts at the battery terminals. if you don't then get your alternator replaced.

Spags324 · 09-22-2012, 07:31 AM

Hi, yeah I was not sure how to start a new trend.

I had my alternator replaced in June 2012, and again a few weeks ago. It was an autozone one that went bad so my friend replaced it again at his shop. I drove the car for almost a full week and this problem started up. I was at a red light and car started shaking and when light turned green, it wouldn't go over say 2k rpms. I pull over and the service light soon comes on. I wait for a tow truck on the side. It almost smelt like a little burning electrical. I tow it to the shop and the guy tested it and couldn't communicate with the computer. He tested the other components such as the ABS computer and the transmission computer but the ECU wouldn't turn on. He tested the power going to it and the ground and he said they are fine. So his conclusion is the computer is bad. Could something have caused this to shut computer down, or malfunction? Would an alternator cause this to go bad? Did it produce too much voltage or something? The guy what's about 600$ to put a used one in and for the diagnosis fee and to program the security to match. It's a used part.
Thanks for your advice.

**BurntOrangeAppeal** · 09-22-2012, 08:38 AM

Originally Posted by Spags324

Hi, yeah I was not sure how to start a new trend.

I had my alternator replaced in June 2012, and again a few weeks ago. It was an autozone one that went bad so my friend replaced it again at his shop. I drove the car for almost a full week and this problem started up. I was at a red light and car started shaking and when light turned green, it wouldn't go over say 2k rpms. I pull over and the service light soon comes on. I wait for a tow truck on the side. It almost smelt like a little burning electrical. I tow it to the shop and the guy tested it and couldn't communicate with the computer. He tested the other components such as the ABS computer and the transmission computer but the ECU wouldn't turn on. He tested the power going to it and the ground and he said they are fine. So his conclusion is the computer is bad. Could something have caused this to shut computer down, or malfunction? Would an alternator cause this to go bad? Did it produce too much voltage or something? The guy what's about 600$ to put a used one in and for the diagnosis fee and to program the security to match. It's a used part.
Thanks for your advice.

Anytime.
Computers USUALLY don't burn down when your alternator is bad, but there could always be a case of it happening on your vehicle, especially considering you experience an electrical/burning smell.

From what the diagnosis was on you Mechanics part sounds correct. If power is going into the computer and computer is not being able to send data though OBD2 port means one of two things, either the computer is dead or perhaps there is a wiring.g issue between the ECM output and the OBD2 data port.

has anyone tried to jump start the car? I mean when the computer is dead it usually will not let you operate the vehicle even under 2000 RPM like yours did. Might be worth a shot....

Spags324 · 09-22-2012, 08:53 AM

Hi thanks for the reply. I had it running while waiting for tow truck, but shut it down and had flashers on for a couPle hours so the battery was shot. My buddy switched the battery when it was towed in and the car cranked but didn't turnover so he said no spark seems to be happening. Then we towed it to a shop across the street to the certified tech.

**BurntOrangeAppeal** · 09-22-2012, 09:21 AM

Originally Posted by Spags324

Hi thanks for the reply. I had it running while waiting for tow truck, but shut it down and had flashers on for a couPle hours so the battery was shot. My buddy switched the battery when it was towed in and the car cranked but didn't turnover so he said no spark seems to be happening. Then we towed it to a shop across the street to the certified tech.

That makes sense to me. Since you have a certified tech working on it, I would go with his diagnosis.

Spags324 · 09-29-2012, 04:41 PM

The mechanic put the new ECU in and programmed the keys, now he calls me Friday and says it still doesn't start, so he needs to check the fuel injectors to see if they are pulsing, he has now had it for two weeks.

**BurntOrangeAppeal** · 09-29-2012, 04:56 PM

Seems like did not diagnose the issue properly the first time.

smittybizzle · 09-29-2012, 04:59 PM

These cars are great when they work and bad when they don't SMH . When my car did this it was more likey due to the factory battery

. Last year I replaced the alternator and all was good until my ground cable terminal cracked other than that she runs like a champ .

**BurntOrangeAppeal** · 09-29-2012, 05:05 PM

Originally Posted by smittybizzle

These cars are great when they work and bad when they don't SMH . When my car did this it was more likey due to the factory battery . Last year I replaced the alternator and all was good until my ground cable terminal cracked other than that she runs like a champ .

These cars heavily rely on good ground for sensory outputs. I just did a grounding kit this weekend and after cutting my OEM ground cable apart I was shocked. Outside appearances can be very deceiving.

Spags324 · 10-09-2012, 04:20 PM

Come to find out, my maxima had a broken ground wire and fried the ECU and all the coils for the plugs, now the repair bill more than doubled. The coils are about 100$ each.

**officerfrasher** · 10-09-2012, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Spags324

Come to find out, my maxima had a broken ground wire and fried the ECU and all the coils for the plugs, now the repair bill more than doubled. The coils are about 100$ each.

YIKES!

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