Nissan Repair: 2002 nissan altima Please help!, 2002 nissan altima, nissan altima

Question
about 2 months ago i bought an 02 nissan altima. i had it only a couple of days when i started having a problem. i was in park, idling, and when i put the car into drive and pressed the gas it lacked power. i could push the pedal to the floor and the motor wouldnt even rev nor would it go faster than 5 miles an hour. it did this in all gears including reverse, but would rev in park or neutral. i turned the car off and back on a couple of different times attempting to press the accelerator and it still wouldnt do anything. finally after i had turned the car off and let it sit (approx 30 minutes)i started it back up and put it in gear, and it drove fine... til about 2 weeks ago when it started doing the same thing again. in idle, at a red light,when i went to pull off..no power. i pulled over sat a minute then tried again, this time making it to the gas station putting gas in the car (it was a little below half a tank) now this problem has become a recurring one, happening at least 3 times a week, but even does it when the gas tank is full (contradicting my original solution by putting gas into the tank).The only other problem i have had with this vehicle (and i am not sure if the two are related) has been with the car battery dying. a few times (and for no obvious reason) ive had a dead battery. but i have noticed that after receiving a jump, the car would begin having the problem with the loss in power and no acceleration. again though i can let the car sit (either idling or cutting it off completely) and eventually it regains power and will accelerate. this has happened also while driving down the road but seems to be more common from idle. please! any suggestions or advice would greatly be appreciated.

Answer
Bridgette,

The two could be related.  Nissan cars do not like to work when voltage is below mimimum.  11.2 volts is the threshold where things start acting up.  I would go to Autozone or Checker and get a free electrical inspection.  Second, the mass airflow sensor on the Altima is known to have issues.  I am assuming you have the four cylinder model?  I would also have the codes read for free at one of the places mentioned before replacement of anything since you want to know what is going on.  You may not have a check engine light but there could be errors stored in the computer that can be read.  Email me back and let me know what you find.