QuestionQUESTION: Hi Bill, I have a nissan maxima 91 6 cld,i take my car to tirepluss to do a oil change,well after few minutes they come with a diagnosis for my battery,so they install a new one,after 5 days the car start make in a wear noise like ,pum,pum in the exhaust and i can fell inside to,well the car now start some times and wont start at all, i have many problems before with tire pluss with my brakes in the back,i have to bring my car 4 times,so they decided to install an originals brakes and the noise stop,so after 1 week the brake light is on,what you recommend to do it,,or is any way to test the starter?,thank you
ANSWER: Hi Carlos, seems that your maxima has multiple problems! First, the brakes. If the brake light is on, check the brake fluid level in the master cylinder reservoir. Check if the hand brake is all the way down, if it's up the light will come on. Sometimes it could be a problem with the proportion valve. My recommendation is to take this car to a shop that specializes in brakes and preferably one with the "ASE" sign outside. (ASE stands for Automotive Service Excellence and employs technicians that are certified by ASE)
Now the starter. Of course there's a way to check the starter and the charging system, even for free! If there's an Autozone in your area, take the maxima there and ask the clerk to bring his little gadget outside. By connecting just 2 cables to the battery terminals, that testing device will check battery, alternator and starter. One thing though, make sure that the cable that goes from the battery positive terminal to the starter, is in good condition, clean and the connections are tight and free of corrosion. The end of that cable that terminates on the starter, it should read the exact same voltage as the battery's. If the battery reads 12.6 volts, that terminal should read 12.6 volts also. You mentioned something about exhaust noise. That is a problem that needs to be looked at by a muffler shop technician. I hope this helps Carlos :)
---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------
QUESTION: thank you for your respond,that help a lot, i replaced the muffle month go,and the noise still,today a mechanic friend told me that the new battery from tire plus,installed last 25 is not good,because less than 5 and he say something about cells doesn't have a good reading, and he think that car is no working 100%,and thats why is making a noise and the car wont start some times,im going tomorrow to replaced the battery again and i will let you know what happened, last question , is some how the battery low the charge from somewhere in the car?,thanks a million Bill.
AnswerYou're welcome Carlos. It is possible that a new battery could be defective but rare. If you have a digital volt/ohm reader, check the battery voltage when you are finished using the car for the day and you park it for the night. Engine off. Providing that the battery is new or in good condition and the alternator has been checked and it's working as it should, let's say that the battery reads 12.6 volts. Remember this number and in the morning take this reading again. If it reads below that, then it's possible that an electrical accessory of the car, is "stealing" the battery juice when the car is asleep at night. If that's the case, let me know and I will tell you how to run a test to verify if that's true and something is draining the battery overnight.
