2019 QX80 drain on battery

[marctronixx]

Does the blue wire at the negative battery terminal have to be cut or can you just leave the connector disconnected?

obviously this can void any warranty and doing this mod you do it on the understanding that its a modification and not sanctioned by nissan. lots of people have had success with it but its not a guarantee you will have the same success. know what you are doing and the consequences before you do any mod you read from a stranger or a 3rd party website that's not affiliated with nissan. for example, some model years have different color wiring than what someone else may have, and what is blue to you may be orange to another owner.

 

[cag2885]

obviously this can void any warranty and doing this mod you do it on the understanding that its a modification and not sanctioned by nissan. lots of people have had success with it but its not a guarantee you will have the same success. know what you are doing and the consequences before you do any mod you read from a stranger or a 3rd party website that's not affiliated with nissan. for example, some model years have different color wiring than what someone else may have, and what is blue to you may be orange to another owner.

Thank you for the reply. I have a 2015 QX80 and can't find the schematic for that particular year. I tried testing the 4 wires at the connector with the ignition on but motor not running and it doesn't show any voltage at any wire to find the one with 2.5V. Does the motor need to be running to conduct the test properly or can anyone verify which color wire it is for this particular year model?

 

[primov8]

Thank you for the reply. I have a 2015 QX80 and can't find the schematic for that particular year. I tried testing the 4 wires at the connector with the ignition on but motor not running and it doesn't show any voltage at any wire to find the one with 2.5V. Does the motor need to be running to conduct the test properly or can anyone verify which color wire it is for this particular year model?

With the ignition set to ON, it’ll be right around 5V when testing from the battery current sensor pigtail.

 

[AZ_G]

I've been meaning to make this modification for some time and finally got around to looking at it today. I took several pics because I think many of us in here could use some visuals to make sure we understand what needs to be done.

I located the connector on the negative terminal of the battery.


The clip can be removed by pressing on the release tab near the bottom of the clip and pulling the clip out.


Once the clip is out you can see there are 4 wires. In the case of my 2017 model, there is one red, one pink/purple, one green and one teal looking color.

I was planning to test the wires to find the 5v one that @primov8 mentions but my meter pins are much to large to fit inside the connector.

Assuming I can find a pin that is small enough to fit inside the connector and locate the 5v wire, I'm not sure how best to disconnect it. De-pinning the wire from the connector looks like it would require special tools. @primov8 Can you post a link to the product you used? I believe you said it was some type of connector?

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[primov8]

I had the same issue since the meter pins on my multi-meter wouldn’t fit. So I used a finishing nail and inserted it into the pigtail connector when I wanted to find the specific signal wire. I personally have never de-pinned it from the ECM. I just mentioned it because some members here have reported what the dealership had done to achieve the same results.
I did install heat-shrink, male & female connectors after snipping the wire just so that I’d be able to connect/disconnect the wire much easier when it came time for yearly inspections. But I’ve had it disconnected for the last several years and never had any issues passing inspection back home in NYC and most recently, this past summer in Houston.

 

[AZ_G]

Thanks @primov8

Searching a bit more I found this video and I think this might be an easier method than trying to determine which of the 4 wires I need to disconnect from the pigtail connector and then cutting it. It looks like the access is easier this way as well. What do you think?

 

[primov8]

That definitely looks easier if the connector and its corresponding wires haven’t changed from 11-14, 15-17 and 18-current. While I wouldn’t have a problem doing the mod via the IPDM had I not done the mod years ago, I’m sure not all would be comfortable pulling out the IPDM. Either way, any of these methods does the job.

 

[AZ_G]

That definitely looks easier if the connector and its corresponding wires haven’t changed from 11-14, 15-17 and 18-current. While I wouldn’t have a problem doing the mod via the IPDM had I not done the mod years ago, I’m sure not all would be comfortable pulling out the IPDM. Either way, any of these methods does the job.

In the YouTube link there is a comment asking if this will work for a 2012 and the video creator says he looked up the circuit diagram and it will. So I imagine it's good for at least 11-17, perhaps 18-current as well.

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[haris]

VARIABLE VOLTAGE CONTROL SYSTEM



you guys need to understand its NOT an "issue" - rather its a "Feature" nissan implemented to help with emissions.

Its called The VARIABLE VOLTAGE CONTROL SYSTEM. You are free to do an internet search as other nissan (Nissan are the parent) owners have experienced this as well. This has been a "feature" for ever and not just recently.

IF you want to get around this, then you have to remove the sensor that tells the ECM how much voltage the system needs. It is NOT designed to fully charge the battery. At best your battery will stay around ~80-85% charged , and if you do short trips probably on the low end of that. So you end up trickle charging every so often if you want the battery to be at peak.

removing the sensor will allow the generator to output what we all want and love - 13.x to 14.x volts.

its a simple trick as primo and others have stated. here are some slides..

so its NOT a bug or software glitch. its how nissan implemented it. nissan/infiniti slyly state this in the owner's manual

taken from the 2019 qx80 owners manual , section 8-13:



what i used to do is plug a jump box up to the obd port overnight. this would send a trickle charge from the jump box to the battery overnight and "top it off".

Just got same problem on my QX80, with engine stopped, played USB mp3 on stereo system for 30 minutes then engine can't started. And did jumping started. Just changed new battery with green indicator.

 

[AZ_G]

Quick update, I made the modification a month ago and it's working great. It starts up strong every time now (no more sluggish starts that sounds like there just enough battery power). There is no noticeable gas milage impact either.

 

[dastro]

I have a 2018 QX80 and have had zero issues. I drove it about 20 minutes this morning. Upon trying to start, it was dead. There were no dash lights telling me there was an issue. It took a jump quickly and I drove to a battery store. while running the battery was a 11.8 volts. The tester said that it was probably a bad alternator because it should be between 13-14.5 v. I called local infiniti dealer and they said it is probably the battery because a light will come on, I think he said battery light, indicating a bad alternator. Any thoughts of what it could be? ****EDIT**** I just saw the info about the variable voltage control under "2019 QX80 drain on battery" post. At this point, should I just replace the battery? I believe it is the original battery.

 

[primov8]

At this point, definitely replace the battery especially if it’s the original battery since the ECM controlled alternator has done a number on that battery throughout its usage.

Which wire all depends on where you want to disable the signal wire. I can’t speak for 18-current QX80s because it’s possible the color of wires at the battery current sensor may have changed or even at the IPDM. Some members here even posted their dealership disabled it for them but de-pinning the signal wire at the IPDM. Also, @AZ_G had linked a video on YouTube that explains where the signal wire is on the IPDM.

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[Jose S]

Take it to your local infiniti dealership....they know the exact cable to cut that goes from alternator to battery. Should be at no cost.

 

[AZ_G]

Take it to your local infiniti dealership....they know the exact cable to cut that goes from alternator to battery. Should be at no cost.

I wonder how many dealers will actually do this. My guess is that its hit & miss. Many dealers aren't going to be comfortable disabling a factory designed system. Some of them know what a poor "feature" this is and will do it, but I don't suspect it's common. Thankfully the youtube video I linked makes it very simple. I cut the one wire and covered the ends with some electrical tape and a tie wrap to make sure there wouldn't be any accidental connectivity. Shrink wrap would work well too.

 

[Badiha and Wissam Alghawi]

Bradley, I have an 2011 QX56 and I'm having the same issues.. I've had mine at the dealer several times and they can't seem to figure out the issue. I'm seeing the Nissan Armada is also having the same issues.. Infiniti only tells you to take it to a retailer. I feel a class action lawsuit should definitely get started asap.



Tom count me in.. Having the same issues with my 2011 QX56, the dealer cannot figure out what the issue is... Class Action Suit is a must.

Tom count me in, i have the same problem on my 2015 QX80. every 7 months I have to change the battery. :-(

 

[G-637777]

My 2019 QX80 continues to have some kind of battery drain. My son watched the factory DVD system for about 25 minutes, all of a sudden everything clicked off. A few minutes later I tried to start the car and it was dead. My dealer has already made an computer adjustment and replaced the battery once. I love Infiniti, as a matter of fact this is the 6th one that I have owned. I can’t believe that a $72,000.00 car will not start after playing the factory DVD system about 25 minutes. Something is not right. Is anyone else experiencing this??????

Take it to the dealer and they will disconnect an alternator cable that charges batter only to a certain point but not beyond. Is this truck driven short distances? If so it doesn't give alternator time to charge battery enough and to a certain point as well. Dealership should not charge you for this. It's something they know that is not factory accurate.

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[Kcrebel]

Take it to the dealer and they will disconnect an alternator cable that charges batter only to a certain point but not beyond. Is this truck driven short distances? If so it doesn't give alternator time to charge battery enough and to a certain point as well. Dealership should not charge you for this. It's something they know that is not factory accurate.

Just to clarify the red wire allows no alternator charging at all until like 20 miles are driven. Disabling this wire allows the alternator to charge all the time. It was an emissions gimmick many auto manufacturers employed.
That’s why short commutes under 20 miles one way will smoke a battery.
The red wire allows the ecm to decide when the alternator can charge the battery. Removing red wire kills that connection so alternator charges all the time.
Hope that helps.

 

[RMixon1]

Is there a risk that when you cut the red wire at the IPDM that the alternator can OVER charge the battery on long trips?

 

[marctronixx]

when you modify anything there is some risk. do this mod at your own discretion.

that said, alternators used to be dumb for years and batteries got along just fine.

 

[RMixon1]

when you modify anything there is some risk. do this mod at your own discretion.

that said, alternators used to be dumb for years and batteries got along just fine.

There was some discussion in the video that that alternator still has an internal regulator so is that going to help with not over charging? You are right as I think about it, I had an 1981 280z that didn’t have any problems with an over charge!
Thanks Marc!