Battery dead today

AGM for the win.

As mentioned, these batteries aren't beefy enough for the sensors, computer network, and other accessories on this particular ride.

Odyssey batteries are top shelf and the one I have is such a battery with a diehard case. Worth every penny in my experience with it.
 
Battery? Chargine System? ECM?

Hi,

On a recent morning before a 2 hour family drive, our 2011 QX56 wouldn't start. Not a sound was heard or light seen when the ignition switch was pushed. Absolutely dead. I tried jumping it and it started quickly without hesitation. I thought maybe the battery just needed a charge and thought 2 hours of nonstop highway driving would do the trick. I thought, "just don't turn the car off until we arrive."

After pulling over to check cargo ontop after about an hour and a half, I accidentally turned the car off. The car again was dead, no sound or anything when I tried to restart. Luckily a nice fellow traveler pulled over and again, the car started quickly with a jump.

After returning home, the car has started perfectly everytime. But, to be safe, I took it to Autozone to check the battery, they said the battery was at about 3/4 capacity but the charging system was fluctuating too much. I took it to my mechanic and both the battery and charging system tested perfectly.

I talked to the local dealer and they said it was probably the ECM, which should be replaced, which costs $1500.00. Interestingly enough, they said it was backordered. A little more research shows that the equivalent oversees vehicle, the Nissan Patrol has has similar issues and an ECM recall was issued.

For now, we just drive around with a spare battery and cables just in case. Does anybody have any clue about what could be going on?

Thanks!!
 
Used car? New to you?

Could be a number of things. Id start with the ipdm (relay in the engine room electrical box) before resigning to the ecm. Could be a gremlin in the instrument cluster. Could be starter solenoid, cam shaft angle sensor.

See if there are any dtc's present at the obd port.

Could be the charging circuit. Does your battery needle fluctuate?

Did any trauma happen to the car prior to this happening? Was the car sitting for a while? Did you jump-start someone prior to this?
 
marctronixx said:
As mentioned, these batteries aren't beefy enough for the sensors, computer network, and other accessories on this particular ride.
Click to expand...

At the dealership, I decided to pop the hood and take a look at the batteries they are installing for replacements. I was surprised to see 665 CCA stamped on the side of the case. This was the same on the first and second replacements. Talk about not being beefy enough, as compared to the one Marc speaks of at 930 CCA.
______________________________
 
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Battery Replacement Question

Guys,

I have a 2012 QX56 with 40K on it. The battery is starting to sounds a bit weak when it starts and I want to proactively replace it. From reading thru this thread it sounds like the Diehard AGM is a good potential candidate for the replacement battery. Question for those of you who did a DIY replacement, was there any special process you needed to follow, other than the standard unbolt the terminals and replace battery. I ask because the NAPA website said something like "the vehicle shift release must be reset". Did any of you have to do this? If so, how did you do it.

Thanks,

Matt
 
if you remove the battery you lost memory presets, seat presets, ECM gets reset, etc.

other than that, just be careful not to short anything out.

there are memory savers you can use to preserve the memory when swapping batteries, which i am sure you already know about.
 
With the Die Hard Platinum that marc noted no longer being sold, my immediate AGM options are Optima YellowTop (the 34 or 34/78) or an Interstate Battery "MT7 34". The Interstate has bigger numbers, but... don't know much about this model. Just about nothing about it online than specs. I have plenty of AutoZones, O'Reilly's, etc. near me. I had *really* good luck with the Optima 34/78 back in 2010 and it was still in the Escalade when I traded it in 2 weeks ago on this 2012 QX56. I *think* from the numbers I see on the top of the current battery [210811T] that it is the original battery in this truck, 21-Aug-2011 date for a "9/11" VIN date. Anybody have opinions on what the current "best" AGM battery is for our QX? I'm looking for the "biggest/baddest" battery that will fit under the hood. ;) Thanks!

BTW... my QX does not usually get a lot of travel time during the week (just some short trips), so the "deep cycle" of the Optima seemed like a plus, as it was on my last truck.

UPDATE: Turns out the Optima YellowTop is a non-workable answer. The terminals are not going to work for me with the 90-degree connections. I'm now chasing the "X2Power SLI27AGMDP" battery from Batteries Plus. This one is a group 27 made in the USA by NorthStar and the specs look really good at 930 CCA plus 60 month full replacement / 0 month pro rated. Story I was told today is 2 former engineers from Odyssey started this company.

https://www.batteriesplus.com/battery/car-and-truck/infiniti/qx56/2012/v8-5.6l-710cca/sli27agmdp

That appears to be the relabeled version of this:
http://buy.northstarbattery.com/p/nsb-agm-27-battery?pp=24

UPDATE 2: Got the X2Power SLI27AGMDP installed this evening at the Batteries Plus store. Online coupon code for instant $10 off and instant 10% off by ordering online and picking up at the store of my choice. There is also a $30 mail in rebate. I did get confirmation direct from a NorthStar national accounts manager that the batteries are the same.

"The only difference on the X2Power SLI27AGMDP vs the NorthStar NSB-AGM-27 is the label and the color of the cover.
Internally, the battery is the same.
We appreciate your business."​

I'll post a few pics when I get them uploaded somewhere. :)
 
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drewdogg808 said:
Well, that was quick. Had trouble this past Sunday for rough start, ses light, hesitation, and smoke coming out the exhaust. Brought it in and they couldn't get to it for a day and a half, only to be unable to duplicate the problem. But they found a code for fuel pump failure (3 months outside of warranty, of course). They also found the battery tested bad and replaced it...but at least the battery was still warranted.

So now it's been 4 batteries in 4 years. They claim they can't find any parasitic draw, so what is going on?
Click to expand...

Well, not quite a year, but battery dead again. Will try to jump and take it to dealer tomorrow morning. 5 batteries in 5 years. Unbelievable. :mad:
______________________________
 
never had an issue with the stock battery. had it for 3 years and it would run a 2 channel dash cam 24/7.

local environment conditions can play into your experiences as well.
 
drewdogg808 said:
Well, not quite a year, but battery dead again. Will try to jump and take it to dealer tomorrow morning. 5 batteries in 5 years. Unbelievable. :mad:
Click to expand...

I have this same problem, only mine goes dead in the Oct/Nov time frame. :mad:

Last time it happened was in November, on a road trip from Jacksonville, FL to north Georgia. After over three hours of driving we stopped for gas. The car sat 10 minutes at the most and was totally dead when trying to start. Luckily there was an Infiniti dealer in Atlanta that wasn't too far out of the way. After getting jumped, we headed straight there and the swapped out the battery.

Fast forward to beginning of this year while visiting dealers for my various cat/timing chain issues. The first dealer updated my software - the service adviser claimed there was an update to 'always' turn the alternator on. She claimed that on short trips, the alternator wouldn't always engage. That didn't sound exactly like the problem I was having, but hoped it was some kind of progress. Take that with a grain of salt, as the girl didn't seem super knowledgeable.

Dealer number two was of much greater help. He claimed there is a wire on the alternator that he cut for me that prevents the alternator from ramping down. Sorry for the vague info, it's been a few months since he told me about this. Apparently the alternator saves a few drips of gas a year by not running at full power all the time.

I'll find out if my problem is solved this fall.

Later,
pjdavep
 
guys, what is the correct size?

in various threads and online configurators, i have seen 27, 34, and 65.
 
pjdavep said:
I have this same problem, only mine goes dead in the Oct/Nov time frame. :mad:

Last time it happened was in November, on a road trip from Jacksonville, FL to north Georgia. After over three hours of driving we stopped for gas. The car sat 10 minutes at the most and was totally dead when trying to start. Luckily there was an Infiniti dealer in Atlanta that wasn't too far out of the way. After getting jumped, we headed straight there and the swapped out the battery.

Fast forward to beginning of this year while visiting dealers for my various cat/timing chain issues. The first dealer updated my software - the service adviser claimed there was an update to 'always' turn the alternator on. She claimed that on short trips, the alternator wouldn't always engage. That didn't sound exactly like the problem I was having, but hoped it was some kind of progress. Take that with a grain of salt, as the girl didn't seem super knowledgeable.

Dealer number two was of much greater help. He claimed there is a wire on the alternator that he cut for me that prevents the alternator from ramping down. Sorry for the vague info, it's been a few months since he told me about this. Apparently the alternator saves a few drips of gas a year by not running at full power all the time.

I'll find out if my problem is solved this fall.

Later,
pjdavep
Click to expand...

I will have to ask about the alternator. My battery just died again a couple hours ago. Wife ran errands for few hours, came home and parked in the driveway. An hour or 2 later, we try to move it into the garage and all dead. Freaking ridiculous. Our X5 that has been sitting in the garage for 2-3 weeks cranked right up in order to jump and move the QX into the garage for the night. Will see what they say when I bring it in. :mad:
 
Rsanders24 said:
The infiniti battery I have now is 84 months 2 year replacement.
Click to expand...

My battery was replaced while in warranty and had a 2 year replacement sticker on the side but the dealership refused to honor that (Infiniti battery made by Interstate). The service manager said that Infiniti customer service told her that if it is replaced under manufacturer warranty then it has no warranty coverage outside of the bumper to bumper coverage. Doesn't make sense to me but the service manager insisted
 
get rid of the stock battery nissan/infiniti sells /installs. its not that the brand is wack, its just that the battery is underwhelming and barely keeps up with all the shenanigans that goes on with the car.

spend a bit more and go aftermarket.
 
i was having random problems...not dead batteries, but not enough juice to start. turns out alternator was only putting out about 13.5v. Note well -- non-infiniti brand alternators may not work -- eg we had a Napa alternator put in (because we were a 4 hour round trip from an infiniti dealer, and on vacation) and it threw all sorts of errors even though NAPA has it in its catalog as fitting the vehicle. The problem is in its communication protocol - car can't control it and it just puts out max voltage all the time, causing the battery and brake warning lights to come on. Had to get an infiniti one overnighted in (costs $500 plus shipping, ouch).
______________________________
 
the infiniti battery is really underpowered for the electronics and such on the current qx.

that kind of money, you should have picked up an odyssey battery. light years better than stock.
 
marctronixx said:
http://www.odysseybatteries.com/batteries/pc1750.htm

65-PC1750T
Part #: 0787-2020A0N0

that's exactly what i have in the ride right now. group 65 brotha...
Click to expand...

Ordered mine and picking it up on Monday. Using the link provided by marctronixx, I was able to locate an authorized dealer local to me for this same battery. I was pleased to learn, they also provide a military discount. Thanks to marc's advice, I ordered a "12 volt OBD II Power Supply to Vehicle Memory Saver Cable" to preserve my vehicles presets.

Thank you marc for sharing your knowledge and expertise.

grillmaster said:
I ordered a "12 volt OBD II Power Supply to Vehicle Memory Saver Cable" to preserve my vehicles presets.
Click to expand...

I decided to forego the installation and had the dealership do it for a nominal fee. The battery is fantastic and I love knowing I have a powerhouse under the hood.
 
Headed in for Battery #3 in 4 years of ownership

I didn't see anything more recent than this thread. Am I the only one still having battery issues? Had the original battery replaced in 2015 (2012 model) under warranty. This one only lasted 2 years. I was gone for 5 days and returned to a dead battery that won't even take a charge. On the one hand, the dealer said they'd pro-rate the new one based on the 84 month warranty, so I should only be paying about 25% of a new battery. On the other hand, these OEM batteries seem to do this every 2 - 3 years.

Has anyone had better luck with an aftermarket battery or do are these QX just exceptionally hard on all batteries?
 
i don't buy that the car is harder than normal on batteries. i just think the OEM is crappy.

i got some kind of aftermarket one, i forget what (interstate maybe?) and it's raining so i am not going to check (ha), but it wasn't a super nice AGM one or anything (less than $200), and it's been fine. with the OEM i would have to be careful about leaving the trunk open with the light on, etc, even when it was fairly new. If i left the trunk open for 20 minutes, i could hear the battery struggle to start the car. i killed it camping more than once. The new one has been, well, like a normal battery should be.

I will note, though, that i had my alternator replaced about a year ago -- it's probably not impossible that an alternator that tests OK is going bad (like mine was/did), contributing to the problem.

that said i got a super fancy AGM for my g35 and it started like a jackrabbit even when it was -20F in VT last winter. the qx started like a more moderately paced rabbit, so, it's good enough.
 
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