Murano 2004 sometimes won't start

[patricedaigle]

have this issue with the murano which any garage can't fix. This happen a few time when going somewhere and cannot start the murano but after a few hours it will then start and this will happen like every week or so.

The garage is asking me to keep the car there so he can drive it but we need our car and can't have my car at the garage until it will happen to him. Who knows if it will happen quick.

Can someone help us?

Best Regards,

[nipsirc]

maybe its your battery or alternator.....
Does it even turn ?

[Pilgrim]

Rent a car for a couple of days and leave yours with the shop. The cost will be offset by the lack of hassle.

[chuck jones]

I was just going to go look for a subject like this....I have an 09, and there are times it just won't start....it clicks like its a dead battery, but if I put a charger on it and zap it with a 50k AMP start shot, it will sometimes put the charger in a "charge competed" mode and the car starts right up.

I've noticed that there's something screwy about the setting on the light stalk....if I stick it on the auto setting where it's supposed to turn on when the light sensor detects low ambient light, I will come out to a dead battery. At other times, the parking lights will be on even though I'm careful to make sure the stalk is at off on one side and the light icon on the other...

Today I went out there and it was dead....clicked like a dead battery. Then the widshield wipers started goiing and I'll be damned if I could turn them off. I had the wife get in the car and put the light stalk in different positions while she stepped on the brake and hit the start button on the dash....we'd get the clicking noise but the headlight would come on full power???? How can you have a dead battery yet have high beams?

I jumped it with a portable battery starter and backed it out of the garage, then put a charger on it....but the charger wouldn't register a charge. When I got in the car and pushed the start button it started right up....like it was just fine. This intermittent start/no start has been diagnosed by the service rep as a bad battery even though this is a standard Nissan battery (Interstate??) that was installed two years ago and it's an 86 month pro-rated one. Since I bought the car used, they would only honor the pro-rate if I could come up with the original invoice on the battery. Well hell, when I bought it they had gone thru it with their 109 point inspection or whatever it is, and did the usual test to make sure the cells were all up to snuff....but didn't give me an invoice for the battery. So even though the battery shows the punched out month and year of installation, they won't honor a pro-rate without the original invoice. I got tired of back-and-forth and am just going to go down and buy a red top from Costco. You'd think that an 86 month warranty would be honored after two years.....but then again, I bought it from another dealership....suck it up Jones....quit sniveling.

I'm still a little confused over the position of the off switch on the switch. If you have it on the auto, it shouldn't drag down a battery....I think there's a relay somewhere that's acting up. You car sounds exactly like mine is acting, and I read another post about several weeks ago that had the same issues. They said that if the battery isn't strong enough, it sends weak signals to the onboard computer....c'mon folks....this isn't magic....weak signals? That's why I couldn't turn off the windshield wipers?....then all of a sudden it acts like nothing ever happened.

I will say this....every year when the temps turn cold...if a battery has any issues, this is when they're going to show up. Cold weather is the acid test (pun?) for a car battery. If it's going to go out, it will wait for the first cold snap...then start acting up.

[BillArf]

Chuck, replace the battery! The info you were given is correct. I will add that I have seen the wiper scenario, etc. with lights still working like you mention on other vehicles and yes, caused by problematic, depleted battery / battery that needed to be replaced.

[chuck jones]

Thanx Bill: I will do that tomorrow. It just pisses me off a bit that the dealership wont' help out on an 86 month battery that's only been in there for two years....but like I said....at some point it's time to quit *****ing about it and jsut take the initiative and git-er done.

I'll be replacing the battery tomorrow....any suggestions for something you particularly think is up to the task....I dont think anyting over 700 CCA is needed...overkill. What brand do you use and what specs do you have for yours?

Thanx for taking the time to respond.

AndI hope your Tksgiving was memorable and pleasant.

Chuck

[Pilgrim]

Chuck - I agree with you and BillArf - the battery is marginal, and I also think you are on target about having a relay sticking. I suggest not leaving the car in the headlight auto sensing position.

AND - if you go for the red top (I have the same series battery in my 280ZX) and it does get deeply discharged, you will need that old 86 month battery as a buffer for charging it. There is a special charging setup for a deeply depleted red top, and it's described on Optima's website. I have also cited it in other threads. Read my posts in this thread for more info: Gel Battery

[BillArf]

snipe:

Originally Posted by chuck jones

I'll be replacing the battery tomorrow....any suggestions for something you particularly think is up to the task....I dont think anyting over 700 CCA is needed...overkill. What brand do you use and what specs do you have for yours?

Chuck

If I were to purchase a battery today for my Murano, I would go with the Diehard Gold. Their service record is excellent and pricing is aok. Backed by 36-month free replacement and 100-month pro-rated limited nationwide warranties. (Keep your receipt) With you turning in your old battery, cost will be approx. $104+ tax. Install is free. Sears, its subsidiary Kmart and recently Meijer stores all sell DieHard car batteries.

Johnson Controls makes batteries sold at Sam's Club, WalMart, Interstate Batteries, Sears Die Hard. Johnson makes a very good battery. Kirkland makes Costo's batteries and those batteries are very good. With the Costco batteries, I'm not sure if their 3 year warranty is pro-rated or not. The Diehard is not pro-rated when returning a problematic battery within the first 3 years. I'd look at pricing and warranty on similar batteries and make a choice. I do lean toward Diehard though. I shy away from Costco as their stores are not as easy to find in a given location as Sears, Kmart, Walmart, Sam's Club, Interstate stores, etc. are. Wherever you travel you can't always find a Costco.

On the Murano, I believe factory specification is 582 CCA, Nissan replacement batteries are 575 CCA if my memory serves me correctly. Go higher but indeed over 700 CCA is not warranted. When you have the battery installed, have new battery standing close nearby. In an expedient manner disconnect the old battery and connect the new. Again, in an expedient manner. Doing this hopefully will see you not having to reinitialize the various Murano systems.



.

[BillArf]

snipe:

Originally Posted by chuck jones

I'm still a little confused over the position of the off switch on the switch. If you have it on the auto, it shouldn't drag down a battery....I think there's a relay somewhere that's acting up. You car sounds exactly like mine is acting, and I read another post about several weeks ago that had the same issues. They said that if the battery isn't strong enough, it sends weak signals to the onboard computer....c'mon folks....this isn't magic....weak signals? That's why I couldn't turn off the windshield wipers?....then all of a sudden it acts like nothing ever happened.

Having the Murano's mast switch set to auto is not an issue. I seriously doubt (yes, possible) a "relay" is problematic either. Today's drive by wire, vehicles will behave in some rather bizarre ways when the battery is not up to par. Change the battery and I truly believe all will be aok.

.

[BillArf]

patricedaigle........ How about your battery. How old is it? If recently replaced, have it load tested to see if it has not developed a bad cell. If it is an older battery, replace. Very well your issue could be related to the battery.

[Pilgrim]

BillArf - great info! I agree that Johnson Controls makes a very good battery, although I have trouble keeping up with which companies sell them at any particular time.

Bill - any idea who makes the batteries for Advance Auto? Their Autocraft 24F battery is $89.99 now with 20% off that price and a $50 coupon off the next purchase of $100 or more. Given the price, I may go for it and worry about extended battery life later. $71.99 is rather attractive...and I'm confident I'll have a $100+ purchase before long.

[BillArf]

Originally Posted by Pilgrim

BillArf - great info! I agree that Johnson Controls makes a very good battery, although I have trouble keeping up with which companies sell them at any particular time.

I may check Sam's Club today.

When buying from Sam's and Costco one needs to know that when / if you have an issue with a battery you have to still be a "member" in order to return a battery under warranty/service of same. (I read this on the internet) SO, if you don't plan on staying with a membership place (keeping your membership) like Costco and Sam's Club then you might want to buy your battery elsewhere. Geeez, hope I am not giving anyone the idea I am anti Costco or Sam's which I am not.

.

[Pilgrim]

I decided to go for the Autocraft....too good a deal to pass up, even if the manufacturer is not known to me. 700 CCA, 36 month free replacement and 84 month pro-rated warranty, and I keep EVERY receipt for EVERY car in its own file.

Sam's Club locally has no battery info online, so I struck out there.

I have the original battery in my 2007, and when the dealer did the TC and PS hose work recently, they said the battery's load test was marginal. It seems wise to anticipate that the battery is getting weak, and therefore changing before it strands me on a 5-degree day strikes me as a good idea.

[nipsirc]

Just change the battery. Most of the time, it is the issue....
Read up on this... Mo won't start, need help

and also this... battery went in 05?

[Blackwidow]

Ugh...wish I saw this thread earlier. I had issues with my 2007 murano with only 35k miles suddenly not starting. Didn't think it was the battery cause even after I got the car started it had a noticeable loss of power. Took it to the Nissan dealer only to find out it was the battery for which I raped for $150 to replace. To top it off they said I needed new lower control arm/bushings and drive belts which they wanted to charge me $1000 for. I told them just finish installing the damn battery.

Considering I just bought the murano from them a year ago with only 26k miles on it..wasn't expecting expensive maintenance already.