[dj2075]

I was curious if anyone had any experience with the following problem. Earlier today my murano made a strange noise like air leaving a tire when I returned home. I went out once more today and the car seemed sluggish to start. Upon returning home I tried to re start the engine and heard a collection of mechanical clicking noises. Now it will not start at all and the noises sound like a computer hard drive. I have read abou the alternator issue, but not sure if this applies. Any suggestions?

 

[ekaxel]

Sounds like at least a dead battery. Charge the battery, start the car and see if it is charging.

 

[dj2075]

Thanks for the quick response. I should hava stated that all the electrical still works; lights, radio, air.

 

[dmako]

Might have enough power for lights, etc but not to engage the starter.

Unless it is the starter that went.

Thanks for the quick response. I should hava stated that all the electrical still works; lights, radio, air.

 

[jaak]

Check the fluid level in your battery.

 

[KLB]

Sounds the the starter has gone bad.

 

[CVeeT]

Sounds the the starter has gone bad.

Chances are it is battery.

Get battery tested/charged as first step.

Lights horn etc dont tell much about battery and avoid jump starting the car if possible.

 

[MichaelMurano]

Sounds like the battery

May be the battery. A similar thing happened to me in my Toyota Avalon a few months ago. All power accessories worked. I could jump start the car and it would run fine but if I turned on the headlights the car died. Would make you think it is the alternator. A reputable and honest shop near my house tested the alternator and it was fine. It was the battery. One new battery later and I've been ok for months.

 

[mgthe3]

yep, same on my wife's sentra...
lights worked fine....got clicky on the starter solenoid....no turnover.
Replaced battery, altenator putting out 14.4...was the battery.

 

[Eric L.]

I agree - sounds like its the battery. If the water level is fine in the battery, you can always try to jump start the car if you do not have a battery charger.

Most stores like Autozone will load test your battery for free, so you can find out if you need a new one.

 

[zebelkhan]

We all seem to ignor the hissing sound he heard " strange noise like air leaving a tire". I don't think any battery would do that. I am leaning towards a air or vacume hose that has somehow come loose or developed a leak and is therefore throwing the computer and the air/fuel mixture off to the point it will not start.

Check in the engine compartment and inspect all hoses that connect to the air intake setup.

 

[Eric L.]

We all seem to ignor the hissing sound he heard " strange noise like air leaving a tire". I don't think any battery would do that. I am leaning towards a air or vacume hose that has somehow come loose or developed a leak and is therefore throwing the computer and the air/fuel mixture off to the point it will not start.

Check in the engine compartment and inspect all hoses that connect to the air intake setup.

I've disconnected vacuum hoses with the engine running (on my 97 Maxima) and the pressure is not so high as to cause a hissing noise. I wonder what the source of the sound is then!

The fuel injectors normally make a mechanical servo noise when the engine is shut off, maybe that is what was preceived as a hissing noise.

In either case, the starter should crank, so the hissing noise and the no start condition might be unrelated (but no less important).

 

[zebelkhan]

You are correct. The starter should at least crank. Hope the hissing sound was not the sound of battery wires grounding and burning...then again, there would be smoke in that case.

 

[dj2075]

Thanks for all your help. The dealer did not find anything crazy like I suspected. The battery was dead/dying. I asked the dealer about the problem and they replyed that when a battery is dead in newer cars you can get a host of noises like starter failure. I had everything checked and nothing else was wrong and the car has been running great for the past few days. Thanks again.