bbongR

Hello, I need help on my vehicle.. Maybe I'm over thinking it.. freaking out with no reason.. but hear me out on this..

I actually just bought this vehicle yesterday. 2003, 53k miles, drives like a champ. Pulls hard, shifts smooth, everything was good. Until this afternoon...
This morning I was on my car trying to figure out the aftermarket navi that's installed in the vehicle. Well to be honest, I think I've been playing with the navi (with battery power alone) for about good 30-40 minutes without starting the car.. As far as the navi goes, all I touched was the navi remote control.. Did not touch any wires whatsoever.

So here's the symptom: I got in my car to start the vehicle, and when I turned the key all the way, the car would make a rapid *click* sound. Probably the starter trying to work. So after 3-4 unsuccessful tries, I jump started the vehicle and the voltage reading was a little over 14 which I believe is where it should be at. So just to *recharge the battery, I took it for a spin, maybe about 15-20 min freeway cruise and came back home then turned the vehicle off. After a few hours, I was heading out for dinner and the vehicle didn't start. Same clicking noises as the 1st time.. So I jump started it again and drove away. But one thing that I realized was that the lights in the visors didn't come on when they should, and the dome lights didn't work as well. I pressed the dome lights and nothing. All the gauges, headlights, wiper, A/C, radio worked just fine as if nothing was wrong except the dome and the visor lights.
After dinner I had to get help of a random person's vehicle to jump start the vehicle again. This was my 3rd time jump starting the vehicle. Now by this time I thought 'maybe I should drive on the freeway for a little longer so it may properly charge..' So I took the long route back to my destination (approximately good 30 min drive on the freeway) and parked & turned the car off. *remember everything functions normally except the dome and the visor lights* After a few hours I got in my car again and there it is. The vehicle wouldn't start. Now this is when I started freaking out, because I was on my phone since the 1st jump start trying to figure out the probable cause of this issue.
The closest I came were: Battery, Alternator, and Starter.
I added starter on my list, because every time I had my vehicle jump started, it wouldn't start strong like it would before. It would have a hard time, almost slow sputtering to a very weak start, but once the engine it started, it sounds very strong like a normal 53k engine should sound. Well although I've added the starter to the list, I highly doubt it's the starter.. But my fear is that.. could this be the alternator? I mean.. After miles and miles of cruising on the freeway didn't charge the battery.. and yet I DID spend good 30-40 minutes on battery power alone on an aftermarket navi.. On the carfax of this vehicle, it says the new battery is installed at a Nissan dealer at 30,377 miles and also the electrical/battery charging system was checked at a Nissan dealer at 52,849 miles.

What could be the probably cause..? I'm hoping it's just a batter issue.. I mean geez it's only been a day and I'm seriously loving this car already..

I've attached a photo that I took just about 20 minutes ago. this is when I turned my key 3/4th in.

bbongR

Ah, I forgot to mention, the previous owner had the BIG THREE upgrade done on this vehicle..

npr350z

iTrader: (1)

What's the big 3?
Take the battery and alternator to autozone and get them tested.
Check your fuses.

bbongR

Big 3's the ground upgrade http://www.clubcivic.com/board/showthread.php?t=109672
@npr35z - You mentioned about the fuses.. which ones exactly?

npr350z

iTrader: (1)

Check the interior ones. Dome lights and such. There should be a little map on the peice of plastic.
Check the engine ones as well. I've seen where fuses didn't quite burn out, a little bit left on em. Caused all sorts of problems.

npr350z

iTrader: (1)

But if I was to take an educated guess, is a dying battery. I'm sure some folks that know more than me will chime in and prove me wrong.

bbongR

Oh no.. thank you so much for your input. I really appreciate it.. I'm really hoping it's just a battery issue..

05CaliZ

iTrader: (3)

sorry to hear about the car trouble man, especially only a day after getting it!

try not to stress to much, hopefully it IS just the battery, and a quick drive to autozone and a few bucks away from being back to normal

padilla03z

iTrader: (2)

If it makes a lot of clicks it could b a loose connection as well. Make sure the battery called don't wiggle at all and check the big 3

Syner

Are your posts clean?

KornerCarver

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a dying battery to me. That is the cheapest possible solution so I would get that replaced.

350Zdj

iTrader: (3)

When your car is completely shut off, test the battery itself for voltage status. If it is consistent at like 13.8+- then my money is on the alternator. .

Also, I replaced my alternator just a week ago. I would lose power and the voltage dropped to almost 12v when I revved to around 5-7k. At the same time, the battery led alarm on the dash flickered. You can give it a try too and see what happens.

Your dome / interior light bulbs could be busted?

bbongR

Hello guys.. I took my car back to the dealer I got the car from. They installed a brand new battery for me and thank God(free replacement hehe). It starts right up nice and strong. So the issue was basically me.. I pretty much drained the battery out by playing with navi for too long :P
So here are my readings so far:
Oil psi at around 30 on idle and cruising @ around 30-40mph. But it actually reaches up to 70-80 if the vehicle's pushed hard.
Battery voltage at right under 14V. I would say about 13.7-13.8?

Also, a new inquiry about my vehicle guys.. it's about my transmission. I've posted a thread last night on the engine&power train section, but it got erased by the admin and I got a warning.. I don't understand why but.. I'm going to mention it on here.. whenever I drive (whether it be ripping through the gears or just smooth cruising), I can hear a very distinct, audible 'clunk' and 'rattle' noise from my shifter down to my tranny. I don't have problem changing gears whatsoever. None of the gears grind (EXCEPT when I'm down shifting from 6th to 5th.. 5th grinds.. any take on that anyone??). It doesn't really matter what gear I'm in. It's just whenever I shift I can hear this clunk/rattle noise. It's not loud, but loud enough for me to catch it.

I'll try upload a video that I took today.. I was in the parking lot and this rattle came back.. it was pretty loud.. disturbingly loud.. one thing is that this clunk/rattle noise would actually go away when I fully engage the clutch, but the noise would come back when the clutch is NOT engaged.
Anyone facing the same issues? any possible FIXES??
Any kind of help/advice would much be appreciated.. thank you!

bbongR

Ah I'm sorry guys, I now understand why the admin gave me a warning and removed my post about the *rattle on the tranny... After a few hours of just searching and reading, I found out that the issue I have is with the "throw-out bearing"

https://my350z.com/forum/maintenance...e-neutral.html

Unfortunately I have NOT found a solution to the noises.. Does anyone have any take on that?

dkmura

iTrader: (64)

Read a little further- if your throwout bearing is going out, it's going to rattle quite a bit and cause noise. Unfortunately, the only real way to check and replace it is to drop the tranny.

Syner

If it's regular chatter, leave it alone and learn to live with it. Don't fix problems that don't exist.

Syner

Based on his description, I'm guessing it's regular chatter. If you're used to a regular MT, the Z seems loud.

bbongR

Thank you. Appreciate for your input gentlemen. I am used to a MT but the 09 Si I had didn't make the noise as loud as the Z.. But on the other hand my Z IS in fact almost 10 years old (2003 model). So for now I'll just get used to it..

Will probably replace the throw-out bearing when I get a new clutch around 80-90k hehe

Spike100

The car should not grind when shifting from 5th to 6th. Nissan did replace transmissions in some 2003 350z cars. I had the problem you describe and Nissan did the replacement under the 5 year 60K drivetrain warranty. Search this subforum and the “Engine and Drivetrain” subforum, and you will find the details describing the transmission problem.

--Spike

Syner

I missed the grinding part. Good info, Spike.