My z is 1 year old with 7000 miles. I go on vacation and come back about 2 1/2 weeks later and it won't start. Dead battery. I jump it and it starts on the second try, no problem. I drive it for about 30 min to "charge" the battery. When I get home it is still dead. It took a little charge but not enough to start. Next I try to jump it again and it won't jump. Occasionally the starter will barely turn over but that's it.

What happened and what should I do now?

 

Test your battery and your alternator. You can use the volt gauge, but I would recommend using a multimeter.

To check the battery, start your 350 w/ all accessories (i.e. radio, a/c, etc.) off while somebody measures battery voltage. If voltage drops to < 10v, then your battery has a weak charge.

In this situation, I would pop the plastic terminals off the battery (if the battery isn't maintenance free), fill the 6 cells w/ distilled water, charge it w/ a battery charger, then try again. If the battery still has a weak charge, then the battery is bad.

To check the alternator, measure battery voltage while your 350 is running w/ all accessories off. It should read > 13v. If it's < 12v, then your alternator isn't charging the battery.

Michael.

 

good advice but I don't have a voltage meter and I can't seem to start the Z. I might just call the Nissan service center and have them pick it up and fix it.

 

In that case, then try using the voltage gauge in the center console. With the key in the acc. on position (w/ all accessories off), look to see if voltage reads > 12v. If it does, then try to crank the engine and watch the voltage gauge to see if it drops < 10v.

Michael.

 

Problem solved. I was able to jump it and took it to Nissan. They checked it and said the battery was a dead. They replaced it free under warranty.....

thanks for the help