Truck Dead Battery

[blacklabel]

2008 Nissan Frontier 70k Miles

Went to dinner last night. Came out to a dead truck. The remote unlocked the truck but no lights, absolutely nothing after that. My buddy jumped it with absolutely no issues. We ran to a store, left it running and then went to my friends house to hang out for a bit. Shut the truck down, came out an hour and a half later and it started up without issue. I drove it 15 miles to pick up my kid. Shut it down, hung out for 5 minutes, come out and it started right up. Drove it 10 miles home and turned it off for the night. I came out this morning and it was dead again. The only odd thing was I had some minimal dash lights and an odd clicking coming from under the dash this morning. I messed with it a bit and found that the clicking would stop if I pushed in the brake pedal.

The battery was a couple years old and was a cheap battery so I bought a new one. Installed it and the clicking is gone, starts fine and I'm assuming the charging system is up to par based on my ability to drive it last night after the jump.

Any ideas on what the issue could be? Draw on the battery related to the brake pedal noise or just a battery that didn't want to take a charge any longer?

[Irving]

Clicking is usually a low battery. That's the starter rattling instead of turning. Battery life in Colorado is usually 4-6 years (per AAA).

I'm thinking that the reason the clicking stopped when you applied the brake pedal is because the brake lights sucked enough power that the starter wasn't trying to turn at all. Shouldn't have any issues now that you've replaced it.

[blacklabel]

Clicking is usually a low battery. That's the starter rattling instead of turning. Battery life in Colorado is usually 4-6 years (per AAA).

I'm thinking that the reason the clicking stopped when you applied the brake pedal is because the brake lights sucked enough power that the starter wasn't trying to turn at all. Shouldn't have any issues now that you've replaced it.

The clicking was occurring with the key in the off position. But it makes sense that what ever power was being drawn would be stopped with the draw of the brake lights.

[SouthPaw]

You can go to napa, auto zone or advance and having your charging system tested for free.

[blacklabel]

I'm not too concerned about the charging system but I might run by Auto Zone and have them test it just to be safe.

[kwando]

Bad ground?

[Ah Pook]

Testing the charging system will tell you if the battery is dead, if the alternator is charging, etc.

[blacklabel]

Testing the charging system will tell you if the battery is dead, if the alternator is charging, etc.

Based on walking out to a dead battery, jumping it (no time to charge, immediately pulled the cables) and then driving it without issue would seem to me like the alternator is doing it's thing. I'm thinking there might be a draw on the battery or the battery wasn't taking a charge. I'll have the alternator tested just to be sure though.

[Irving]

The newer the vehicle is, the more crap that the vehicle runs while "off" that drains the battery. Stuff like memory for the radio, seats, etc. When I worked at AAA, people would call in with a 2010 or newer luxury car and the battery would be dead after sitting for only like 4 days. My Amigo has a clock that NEVER turns off. The display is always on. I've let it sit for a whole month without starting and it always started right up. Not that an unlighted LCD display takes much to run. Basically a wrist watch.

[blacklabel]

I ran by Auto Zone. The chick said that she couldn't test it because of a short and that the tool would reset. I then ran over to Advanced and they were able to test it, saying that the alternator was putting out 14.3x volts. I'm thinking I'll be alright. Just make sure I've got the jumper cables in the truck going forward.

[TFOGGER]

Do you maybe need to adjust or replace the brake light switch? if the switch is intermittently turning on the brake lights, that could drain a battery pretty quickly, as the draw would be ~4 amps when the brake lights are on.

[BigNick73]

While the alternator might charge fine if it happens again you might want to change it. I had a older dodge with the 12v cummins that gave me fits. It'd charge fine but would randomly drain the battery, might last a week might last 1 day. Was a bad rectifier/diode/thingy inside the alternator.

[newracer]

Check you cables for corrosion too.

[tmleadr03]

I am 87% sure it is a bad battery that you have taken care of already. 13% chance of having a parasitic draw.

[Mtn.man]

2008 Nissan Frontier 70k Miles

Explains it all.

[blacklabel]

I am 87% sure it is a bad battery that you have taken care of already. 13% chance of having a parasitic draw.

I like my odds.


2008 Nissan Frontier 70k Miles

Explains it all.

Ahh, c'mon now. You can't hate on the little toy trucks.

[Wulf202]

Do you maybe need to adjust or replace the brake light switch? if the switch is intermittently turning on the brake lights, that could drain a battery pretty quickly, as the draw would be ~4 amps when the brake lights are on.

I've seen two of these recently.

[tmleadr03]

I like my odds.



Ahh, c'mon now. You can't hate on the little toy trucks.

Toy trucks? No issue. I want a Taco. Nissan is the devil. I don't like it and it doesn't like me.

[Irving]

2008 Nissan Frontier 70k Miles

Explains it all.

I agree, but only because it sounds like the original battery. Time to change it.

[sniper7]

Should have bought a ford. With that many miles the engine would be blow and at least you would know the problem.
dodge would have had the tranny give out by that time. And a Chevy only your window motors would be wearing out.

[gnihcraes]

had a chevy doing similar things - turns out the brake light switch was sticking on. Also had a glove box light staying on and didn't know it. Go out at night and see if anything looks lit up that shouldn't be.