2006 Xterra, Elec. issue??

[eti engineer]

It has been a while since I was here last. I have helped out where I could, but now I have a problem with my Xterra and am looking for some help.

Yesterday when my wife attempted to go to work, she hit the key on the Xterra only to find the battery was dead. It is only 2 years old, and is an Interstate brand, so one would expect better of it.

I put my charger on it for only a minute or two and the Xterra started right up. The problem is that the 4WD light stays lit on the instrument cluster, even though it is not in 4WD (I verified this by driving on pavement and trying to steer with the switch in 2WD and then in 4WD, and you can definitely tell the difference) and the LCD display that shows if you are in 4WD is blank. There is nothing there.

I charged the battery a bit last night and when I tried to start the car this morning, same thing. Battery was dead.

I put a DC ammeter in line to see what the current draw is with the car turned completely off and it is weird. It fluctuates between 100 and 550 milliamperes. I know that cars nowadays are always drawing on the battery, even when they are off. Is this excessive?

Anyhow, any help would be appreciated. I am taking it to the dealer this morning, but don't want them blowing smoke up my ass.

Let me know and hello to all...

eti engineer

[CMauro_75]

Those Interstate Batteries should last way longer than 2 years. You may be able to get a refund or new battery if you call them up. Volkswagen Beaverton

[CMauro_75]

Here is the link to the Interstate Batteries Warranty. Looks like it may not be as good as I had thought...

[eti engineer]

I found the problem is the battery itself. I put a 550 milliamp load on the battery and tracked its discharge rate. It held up nicely for a while and then within a 2-hour period dropped from 12.1 volts to 10.3 volts then began a more steady and linear discharge. Lead-acid batteries are supposed to have a more linear rate of discharge than what this shows. Given the voltage difference, it would appear that I may have one cell that is either intermittently shorted or just dies after a while.

For you Xterra owners, I also found out that once you turn off the key, there is a discharge of about 550 DC milliamps for a short time, then it drops to around 300 and then it finally settles out at around 100 DC milliamps. I was told that this is due to modules shutting down after the key is off.

I also found out that even though the dealer told me I would need to bring the truck in to get the codes reset, this is not true. After I put a new battery in the truck, both the 4-wheel drive display and the VDC OFF light cleared themselves. Everything is back to normal and it runs like a raped ape. I just recently Hypertech'ed it for 93 octane and found the power that I knew was in the engine that I was just not able to get out. Since I live in over-regulated California, I only plan on doing a couple of things more. I want a nice-sounding exhaust system and I want to change the intake. I have heard that Thorley makes the best cat-back system and that Volant would be the intake to go with. Any feedback on this?

Thanks, guys for your input. I hope that what I found out will help some of you in the future, if you should have the same problem.

Later...

[sandraindc]

I am having the exact same problem with my 2006 xterra..drained battery, 4WD light... The battery is only a little over a year old. Did you have any other problems after you changed the battery?

Thanks!!

[eti engineer]

Sorry not to have seen your question sooner.

After I replaced the battery all was fine. Being an electrical engineer, I had to check it out first and that is when I measured all the drainage on the battery, but it eventually drops to only a few milliamps.

Right after I replaced the battery, a few things on the dashboard were not correct, but after a few miles of driving and a couple of stops at stores, and everything fixed itself. The Nissan dealer said I would have to bring the truck in for a reset. He lied.

One thing about cars nowadays is that you need to get them out on the freeway once in a while and run them for a bit. My daughter has a BMW that if she just runs it around town for a few weeks, eventually the battery will die. Even when the key is off, there is drain on the battery.

I don't own the 2006 Nissan anymore. I went to the dealer to get some new struts for the rear hatch door and even though I only had 50,000 miles on it, I traded it in for a new Pro-4X with everything Nissan offers on an Xterra. I really like the Rockford-Fosgate audio system. 380 watts per channel with something like 12 speakers and a sub-woofer mounted right under the driver's front seat. It rocks.

But the downhill descent control, locking differential, etc. are also nice.

Let me know if you get the problem fixed.

later..

eti engineer

[eti engineer]

By the way, my wife and I used to live in Manassas, VA for 21 years. Left in 1997 for a job in California and have been here ever since. We were just back there in June of this year, visiting with family. I used to live on Cloverhill Ct.