Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other?

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Fri 19 Jul 2013 22:42
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - JohnnyBoy

Hi, whe I got into my car tonight the electric sunroof was sluggish, so it was no great surprise when the car failed to start. I got it going using jump-leads, drove a few miles then switched off. About ten minutes later the car wouldn't start again.

I drove the car for about 18 miles last night with no problems, but apart from that it's not been used much over the past few weeks as the weather has been more suitable for my Vespa.

It's the original battery in the car so at ten years old it's probably due a change, but are there likely to be any other causes? With the jump-leads it started first turn of the key, so I'm hoping that shows the starter motor to be OK.

As always, any advice is very much appreciated.

thank you,

John

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Fri 19 Jul 2013 23:05
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - Oli rag

A new battery should fix it.

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Fri 19 Jul 2013 23:49
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - JohnnyBoy

Thanks, hope you're right!

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Sat 20 Jul 2013 12:45
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - Peter.N.

I would be very surprised if it doesn't, I don't think I have ever had a battery last 10 years.

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Sat 20 Jul 2013 13:13
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - Quicksilver

The hot weather has been killing off quite a few older batteries. I would imagine it is the battery.

Just FYI. My old Citroen AX battery lasted 13 years before replacement!

Q.

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Sat 20 Jul 2013 23:28
Nissan Primera 1.8 SE Petrol (2003) - Won't start - battery or alternator...or other? - Cyd

10 years for a car battery is astounding, frankly. 3 - 5 years is average.

Check the voltage when running. It should be 13 to 14.5V. Then switch on all lights, HRS, fan, etc and see how far it falls. It should still stay above 12V. If so, alternator is ok.
Then disconnect the injector harness and check battery voltage whilst cranking. A healthy battery will stay above 10V even after a minutes cranking. A poor battery will drop below this after as little as a few seconds.

Are you telling us though, that you are in the habit of opening windows, sunroof on battery power alone BEFORE starting the engine? You should always start your engine first, then apply any electrical loads.

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