# 2005 Pathfinder - Battery Keeps Draining



## lanechange (Dec 28, 2010)

Hi All,

I'm hoping someone here is smarter than the folks at my local dealer. They've been all over this truck and can't figure this out.

Details:

2005 Pathfinder, original owner, completely dealer maintained - 95k miles.

Over the last 3 years, I've had a really strange problem with my Pathfinder and the battery. 

Symptoms:

* If I don't drive the pathfinder for about 4 days, the battery is completely dead.
* Every year the dealer replaces the lifetime battery in it for free. Yes, it needs a new battery EVERY year!
* No aftermarket gear in the truck. It's an LE, so it has GPS and alarm system. Also has the Nissan iPod interface.
* If I drive the truck for an hour or two every day, the battery seems to stay at about a 60% charge. 
* With truck running, battery is at 13.5 volts, so I'm assuming my alternator is good.
* Dealer has kept the truck overnight and "they didn't see anything leeching the electrical". No details on how they came about that.

I *LOVE* this truck, but having to put it on the charger every 3 days is getting old. I don't trust it to drive to the airport when I go out of town, so I take the wife's car. Sad.

Any ideas? I'm willing to try anything at this point. I don't want to get rid of my truck - it's paid for!


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

For one thing, I think I'd get a new dealer! Any dealership worth their salt would be able to easily shoot down a drain problem, especially one that kills the battery inside of 4 days. That's gotta be at least a 1/2 amp continuous load, if not more, and that amount of current is easily detectable with a good meter. I'd doubt those clowns are even looking at it very hard at all. It's not that I'm skeptical of all dealership, it's just that I'm skeptical of all dealerships! 

Also, 13.5v running is a bit on the low side. Should be around 14.1-14.7 according to the FSM for your vehicle. You could have a leaky diode in the regulator/alternator, which would also be the cause of the low-ish voltage while it's running. And again, in the FSM, there are specific steps to troubleshoot this problem. If you've only got 13.5v available for charging, it could be that your battery just isn't being charged up enough to sit for more than a few days.

I'm assuming if you take the cables off the battery for a few days and come back to it later, everything is fine?

Take off the positive cable, put an ammeter between the positive post and the positive cable.
If it has an underhood light, take it out. If you've got domelights or anything else that lights up when you open the door, take those out too.
Note the reading on the ammeter.
Start pulling fuses, relays, etc. until the reading drops significantly. The ECM/PCU type fuses might cause the reading to drop a little bit, but there'll probably be one single fuse that causes the reading to drop a whole bunch. When you find that, you'll find your problem.
For that matter (and I've told this story more than once) I had the same type of problem about a year ago with my Dodge pickup. Drained the battery, replaced the battery, constant drain, had to jump it, recharge it, etc. One day I open up the glovebox and find the glovebox light hanging by it's bracket, lit up continuously, and from looking thru the wiring diagrams, it was one of the only circuits in the whole truck not protected by a fuse or a fusible link.


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## lanechange (Dec 28, 2010)

Great advice - I'll give that a shot and report back.


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## pa_reid71 (Nov 5, 2011)

Hi,

Just wondering if you resolved your battery draining issue.

I have a 2007 Pathfinder Aventura that is doing the same. Was told it needed a software upgrade to solve this but took it to a Nissan dealer and they informed me the car was to new for it to be software issue. They narrowed it down to electric switch on side of drivers seat. Replaced this and still having problem. I have to pop electronic back up fuse every night and no problem with battery drain. Other issue I have is the automatic seat position switch on the side of the door for drivers seat does not work. Trying to find electric drawings to see if this is on that circuit. Anyone know off hand if it does and where I can get drawings? 

Cheers.


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## Mikepathfinderateahellcat (2 mo ago)

I have the same problem. I have replaced my Pathfinders battery at least eight times in a 2 years that I've had it. I don't know if I have a left time warranty. I figure I don't because I am not the original owner. When I look at the voltage on my vehicle when running. It's usually at 14.1 but I have noticed it go down to 13.113 and 13.2. I'm figuring my alternator is not charging it up good enough. I found that the wire that connects to the negative cable right down to the little bay that's next to it has been an issue for me. I better replace that wire two times. It seems like after a while it gets a bad connection and stops doing what it's supposed to.


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## VStar650CL (Nov 12, 2020)

You do realize you're replying to a post that's 4,040 days old, right?


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## Mikepathfinderateahellcat (2 mo ago)

Hey you are too!😁. For some reason it send this thread to me after posting this on another thread I thought. So I did not know how old it was I just read the questions and replies and put my 2 cents in. But thank you. I guess I won't get many answers on this one lol. Okay have a good night.


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