# 2001 Altima GXE problem with ignition/battery/alternator



## J.P. Morgan (Sep 19, 2005)

Hello everyone. I tried a search for "ignition", "starter", "battery" & "alternator" and came up with some similar experiences but I would like to ask for a moment of your time please and explain my problem in a bit more detail.

My car (2001 Altima GXE) will not turn over at all. I get no clicking from the starter when I attempt to start the car however when I turn the key back to the normal run position all the dashboard lights flick on and off about 5-6 times per second until I turn the key all the way to the off position.
I was able to jump start the car once but have been unable to do so again. It got me home thank god and when I did get home I tried to turn on the headlights to see the parking space and the car died immediately. The battery charger I have says the battery is fully charged and it won't jump start the car when switched to 50amp start mode. The locks & windows are very sluggish to open/close also. I thoroughly cleaned the battery terminals and the cable leads as well as insuring that the ground and starter connections were also clean and secure but it hasn't fixed the problem.
I am somewhat inexperienced with automobiles and am thinking of having it towed to a mechanic and was wondering if anyone could give me some advice as to what other options I may have, what a mechanic may tell me and what I should steer away from. 
Thank you for your time and effort on my behalf.


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

J.P. Morgan said:


> Hello everyone. I tried a search for "ignition", "starter", "battery" & "alternator" and came up with some similar experiences but I would like to ask for a moment of your time please and explain my problem in a bit more detail.
> 
> My car (2001 Altima GXE) will not turn over at all. I get no clicking from the starter when I attempt to start the car however when I turn the key back to the normal run position all the dashboard lights flick on and off about 5-6 times per second until I turn the key all the way to the off position.
> I was able to jump start the car once but have been unable to do so again. It got me home thank god and when I did get home I tried to turn on the headlights to see the parking space and the car died immediately. The battery charger I have says the battery is fully charged and it won't jump start the car when switched to 50amp start mode. The locks & windows are very sluggish to open/close also. I thoroughly cleaned the battery terminals and the cable leads as well as insuring that the ground and starter connections were also clean and secure but it hasn't fixed the problem.
> ...


hmmm, i was gonna say to check the grounds and cables but it seems as if you already did that... did you check BOTH ends of the cables for corrosion and security? definitely sounds like a ground problem. you can also have a battery that reads "full" but cant handle a load. if possible, can you remove the battery and have it load checked at auto zone or somewhere similar?


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## stanen8871 (Apr 15, 2003)

Sounds like a battery that can't handle the load anymore, This happened on my 2001 with a nissan battery.


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

First things first,
Check the ground connection at the other end (the end not at the battery). But to me it sounds like your battery is junk. Chargers can't tell when a battery has gone dead. It takes no time to get the battery out, you can bring it to just about any auto parts store and they will test it for free. But even if you want to get a new battery you want to bring the old one with you for the core charge and to make sure it is EXACTLY the same. Please do not go to Wal*Mart and get a "Never Start" battery. One of the higher rated batteries is sold at Advance Auto parts but there are very few battery manufacterers so it really doesn't make too much of a difference. Also be aware that having full headlight strength does not mean that the battery has enough power to crank an engine over. It takes a lot of amps to crank over an engine versus the 12 volts to power a pair of headlights. Good luck with it


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## Asleep (Jan 19, 2003)

nice how i pretty much said that already. you guys are catching on.


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

yeah but you need to work on how you explain it :crazy:


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## Darktide (Jul 29, 2004)

Just kidding by the way


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