My 2000 XTerra wouldn't start this morning. Asumed it was the battery since it wouldnt crank. I took it to Sears to exchange the battery but they tested the battery and told me it was good. Put the battery back into the car and still wont crank. When I turn the key to crank strange things happen. Sometimes the door locks open and shut, wipers run, lights flicker, etc. Other times I get nothing but a click but starter never cranks. Is this a serious electrical problem? This is similar to when my battery went dead before but Sears swears the battery is good.
I was told by a loca mechanic that Nissa has had problems with electrical grounding for some time. Ii had a 1997 Altima that I intened to drive forever but finally gave up at (only) 90,000 miles. It went through 4 alternators in three years. Also a corroded radiator. The mechanic said Nissan has used the engine block as a ground, since cards today don't have the old-fashioned frame rails. Any loosening or other disturbance to that engine block ground will cause electriclaly-charged coolant to flow throughout the system: definition of elctrolysis. I don't if this applies to 2000-and-beyond vehicles, but it did in the 90s. Elsewhere in this section someone posted a ground solution (Maxima) that looks good. These are great vehicles, but if you have one (any make) with a persistent electrical glitch it can be one of the most frustrating and costly problems to fix.
Hi:
With your battery installed, turn on your head lights and see if they light up. If so, you most likely have a bad ignition switch.(not the key lock, but the actual switch )
It isn't a terribly expensive part, but will cause weird stuff if it fails.
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