[nutmegct]

For the last several years, my 2010 3.5 Altima has surprised me every few months by draining the battery from 12.6 volts to 8 or 9 volts overnight.

Replaced battery - same problem. Check voltage after driving an hour, shut down engine - voltage is over 12. Next morning, voltage can be 7, 8, or 9 volts. Have to jump the battery to start; charging system checks out fine.

So today I decided to check battery drain. Disconnect battery negative cable, put ammeter leads between battery negative post and car's negative cable.

Drain is around 200 mA. That's *way* too high - should be closer to 20-40 mA. Pulling each fuse (under hood and under dash) one at a time, drain remains around 200 mA - except the second "Meter" fuse removal lower drain from 200 mA to 120 mA. Still way too high.

Something's pulling over 100 mA 24/7. If car sits overnight, *sometimes* voltage is almost cut in half.

Has anyone had a similar problem with "phantom battery drain"? Is there a system which can go on by itself, or one that may not show an "active" light on the dash panel?

EDIT: car has a Bose sound system. I've heard from several Nissan forums that some Bose systems can draw power 24/7, whether in use or not.

Thanks.
Tom M.
2010 Nissan Altima 3.5 sedan

 

[jackmor]

You may have a alternator with bad diode, a shorted positive diode will drain the battery with the key off and out in no time at all.

 

[nutmegct]

Thanks Jack. Can you point me to a way of checking the alternator for that problem? Maybe just somehow removing an alternator connection to the battery or something?

Seems if I could isolate the alternator, that would show if the drain dropped.

Tom M.

 

[jackmor]

Just disconnect the positive lead on the alternator to see if the leakage disappear.

 

[nutmegct]

Thanks Jack. I assume that line is "hot", so I'd better disconnect the battery first, then disconnect the lead, then test the drain.

 

[jackmor]

Don't forget to reconnect the battery for testing.

 

[nutmegct]

Sorry - I plan to disconnect battery negative (ground) cable, then disconnect alternator cable.

Wouldn't I leave the battery negative cable disconnected, when I test for drain? (run ammeter leads between battery neg. post and neg. cable - neg cable not connected to battery)

TM

 

[jackmor]

That is right, just do it as you described, good luck.

 

[nutmegct]

OK - here's the latest. I disconnected that alternator line, and now have a drain of 0.09 amps. That 90 milliamps.

Is that the "normal" drain on the battery for a 2010 Altima 3.5 with no electrical problems?

Thanks.
Tom M.

 

[jackmor]

The .09 amps sounds like the draw when the security system is first armed. After about 30 seconds it should drop to almost nothing. Check the second "Meter" fuse that you found earlier dropping the amp drain by 80mA, you may have a bad switch or a light that stays on.

 

[nutmegct]

Thanks Jack. That 90 mA is *after* about 30 seconds. It starts around 200 mA, and drops to 90 mA after about 30 seconds.

 

[Altima201049]

Nissan Altima 2010 SL

I have batteries going dead approximately every 2 years since 2012 and no one can figure out why, something is draining the electrical system but diagnostic checks show nothing. This past month the 7th battery was put into my Altima. I was told by the Dealer first time was due to the weather (low pressure system) and 2nd time was not putting enough miles on the car which is crazy. Does anyone have any insight into this huge safety issue for me?

 

[Mandytory]

Nissan Altima 2010 SL

I have batteries going dead approximately every 2 years since 2012 and no one can figure out why, something is draining the electrical system but diagnostic checks show nothing. This past month the 7th battery was put into my Altima. I was told by the Dealer first time was due to the weather (low pressure system) and 2nd time was not putting enough miles on the car which is crazy. Does anyone have any insight into this huge safety issue for me?

Did you ever get this problem figured out

 

[rogoman]

Thanks Jack. That 90 mA is after about 30 seconds. It starts around 200 mA, and drops to 90 mA after about 30 seconds.

With late model cars that use intelligence technology, e.g. key FOB, you should wait at least 30 minutes or more before performing a parasitic draw test. The draw will generally drop below 200ma within 2 minutes after shutdown and may remain that way for up to 30 minutes after the doors are closed. The BCM usually hibernates in 30 minutes and the draw should drop below 20ma at that point (13ma is probably average).

If you do these tests, make sure all accessories inside the car are shut off; this includes any courtesy lights such as the overhead lights. If the hood has an opening security sensor, it must be disabled. All the doors and trunk must be closed; if you need to have the driver's door open, put something against the door button to keep it pressed in order to break the electrical circuit. There should not be more than a 50ma draw on the system with the ignition switch in the "OFF" position. The reason being is the ECU and IPDM are always on in sleep mode which accounts for the very small draw.

 

[amchestnut]

Did you ever get this problem figured out

I have the EXACT same issue. 2010 Altima SL (2.5 liter, 170k miles) that almost like clock work every 2 years needs a new battery. I just had it replaced again this morning (last time was Dec 2019). No one can figure out why it does it (dealer, independent shops, auto parts store, and even the arm chair experts). Charging system checks out fine. Did you ever get a reasonable answer as to cause? A year or so ago I discovered that the glove compartment light was likely staying on because it didn't close tight enough to trip the switch (I think it gets auto shut off though after x minutes). I just disabled that light and thought maybe at long last I had found the issue. Guess not!

 

[itsmemissb]

Nissan Altima 2010 SL

I have batteries going dead approximately every 2 years since 2012 and no one can figure out why, something is draining the electrical system but diagnostic checks show nothing. This past month the 7th battery was put into my Altima. I was told by the Dealer first time was due to the weather (low pressure system) and 2nd time was not putting enough miles on the car which is crazy. Does anyone have any insight into this huge safety issue for me?

I would also like to know if you figured it out. My 2011 3.5 SR eats batteries.

 

[rogoman]

Like I posted earlier:
With late model cars that use intelligence technology, e.g. key FOB, you should wait at least 30 minutes or more before performing a parasitic draw test. The draw will generally drop below 200ma within 2 minutes after shutdown and may remain that way for up to 30 minutes after the doors are closed. The BCM usually hibernates in 30 minutes and the draw should drop below 20ma at that point (13ma is probably average).

If you do these tests, make sure all accessories inside the car are shut off; this includes any courtesy lights such as the overhead lights. If the hood has an opening security sensor, it must be disabled. All the doors and trunk must be closed; if you need to have the driver's door open, put something against the door button to keep it pressed in order to break the electrical circuit. Disconnect the battery negative cable, put the ammeter leads between battery negative post and car's negative cable. In general, there should not be more than a 50ma draw on the system with the ignition switch in the "OFF" position. The reason being is the ECU and IPDM are always on in sleep mode which accounts for the very small draw.

 

[Charles]

My 2009 Altima has the same problem, ie, 200ma drain. I disconnected alternator but the drain current stayed the same. What else could be the problem?

 

[dsimeone]

My 2010 Altima's battery died. The battery is less than 1 year old. I had a similar problem last year with the battery. The dealer replaced the battery and when we went to take the car home from the dealer it didn't start and the battery was drained. The dealer ran diagnostic tests - shows nothing. They are looking at "other things" but doesn't have an answer to why the battery drains. With the age of the car, the dealer also suggested replacing the spark plugs and the alternator belt - we went ahead and did that. But again, the batter drained again the next day while parked at the dealer. With this issues, even if the car starts with a new battery, how confident am I that the battery drain cause has been fixed? Solution???

 

[VStar650CL]

Gen4/gen5 Altimas all have a "smart" charging system that's entirely dependent on the Battery Current Sensor (located on the main ground cable next to the battery). If the sensor goes bad or the ground cable has high resistance, it can cause the smart system to get stupid and chronically over- or under-charge the battery. That results in the car "eating batteries" one after another, either from boiled plates if it's overcharging or repeated deep cycles if it's undercharging. Unfortunately, the diagnostics Nissan gives us techs for the current sensor are pitiful, and the BCM (which monitors the sensor) doesn't have the tools to detect a lying sensor, only a flatlined one. So the best diagnostic approach is usually to disconnect the sensor, replace the battery if it's weak, and see if that solves the problem. I wouldn't trust Nissan's "standard" battery testers either, or the ones typically used in a parts store. I've seen all of them call batteries "good" which were dead 20 minutes later from a simple ignition load. Nissan does have a new tester called the DCA-8000 which takes a bit more time and setup, but actually works right and gives trustworthy results. Ask the dealer to test your battery with that and not the "quickie" testers.