I have a 2002 Nissan X-Terra with 214,000 miles on it. I've only had it a year. It's got the supercharged engine. I bought it in August last year and it started right up every time I turned the key....until the weather turned cold. Then the battery died. I purchased a good new battery ($158) and it worked fine for a while and then IT went dead. My mechanic son took it and did a bunch of stuff to it, like disconnected a lot the electrical things so I don't have a dome light now for one thing, and he said he disconnected other things that weren't necessary. I'm an old woman on Social Security and spending that much on a battery was a hard hit on my government check. My son kept it for a long time, long enough for it to turn into spring and I had no problems with it again this whole past summer.
Then came the first hard freeze here in Michigan this year. I had driven it the day before without any problem, but the next day it stranded me outside a store I had driven it to. It was working fine, I parked and turned it off, did my business, came out and it was dead again. It doesn't make a "click" noise when it refuses to turn over and all the dash lights light up, but nothing happens other than that when I turn the key. My ex-husband came and rescued me. We left the car parked there overnight and he brought it back to me in the morning, having jump started it at the store. Then he put it on the battery charger overnight. I was able to drive it again for a couple of days after that, then it died again.
It's still dead. And it's hunting season here in Michigan and my ex is a rabid deer hunter so he can't work on it and my mechanic son is not speaking to me for reasons not related to the car, so there she sits, my 2002 Nissan X-Terra 4 wheel drive turbo charged lawn ornament. No one in my family can figure it out and I can't afford to take it to a qualified mechanic.
Why on earth does it only do this in cold weather? I'm afraid to spend more money on another new battery if it's not going to fix the problem. Any ideas?
If it'll start when it's jumped, it sounds like the alternator may be weak. That's the first thing I would check. Go to an auto parts store and ask them to load test your alternator and battery. It's a free service they all do. Have someone go with you separately just in case 🙂
If it's not the battery, then the 2nd most likely thing is always the alternator, since that is what CHARGES the battery up. Bad alternator = dead battery.
As Justin mentioned, many places test them for free (obviously it earns them customers). Autozone, battery dealers, mechanic shops etc.
If you want to watch some Scotty videos, go to the FAQ on the main page and click "my car won't start".
Good luck and stay warm.
