New Battery

The Z wouldn't start again yesterday. When I turn the ignition key, it just sits there and clicks. I can probably jump start it but I think the battery is not holding a charge properly. I'll probably head out to Sears to pick up a replacement battery and try to install it myself later today. My only worry is messing up the stereo when the battery is disconnected. The CD changer in my 4Runner is all messed up because it thinks it was "stolen" when I changed the battery several years ago and I haven't been able to find an unlock code.

==========

I checked out prices at Sears and Auto Zone and they both wanted $100+ for a new battery. Instead, we went to Costco and found one that fit for $60 (last one). They charge a $9 battery core fee but will refund it if we bring the battery back to Costco. It took me about 20 minutes to replace the battery. To make the engine bay look fancy, Nissan added a bunch of useless plastic covers and dividers that made the job a lot harder than it had to be.


Under the hood... the battery compartment is at the upper left.


Closer look at the battery compartment. The blue cable is an extra grounding kit that I put in when I bought the car back in 2004. Unfortunately, that's the only mod I made to it. At different times I considered a cold air intake, true dual exhausts, nicer rims/larger tires, and even a turbo/supercharger... but I just got cables.


Old battery... back to Costco for $9


New battery installed. There is a metal brace that holds the battery down. It hooks to a small bracket on the firewall behind the battery. That part took 15 minutes to reinstall since there is no room to work. In comparison, the 4Runner's battery is right in the open and it only took me 5 minutes.

I started up the Z and it appears everything is fine. I do have to reset all the radio presets though. I wanted to take more pictures but I was so pissed at the stupid hook that I forgot until everything was re-installed. No way was I going to tear everything down again just to take photos.