Dying Batteries - Dealer Cut a Wire To Fix - 2020 Armada

[Fitz98]

One day I woke up and battery was completely drained in 2020 Nissan Armada.
Worked fine before, nothing after sitting just overnight. No lights or accessories left on or anything like that. It would not start using a battery jump pack, would not start with a cable jump from a good battery. (Heavy gauge 10 foot cables). Also tried a jump from good battery to Armada cables removed from dead battery. (My boat batteries that I used had different terminals and was too large to connect in the vehicle). It did start after installing another new battery I have on hand to install in another vehicle soon.
Took it to the dealer. They diagnosed a bad battery and replaced. 2 weeks later, same issue.
They diagnosed bad battery and replaced again.
I asked them to check for parasitic drains and diagnose the charging system. They said it all checks out O.K.
I felt like there was something causing a problem and was not comfortable with just bad battery diagnosis twice (1st 2 batteries are at least 1 year different in age, so likely not just a bad batch of batteries, but they were from the same dealer, so maybe?).
They asked me if I do long or short trips. This car gets mostly in-town driving, short trips.
Their master tech recommended cutting a wire that prevents the alternator from charging all the time.
As was explained to me, they said there is a feature that does not start to charge the alternator until a certain minimum miles of travel is met (apparently to save fuel).
I am not sure I am buying this, but it has been a few weeks and have not had a return of the problem yet.
I am not a fan of these types of "fixes". Dealer said it will not void extended warranty plan I bought with the used vehicle.

 

[LenZee]

I would not cut any wire unless Nissan issues a TSB for the problem.
Any aftermarket electronics installed?

 

[JTK]

Nissan's variable voltage charging system (VVCS) can be problematic in their light truck line. This is a common topic over on a Nissan Frontier board I frequent. There is a small 4-pin connector plugged into the pos battery cable. Pin #4 is the battery current sensor lead. This is the wire you cut, or de-pin. I have it de-pinned and tucked/taped off to the side on my 2022 Nissan Frontier. This way my alternator charges at closer to 14VDC instead of in the 12VDC range the system constantly toggles to, to save fuel.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

I was looking into disabling the "smart" alternator on our Sentra when it sat more. It never experienced a completely dead battery but did have weird issues with the HVAC not blowing right or the headlights being dim unless you were off the throttle.

 

[CBR.worm]

I know of a number of people that have disconnected, or cut, that wire to disable the smart charging on the Infiniti QX80, which is probably also an Armada. Probably not a proper fix, but it appears to be common.

 

[Gus_Mahn]

Will this also disable the auto stop start(if equipped)?

 

[benjy]

i have no issues with my 2011 fronty, but looking into it on the fronty forums a member noted my truck is different! i replaced my almost 10 YO interstate battery with wallys everstart just because!! so i guess the system can be OK although i charge all my batteries monthly as being retired i drive only as needed $$$

 

[Elkins45]

I believe my 2017 Titan has this feature. Oddly enough my truck often sits for weeks between trips and the battery seems to retain a charge just fine. It still has the factory enhanced flooded battery, but I’ll probably replace it this fall even though it still has plenty of capacity left. I’ve always had great luck with car batteries (knock on wood) but it’s been partially offset by terrible luck with boat batteries.

It’s possible mine might not have issues because it rarely gets short tripped. Generally when I drive it I’m on the road for a couple of hours at least, so it has a chance to fully charge.

 

[JTK]

I was looking into disabling the "smart" alternator on our Sentra when it sat more. It never experienced a completely dead battery but did have weird issues with the HVAC not blowing right or the headlights being dim unless you were off the throttle.

Most vehicles have had this type of smart charging system for years. The problem with late model Nissans is, they come from the factory with very small, light, low CCA batteries. Couple this with the high electrical demand today's vehicles have, is a recipe for disaster. Older vehicles with this system have lighter electrical loads and larger batteries, so you never noticed issues.

Many of us with 2022+ Frontiers have done some experimentation. If you simply unplug the VVCC connector at the battery, your charging will lock in at about ~13VDC and stay there. If you eliminate the "sensing" wire and leave the battery temperature, power and ground leads intact, you'll get a full time~13.5-13.8V.

I don't see any codes from eliminating the sensing wire on my 2022 Frontier and everything functions 100%, but that's not to say a more capable scan tool wouldn't flag it.

I can watch the smart charging voltage on my 2021 Chevy Traverse and Equinox. These vehicles will dip down to ~12.3V at cruising speeds for max fuel economy. I'll keep it intact on these vehicles, but I eliminated the auto stop/start immediately after getting these vehicles with hood switch bypass harnesses.

 

[Fitz98]

Most vehicles have had this type of smart charging system for years. The problem with late model Nissans is, they come from the factory with very small, light, low CCA batteries. Couple this with the high electrical demand today's vehicles have, is a recipe for disaster. Older vehicles with this system have lighter electrical loads and larger batteries, so you never noticed issues.

Something about the Nissan/Infinity factory battery, it seems to be a little shorter in height than a standard battery.
When I put in a temp battery, it was a Home Depot Exide Group 65 and I could barely get the battery cables connected.
I couldn't help but wonder if this was by design to sell Nissan/Infinity batteries or if the Exide might be taller? Either way, is it really necessary to make this wiring so tight?
If I was to run this HD battery, I wouldn't feel comfortable with the stress on the cables.

 

[Nukeman7]

Something about the Nissan/Infinity factory battery, it seems to be a little shorter in height than a standard battery.
When I put in a temp battery, it was a Home Depot Exide Group 65 and I could barely get the battery cables connected.
I couldn't help but wonder if this was by design to sell Nissan/Infinity batteries or if the Exide might be taller? Either way, is it really necessary to make this wiring so tight?
If I was to run this HD battery, I wouldn't feel comfortable with the stress on the cables.

The 2020 Armada specifies a BCI Group 27 battery. It is ~1 inch shorter than a BCI Group 65 battery which is mostly found in full-size Fords/Ford trucks.

 

[michaelluscher]

Do you keep the keys more than 15 feet away from the vehicle?
Otherwise it may not be going to
See this TSB

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2021/MC-10190209-0001.pdf

While the TSB talks more about the key battery being depleted, the car itself not going to sleep is also of concern
While unorthodox, your dealer tech might be onto something
Although I'd personally depin and tape rather than cut

 

[Dave9]

The 2020 Armada specifies a BCI Group 27 battery. It is ~1 inch shorter than a BCI Group 65 battery which is mostly found in full-size Fords/Ford trucks.

Yeah I don't like the trend of battery shenanigans where they just decide to downsize the battery tray/area so you can't fit a group 65 which is one of the best capacity: price ratios available. Some Fords like the Explorer 5th gen (maybe 6th too?) came with group 59 in less than the upper trim levels, but the battery tray including height, is the same regardless of trim level and original battery, still has room for a group 65.

 

[Fitz98]

The 2020 Armada specifies a BCI Group 27 battery. It is ~1 inch shorter than a BCI Group 65 battery which is mostly found in full-size Fords/Ford trucks.

Thanks for the clarification.
One website I visited showed the group 27 more than 1" taller than a group 65.
Battery Size Comparison Chart
Another showed them the same height.
Either way, I guess when it comes time to find an alternate battery, it is good to know that there are other alternatives, just need to find out which height will fit my application.

 

[Nukeman7]

Thanks for the clarification.
One website I visited showed the group 27 more than 1" taller than a group 65.
Battery Size Comparison Chart
Another showed them the same height.
Either way, I guess when it comes time to find an alternate battery, it is good to know that there are other alternatives, just need to find out which height will fit my application.

Ignore what I said above, the Group 27 battery IS ~1" taller than a Group 65; however, the Group 65 is ~3/4" wider.