MaxJavi

So heres my story, i get the brake and battery light on in my 95 max, after consulting here and getting it checked at a shop where the mechanic did the test and told alternator is still ok however the reason for the light is because the carbon brushes are starting to wear out and recomended to chAnge the alt. He told 295 parts and labor with 1 year warranty. I passed because my big brother had offered to change it for me. $140 for 125amp from the auto barn with the exchange of the old one. Took my max to my brothers house where he has a garage full of tools. With his help we changed it in about two hours. Guess what? The lights did not go away..damn what a nightmare. Took it to a different shop about a week later being worried that maybe the alt was faulty or maybe I need a new battery, or worse a big electrical problem. After all the testin turned out good with the alt and batt, he looked at the wiring harness under the hood, cut them put new wire and soldered it, and the lights went away. He said the wires were worn out, after all the car is 15 years old.

So it was a good learning experience for me since i'm still relatively a newbie at car mechanics. The mechanic at the shop was kind of berating me a bit for changing the alt unnecesaraly, but forget him, he had a bad attitude from the get go, and he was just an employee there, as opposed to the owner who's a really cool dude. My car has 152k and that was the original alt, so I don't feel I changed it unnecessarily since I saw someone mention here that the carbon brushes in the alt wear out at about 100k

JWBCAM

Well, this has only happened to me twice now, Tuesday morning (8:45am) , started my car, everything was good. Around 1pm though, I went to get lunch and after about 10~15 minutes of driving my brake light and battery light come on. I get back to work and when I left that evening around 6:30pm, the lights were no longer on.

Then today (thursday) the same exact thing happened, good in the morning (7:45am) but again, 10~15 minutes of driving (1pm lunch brake again) both the lights pop on. Left work today at 6pm, no lights...

I didn't have my DVOM with me so I couldnt check the voltage at the time to see if it was over/under charging but I have a theory that maybe the belt is a little loose? It's warming in the afternoon so it would expand slightly more and of course colder at night. I'm wondering though if it might be something else and so I'm looking for some help here.

I will mention a couple things I have done to my car, and a couple things it is doing that I know are not normal.

I have 2, 10 inch sub's in the truck connected to an amp (duh) and the amp is powered by the battery (again duh) by means of an inline fuse.

When it's really cold outside, like freezing cold, It kinda feels like the power steering fluid is frozen. I cut the wheel one direction and then the other and then it's smooth again but the first time I cut it I can feel the gears moving (like a thud, thud, thud).

The alternator in the car was purchased in October of 2009, it is an Advance Auto one (worldwide is the brand). I dont know if this is the problem though as this would be the third (including OEM) to go bad in this car. (Also since I got my sub woofers installed)

I recently changed 1 knock sensor and 2 O2 sensors (dont know if that would have any effect... doubt it would..)

and one of the battery terminal's were replaced a while back (dont really know how long ago) One is now a standerd and the other is OEM? I don't know if that matters either..

I feel I should mention I literally just left Advance Auto and had the battery and the alternator checked and both came out good. (alternator read 13.8 with high beams on and heater cranked up to max)

Any ideas? I'm going to check the terminals for any corosion but I think I just cleaned them recently. If you need any details on the system I have installed please ask but only if it actually will matter.

The car also has 150k+ miles on it. Though this shouldnt matter because the alternator is pretty new.

Any insight that can be offered will be greatly appreciated.

maximized98

iTrader: (16)

This has happened to me twice. The first time was about a month ago, started the car and the lights came on. About 5 min later, they turned off. The second time was a few days ago. I had been driving for about 15 min, the lights came on. Then about 10 min later, they turned off.

StillBlessed

I am having a similar problem with the brake and battery lights on intermittently, but new alternator and less than year old battery test fine at three different shops. How much does it cost to change the wiring?

zach-eminem

iTrader: (1)

same thing happened to me on my 98 everyone said alt turned out it wasa loose neg battery terminal no more lights after i tightened it up might have been something to look into

2THEMAX98

iTrader: (1)

i know this thread was started a while back but i just ran into the same problem. yesterday i was just getting home and it felt like the car wanted to turn off and the battery and brake light turned on, so today i took my battery in to get tested and charged. got the battery back fully charged so i put it in and take my car to get the alternator tested. I'm on my way there and the car seems like it wants to turn off, also I'm pressing the gas and the car isn't going, then i will step on the pedal again and it will kick in but then it will act like is wants to stall. also lights are really dim, so im at autozone and they test the alternator. they said battery is bad and alternator is good. I'm thinking about charging the battery again and replacing the battery connections and seeing if that fixes it. my question is, if the alternator is failing, would that cause those symptoms? the car wanting to shut off and/or not accelerating? or can a bad battery or bad battery connections cause that?

2THEMAX98

iTrader: (1)

anyone?

IlyaK

iTrader: (47)

Your alternator is what keeps the car running.

To test your alternator, while the car is running, pull the ground clamp (black) off the battery. If the car stalls, your alternator is bad. If it doesn't, you have another issue.

A bad battery would NOT effect your cars driveability.

2THEMAX98

iTrader: (1)

thanks, got a new alternator installed today, car is running like a champ again. also did that test before and car turned right off. thanks for your help

brd98maxima

I tried to open the link on motorvate.ca and it kicks you back to the main page. Any idea on why? I need the help as I am going to R&R the alternator on my 98. Any direction would be appreciated.

mrguytx

I'd like to post here in case this helps someone.
The issue with the brake and battery light flashing on my 99 Max led me here, and I had the alternator replaced, the problem still occurred, then I had the battery replaced, and still it occurred.
We found a hairline crack in a battery terminal coming from the car, and replaced that, still no fix.
Finally, today, they found that the front valve cover gasket was bad and would leak just enough oil when the car heated up to deposit oil into the alternator and force it to stop working.
Hope this helps someone, I've been dealing with the issue for weeks now.

Stray

Hey all, first post, can you tell? LOL

Sorry to revive a 4 year old necropost, but I'm in a tough spot. My battery and brake lights just came on, so I assume it's the alternator? Can anyone say how long the car will go before it finally dies? Can a battery recharge fix things, or when it's dead it's dead (not sure how long bad diodes go on)? I'm disabled and semi-housebound, so my car is everything. If it dies I don't eat, so this is kind of important. I just want to know how long I can go until a miracle happens?

Thanks all,
Mark

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

it's tough to say how long it'll run. It depends on the condition of your alternator and battery.

Stray

Fairly new battery and it's a 2003 Maxima (guess that would have helped to begin with eh?). Garage parked, out of the elements.

I should have explained too, can recharging a battery fix it temporarily if a bad alternator drains it dead? Sorry, I'm mechanically inclined, but not a mechanic. I know how to fix broken things, but don't know how they work necessarily? And thanks to Colonel for the step-by-step alternator replacement!

aackshun

iTrader: (3)

Recharging a battery w/ a dead/dying alternator is like putting a bandaid on a broken bone.

It'll only do so much to solve the real problem.

Also since this is alty #3 with me... I'm going to go ahead and say.... Get a reman/new one from an autoparts place that stays open late and not a used one from a salvage yard (Unless you're literally about to sell the car). Yeah they probably aren't problem free but it's more than worth it if you ever have to replace it... just yank your alternator out and take it to that place you brought it from and more than likely they keep 1 or 2 maxima alty's in stock, so you're back on the road quickly to do what you have to do, I rather do that then shell out $40 every time my alty goes bad, not to mention salvage yards are usually 8-6pm M-F...... Sometimes 12-4pm....

Lola_4thGenSE

99 SE 200k. changed my alty and my batt. got a rebeuilt and a yellow top and i still get my batt and brake light. the lights would blink then go off the on then blink...idk maybe the connections? Help plzz i need my baby back on the streets

Calabar

You won't believe that same damn thing happened to me yesterday I bought a brand new battery and started blaming myself for not changing the spark plugs right

asand1

iTrader: (1)

This is an 18 month old thread. Brake and battery lights together indicate bad alternator, battery cable, or charging wire.

Dilligaf

Hi can anyone help ?
I have a 1992 jakaroo it charges fine but the batt and brake light is on I also have no blower but if I disconnect one wire I get blower no batt or brake light and no charge wtf I've spent two days trying to figure this out HELP!!!

MaximaMark123

Darn it! Oh well, got 212,000 miles out of it. Too many spine surgeries make it rough to work on the car but I'll be damned if I'll pay for something I can do. Will try to get the kid to help.
I thought about the water or hammer treatment but with this many miles I'll just replace it.
Thank you all for the help/entertainment.
1996 GXE Automatic.

MaximaMark123

Obviously I don know how to search because I can't find the How To Replace The Alternator post.
Could you help with a hint?

jennifer7682

I have replaced alternator and battery but my brake and batt light are still on. What could be the problem? 06