webjohn

yes i searched and got back good info but not what i was looking for.

ok so heres the deal. im driving home at night and all of a sudden my brake lights and battery light comes on. so i go to auto zone and get my alt. tested. it passed with about 14.5v to 14.7v and it saide diode patterns are good (whatever that means). they tested the battery and it tested bad. great i found the problem rite, WRONG! i put a new battery in and it has the same problem.

the battery isnt draining, and lights arent dimming the a/c works great my system even thumps *** loud as ever. my dad tells me that its over charging. or that it just started to overcharge anyways. i dont believe him.

when the car is cold early in the morning(not cold as in cold weather, because i live in florida) the lights are off and its all good. but after like 10 min they come back and dont turn off. the car doesnt seem to lose power so im left scratching my head. any ideas.

the alternator is like 3 years old. also when i unplug the sensor wires from the alternator itself the lights do turn off and when i plug them in they turn off. thats what has me thinking that it has to be the alternator. but IDFK.

any input is greatly apprieciated

ChrisMan287

iTrader: (34)

Its the alternator. Same exact thing happened. Got mine changed and its all good now.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

Alternator.

Autozone, Kragen, Pepboys etc will check it for free and confirm.

Wills98MaxSE

brake + batt. lights on = doomed alternator

might want to get a new alternator asap, unless your max was manufactured b/w 2/97 to 2/98 you might be eligible for a new alternator under the alternator recall (see also link below from sticky's)

http://forums.maxima.org/3498892-post42.html

webjohn

but autozone checked it and said it was good.

The Wizard

iTrader: (43)

I'd get a second and third free opinion from Kragen and Pepboys. I've seen one store say "it's good" while the other says, "it's bad". Let the majority decide.

Snypa

iTrader: (35)

almost all posts with these symptoms lead to alti going bad.

maxfever1987

iTrader: (93)

alternator bro thats the most easiest sign of it dying been through it and look at the majority of what org'ers are saying buy a new one and c if not return it but its ur alt.

f550maranello2

iTrader: (2)

they tested it on the machine and said that it put out the correct current, diode checked ok... regulator checked ok..?

webjohn

i dont know about the regulator, but thats my guess. i really hope itll last me till at least next tuesday. or do u guys think im pushing it?

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

Are your lights flashing on and off or do they stay constantly on?
Mine were flashing on and off indicating that the alternator was temporarily putting out zero volts.
Get a nissan rebuild, remove and re-install. No more trouble lights.

webjohn

they dont flash on and off like the check engine light. but when i turn the car on in the morining the lights arent on. then i drive around allitle bit and somthing funny starts happening. the more i accelerate, the brighter the light gets, and when i decelarate it turns off and then again, until it gets bright enough that it stays on. after its on, when i accelerate it gets slightly dimmer and when i let go of the gas it gets brighter again. but that is VERY slight hardly noticable.

oh p.s the brake light isnt as brite as the battery light, just in case that has any significance. i beilive it is overcharging because i dont loose power and everything works just fine, so fine to the point that if i remove the sensor cables from the alternater that you wouldnt be able to tell what was wrong(hint for the sleazy car salesmen...lol)

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

How many miles on your alternator? You said three years so is it a nissan one or a rebuild?

webjohn

i dont actually know because my dad is a dee dee dee. he gave me the car and said it had a nissan rebuilt one and that it was about 3 to 4 years ago and then i tell him that i didnt see the nisan logo at either side of the alt and then he tells me that he remembered that the nissan rebuilt one had the same overcharging (to 18v!) problem and had it replaced with one that i have no idea what it is. im thinking a hitachi one becasue the line going around it green

webjohn

one more thing. please dont flame me for this but, i was thinking if the alternator is overcharging. wouldnt running the headlights and a/c and radio with my system loud keep it from overcharging too much. or am i waaaay off.

thanks

grassroots

Never really listen to the people at autozone...they only kinda, sometimes know what their talking about...they also carry alot of sub-par rebuilt alternators that go bad from time to time, try clearing the codes if they go away and come back weeks later your alternator is probably fine for now but is on the verge of giving out.

j2b4osan

it's the alt. Same thing happened to me, the voltage regulator is working intermittently and sending surges of unnecisarry voltage through the system. It's common on these cars for some reason. Mine spiked so high it blew both my headlights out at the same time.

zim5004

Had the same thing happen to me then my alternator died. just get a new one.

JY05

its your alternator.. that same thing happened to me.. trust me change it and the lights will disappear..

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

Here's the thing with autozone/pepboys napa or whoever you buy your rebuilt stuff from.
They ship containers of product over seas most likely india or some third world country where you can pay some poor person less than $1 a day to rebuild these things.
you truly get what you pay for. Get a nissan one.

I have to agree with the previous poster that said the voltage regulator is bad. I would be willing to bet that your dad just phoned around and installed the cheapest priced one.

There is a great writeup on motorvate.ca on how to r&r you alternator. follow that and you will save big bucks on the install.

Goodluck.
let us know what happens.

heynow

iTrader: (1)

get a junkyard OEM alty with low miles

I went through 2 re-built ones in under 8 months before i did the smart thing

gold96

Another confirmation of the alternator here.

Also, the Brake light seems to be tied to the Alternator light. Maybe for safety reasons? No voltage, engine eventually dies, no vacuumn, no brakes...

SupaMaxima

I had the same problem with the brake light and the battery light. I was sure it was the alternator. I bought the alternator to change it and when I hooked up a jump start battery to my car to move it, the light went away. So I returned the alternator. 2 days later, the lights came back on. I was going to buy the alternator, and when I was driving there the light turned back off. So, I thought the belt was too tight so I loosened it a bit and my dad did something weird by spraying water right into the alternator while it was running. I told him to stop immediately, but he kept going and going. He said that the same thing happened to his toyota and he "washed" out the alternator and it fixed it.

Well, the brake and battery light hasn't come back on and it has been about 2 days. I'll update you guys.

petro2342

Dads and their magical secrets lol.

DTrem08

iTrader: (3)

Mine does a similar thing when I start my car...it kinda flashes the battery and brake light, but its by no means a strong, solid flash

How hard is it to change an alt?

ltpacct

Not hard at all, but be prepare to spend a few hours if it's your first time. There are a couple of write-ups on how to do it in this forum.

djchan

iTrader: (2)

I'd take a hammer and lightly tap it a couple of times before doing the water routine, same thing goes with the starter. It just dislodges dirt
that may keep the brushes from contacting.

sickspd04

Changing the alternator is not too bad. Taking the radiator fan shroud out (easy) gives you much needed extra room. It will take a few minutes of moving things around (I think it is the AC compressor or condensor in the way) to get the alt out, but that is probably the trickiest part of the whole thing. Pretty straightforward otherwise.

Phaedrus220

iTrader: (4)

I'd say by tomorrow you'll realize that the alty is bad due to catastrophic failure. Changing the alty is doable, but the clearance to get it in/out is virtually zero, a job for small hands. The AC compressor will be in your way, and the power wire is near, be careful you don't yank it out while removing/installing the alty.

Be aware that there's a custom nut that needs to be seated properly, the one closer to the firewall. If not seated, it will come undone, like what happened to me when the local garage replaced it. When I took on the job a year later, I found it missing, thus the reason for my belt squeal and premature alty failure was a careless mechanic.

4thGMax

I had the same problem and the ground to my alternator was bad

new maxi owner

iTrader: (1)

help! i have a simelar problem but i havent seen anyone say it unless im jsut dumb and missed it i do that sometimes and im new here so please bare with me. 99 max se 200k just bought it. ill start it up in the am and lo and behold the bat and brakelight comes on sometimes. while its on i getout my trusty volt meter 12. something volts. not 14.4 after a few min of driving it goes away and im back up to 14.4 and lights and all come back on. when it doesnt come on in the am when i start it up other times while im driving and my rpm's get up to 4 to 5 k the bat and brake light fade on the higher i go and fade out when i let off the gas. would the fading on and off lead to something other then the alternator. also the speakers cut out once on me when the lights were on. i was on a highway they came on and the speakers cut out for like 20 sec then they went out and then came back. i dunno what to do. the alternator tested good at autozone no suprise there. the dealer wont replace it because wts only on for minuits at a time. and they cant duplicate it. would a differant alt be a better way to go other then factory like a new duralast or something?

heynow

iTrader: (1)

if you read the thread, you should know what to do

oh, and welcome the .org

new maxi owner

iTrader: (1)

yah thats waht i kinda figured haha thanks

GHOSTHHB

I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM BUT I BELIEVE MINE TO BE THE COOLANT. I BELIEVE MY RADIATOR HAS A LEAK. BUT AFTER FILLING IT UP WITH COOLANT THE LIGHTS GO OUT.

trooplewis

iTrader: (1)

Aren't Nissan alternators the ones that originally go out on our cars? Clearly, they were not built to last either.

SVI30

Alternators are a wear item, about every 100K miles. If not anything else, the carbon brushes wear out. Nissan/Hitachi is still best.

JSMax

iTrader: (13)

What is built to last these days? 100k miles is pretty much damn good in my books.

EnervinE

iTrader: (11)

I had the exact problem you're talking about.

I started the car up one day, really loud whining and battery&brake lights were on. Replaced my alternator, everything was fine. About a month later, I'm driving down the road and the lights pop back up again. From then on, I noticed they'd come on after about 10 minutes of driving.

I went to Walmart and bought one of those voltage meters that plug into your cig lighter. I monitored my voltage and noticed that the car would be putting out a constant 13-14v for those first 10 minutes, then the voltage would abruptly drop to 11v and the lights would come on.

My solution? I went on vacation for a week. Came back and the problem was gone.

dkillahster

iTrader: (1)

welcome to the org

new maxi owner

iTrader: (1)

thanks i ended up changing the alt and the nightmare that it was fineally came out. i brought it to cap to test he said it was OK but then it started to drop in voltage. so it was a good thing i changed it, because every place i brought it to and had it tested in the car said it was good. the date on it was 07 only 2 years old kinda lame that itoonly lasted 2 years hopefully ill never ever hafta do that again. but so far so good no brake, batt, abs, trac, lights or speakers cutting out. knock on wood.