Ok so I guess without even knowing what's going on your probably gonna say my batter is dying?

ok so I get in my car after work & I start her up...my light comes on but is very faint...i warm it up for a sec and it goes away after I drive off..never came back on again.
I had my batter & alternator replaced 2 1/2 years ago & when that was dying my light never came on & I ran on battery power a couple of days..car would stall...I would have to let it sit for about 1/2 hour to be able to drive 1 mile then would die again etc...it sucked...but like i said the light never came on that whole time.
Could this be a fluke? I hope so...
I foresee, fuel injector changes, $1500, then timing belt/water pump changes $500 in the near future..I dont wanna fork out another $300 on a new alternator or another battery.


Ok I'm done, and if your still reading, thanks for letting me vent

 

That is one thing I've never figured out. On every car I've owned, that light will never come on when the battery or alternator are going/ or gone! Logic would have it to go to Auto Zone, have them check it for free. Your alty may still be good but perhaps a bad cell in the batt. or even the alternator is putting out current, just lower than what it is supposed to.

 

thanxs, i didn't think about going to them I even have one up the corner from my house. I think I will try that if it doesn't die on me tomorrw! good think I car pool and only drive 2 times a week but i always (or usually drive about 3 miles to the car pool ladys house) I hope this doesn't have anything to do with it..i doubt it tho

 

With all those maintenance tasks coming up I'd say it's time for a new maxima! a black one.. lol

 

hehe I was thinking the same thing.....and it will be black just for you Nevin! actually I was seriously considering buying an Altima...a little cheaper than the max...which is a little more in my price range right now.

...I really want a new max though

 

Sounds like your battery is taking a dive.

IF its hard to start the car but is alright when it does get started, its the battery. If your driving along and the car dies (no power) then its the alt.

Battery starts; altenator recharges.

 

umm semi true..if your alternator can't produce enough current to charge then you'll have a weak battery = weak start. if you can get a weak start and the battery light flickers then the alternator may be on it's way out. like someone said..best thing to do is to get the alt checked out.

 

and very often, the dying alternator will take the battery down with it. So you'll end up with signs of a dead battery when it's actually the alternator tha's causing it. If you don't catch a dying alternator early enough, you often end up replacing both battery and alt before it's done.

But Sarah... if it is your alternator, I've got a "spare" I'll sell you for $50 if I ever get my car back. I don't know if you've got the time to wait on it though. this isn't one of those problems you can wait to fix, unless you have an extra car.

 

thanxs for the offer Matt, I appreciate it, however, That's the only thing...if it does die on me, its getting towed to the shop that day.

hmmm I dont have weak starts. At least not yet..since the light has been coming on. And it doesnt flicker it stays on (until I hit the gas pedal) then it goes off...and its really dim. Its not a full bright red light. Its also intermittent. It didn't come on yesterday after work however it may this morning

 

my guess...voltage regulator in the alternator? it's dying Sarah. if it spins faster (hitting the gas) the light goes out that means it's the alternator giving you a little bit of warning.

 

Most place will only place a tester on the the battery and check the volts while running, this is only one test there are others. Ask them these ?'s, and if they can answer they tested your alty correctly

1)What is the alty charging volts (which is pretty standard)
2)What does the diode pattern looks like
3)What is the alty amperage rate and at what rpm's

If they can answer 2 and 3 you got a good alty/charging system check. There are others, but these three usually will point you to a good/dying alty. Good Luck