goldmax

Help! I just drove thru a heavy rainstorm on the way into work and noticed my battery AND brake light came on just as I pulled in the building. I hit a puddle of water on the right side just before it happened, but nothing bigger than i've driven thru in the past.

No belts are sqwealing and the car still runs fine. I'm hoping that it's just something that will disappear when it dries out.

Any ideas? I'm a little concerned about the alternator - I'm still on the original and haven't had any problems yet. What are the signs of a bad alternator? I have ~93K on the car. Any help would be appreciated!

ejj

iTrader: (5)

Those lights coming on is an indicator that your alternator is failing.

Robert_J

The same thing happened Sunday with me and I had my alternator replaced yesterday morning. Picked the car up at lunch and there was alternator whine in the stereo. They replaced the new alternator and everything works great. $420-20%coupon

I had recently noticed the headlights and dash lights weren't quite as bright as they should be. I worried that this would be happening soon and it did.

-Robert

goldmax

I haven't heard any whine yet and everything has been working fine until this morning. Will check it again in a while.

Thanks for the info!

s0ber

iTrader: (7)

I hear alternator whine since I got the car on my radio... Maybe I grounded it in a bad place because it didn't do it with the SONY it brought with it... Hope my alternator survives

Robert_J

Just to clear things up. There was no whine with the old alternator, just slightly dim lights. New alternator #1 had whine and what turned out to be a bad bearing causing a sqeak noise with the hood up. New alternator #2 works great. No whine in the stereo, no squeak and the lights seem to be brighter (maybe it's just me).

-Robert

pocketrocket

iTrader: (1)

goldmax, get a voltmeter on the battery and see what voltage are you reading before and after starting the car.

Or youcould take it to Autozone (or similar), they do free checks for you.

goldmax

Thanks to all for the help. Will take it in this afternoon to get things checked out. There was no noise warning on this one, so we'll see what they find.

Does anyone have the link for the alternator recall? I tried to find it on the NTSHA site, but it's not listed.

ZeRo MaX

iTrader: (4)

when this happened to me.. my idler tensioner fell off.. it's part of the alternator.. well not part of it but runs it kinda...so it's gotta be part of ur alternator...

it happened a week later i got my alternator recall...

goldmax

Bummer! Sounds like that would create a big mess! The tensioner and belt are fairly new, but I'll check them out anyway! I think mine is "pre-recall" status, but I'll ask the dealer to double check.

Thanks!

97blackSE

iTrader: (1)

what year is your car? Some 97+98 maximas have had Alternator Problems, and since have been Recalled...
About 2 Months ago, my alternator started whining, then i was driving one day, and my cd player skipped, and then shut off, my lights dimmed, and the car shut off...I had to have it jumped
Went to Nissan the Next day...Dropped it off @ 8:30 had the car back with a new, FREE alternator @ 10:00...I was EXTREMELY pleased with the service i recieved...that and it was FREE!

maxowner3

Hey all,
I have the same problem with my 95 maxima as goldmax does. I have that problem for a while. Today I took to the dealer and he confirmed that "Alternator was bad". The dealer said, it will cost $437 for putting new alternator + charges. Can anyone tell where can we get it fixed cheaply.

Thanks,
maxowner3

MaximaSE96

iTrader: (8)

Your alternator is ****, those lights will come on when ur alternator is pooping out or overcharging like mine

goldmax

Yup...you're hosed! Mine was shot and barely made it to the Stealership on battery power for repair. The Stealership said the battery was shot also due to the problem, so they got me on a double shot! I had no choice...if it had happened on a weekend I would have fixed it myself.

95seMax

iTrader: (11)

if those lights come on its your alternator , get it done ASAP, when my lights first came on , i taught i would be fine, left the car parked over night at friends house , tried starting it, dead, tried jump starting , dead

friend tried pushing my car with his to auto parts store, f&cked up my bumber so stopped, called tow truck , waited 4 hours, finally arrived , paid the jerk $90 then 260 for the alternator plus labor,

so get it done before u get stuck someplace and cant fix it

95GreekMaxSE

how come 95 maxis dont fall unde recall.. don t all 4 gen have the same alt?????