HybriDSM

Ok. Yesterday the girlfriend is driving home from work. She calls me from the side of the road saying the car broke down. I come out, she says the lights started to go dim, the car started sputtering, and then it just died. DING! Alternator is dead. Right? Wrong, apparantly. I replaced it today with a new unit, car ran fine on the drive to work (about 3 miles) and fine on the way home, until im almost at my house. I get on it a little bit, car doesnt shift when its supposed to. Stayed in 2nd gear even after I let off, then it finally shifted, i think I heard a miniscule little squeal from a belt, then BOOM, lights go super dim. Pull into the driveway, and theres a weird *** clicking noise coming from under the glovebox/passenger side kickpanel area. Car starts to sputter, and then finally dies. Try to turn it over, and nothing. Doesnt even try. Lights are super dim, radio wont turn on, and the buzzing noise is gone. What the hell is going on with my car? I dont get it. Bad battery? IS there a relay or something over in there that i heard buzzing? On a side note, when this happened yesterday, I jumped it, let it charge the battery for about 6-7 minutes, then drove it the rest of the way home and it worked fine. And I had the Bose system turned up the whole way to and from work just to make sure that it wasnt something else. Any insight into how I can go about fixing this would be greatly appreciated.


Oh, and I almost forgot, Im in the process of putting in indiglo gauges. The gauge cluster is removed from the car. I dont see how this could possibly have anything to do with anything. I had the gauges wired up, two of them werent working, so I pulled it out again to mess with it and one of the wires that links to the gauge itself pulled out. I think I heard a fuse pop, and when i touched the wires back together the two that were working did not light back up again. Ive been working 7 days a week, so I havent exacltly had a lot of time to **** with it. Ive only had the damn car for like 2 weeks, so I havent quite acclimated myself with these cars yet. I have to get all the DSM knowledge out of my head so i can fill it with Maxima facts. Thanks guys!

-Mike

96maxdaddy

First, dont let your girlfriend drive your car!! I bet when she called you she was having a big **** fit about the thing being broke down.

Next take your car somewere and have your battery looked at or even better loadtested.

Then let us know what you found

HybriDSM

She was having a ****. She almost couldnt bring herself to tell me. She was so worried I was gonna be ****ed at her, almost to tears. I wasnt though, couldnt have been anything she did.

Im almost afraid to drive it right now. I can just yank the battery and have it tested though. And I got a suprise when I got the old alternator off. It wasnt the original one. It had the installation date written on it in marker. 7/00. I cant decide wether or not to take it off and try to take it back. The $250 didnt kill me, but that money could be spent elsewhere.... Are max alternators known to go bad fast? If the OEM one only made it to 3 years (Its a 97), maybe I should just leave this one on so I dont end up stranded on the side of the road in the next year or so.

96maxdaddy

I knew it!!!! My gf did the same thing when her car broke down an two different days, AND she started crying, which is annoying when you are trying to explain what wrong over the phone, so I just hung up and she called back when she was done

That is 100% correct.

As for the alternators. I still have a nissan one in my car, although I dont think its original, but I have had it for more than two years without any problems.

HybriDSM

cool. Others have told me it might be a frayed wire or something. Im just wondering what the hell was buzzing under the passenger side dash. Is there some sort of relay in there that might be going bad?

96blkonblkse

iTrader: (18)

Nissan had a recall on certain altenators, all you have to do is call them and give them your vin and if it is the affected one they will replace it for free but im in canada and they might not have it in the u.s, but good luck with the max

HybriDSM

yeah, but the alternator is less than a day old...

s0ber

iTrader: (7)

I remember a long time ago here someone posted a thread about them messing with there guage cluster and apparantly there car stopped working.... I dont have search nor remember the thread but it was something related to that... I would try switching out your battery for someone elses and use it for a day and see if it is the battery shorted out...

But even with a shorted battery I dont see why you car would sputter and die unless it was the alternator... again..

HybriDSM

just got back from Advance Auto. Battery test said it needed to be replaced, and the alternator was putting out like 8% of what it should have been. Hopefully this battery will fix everything.