Changed my alternator now nothing works, please help!

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Mar 6, 2007 | 06:59 AM
  #1  
Hello,

I changed my alternator over the weekend on my 96 maxima now I am having some electrical issues. The following things no longer work (they all worked before the alternator):

Horn
Windows
Tail lights
corner lamps
tach
door locks
trunk release

Im thinking it may be a relay or something, is there a way to test relays? I checked the fuses inside the car and they all seem fine. Has this happened to anyone? Does anyone have any suggestions??

Thanks so much!
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Mar 6, 2007 | 07:06 AM
  #2  
Check the underhood fuses.
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Mar 6, 2007 | 09:15 AM
  #3  
does the car start fine? and run without a hitch? do other electrical things work like the radio?

if so it's not the alternator. fuses most likely. but that's pretty strange
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Mar 6, 2007 | 09:35 AM
  #4  
thanks pat, Im going to start pulling fuses tonight.

Yes, the car starts and runs great and the radio works and the headlamps but pretty much nothing else.
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Mar 6, 2007 | 04:23 PM
  #5  
You blew a main fuseable link. It should be under the hood somewhere.
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Mar 7, 2007 | 06:48 AM
  #6  
a main fuseable link? Im not sure where that is or which one it might be, can you point me in the right direction? Last night i pulled the fuses under the hood and they are all fine.

Also, one more unrelated issue. I need to get my wheel studs off the car and replaced. How in the world do you get them off? The Haynes manual calls for a "press tool" every place I have called or went to has no clue what this tool is.
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Mar 7, 2007 | 06:04 PM
  #7  
check all the interior fuses
check all the fuses that are next to the battery
may want to check the relays that are on the other side of the engine bay

as far as the wheel studs go you should be able to just bang them out with a hammer. search for a wheel spacer install on here i remember seeing a how to on that with replacing the wheel studs.
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Mar 7, 2007 | 06:36 PM
  #8  
A fusible link is not the same as a fuse. A fusible link is a patch of solder that will crack if it has overheated. A fuse is a wire that breaks under too much current. Your problem could also be a bad ground.

Wheel studs will come out with a hydraulic press or perhaps a C-clamp. A hammer could work as well. Your local tire shop will have the tools for removal. Reassembly is much easier (tighten simply with lug nuts).
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Mar 7, 2007 | 09:41 PM
  #9  
how many amps does the stock alternator have?
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Mar 8, 2007 | 05:43 AM
  #10  
Quote: how many amps does the stock alternator have?
Read the sticky threads.

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...64&postcount=9
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Mar 8, 2007 | 07:43 AM
  #11  
well thanks for all the help guys. The wheel studs are good now. As far as the electrical issue, I checked everything I felt I could and could not find the problem so I dropped the car at the shop this morning. I can post back exactly what happened just in case this happens to someone else in the future.
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Mar 8, 2007 | 07:51 AM
  #12  
Quote: Read the sticky threads.

http://forums.maxima.org/showpost.ph...64&postcount=9
thank you, good sir......
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Mar 8, 2007 | 07:58 AM
  #13  
Quote: well thanks for all the help guys. The wheel studs are good now. As far as the electrical issue, I checked everything I felt I could and could not find the problem so I dropped the car at the shop this morning. I can post back exactly what happened just in case this happens to someone else in the future.
Good luck with that. Did you check all of the underhood fuses before yuo dropped it off?

Quote: thank you, good sir......
No problem.
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Mar 8, 2007 | 10:07 AM
  #14  
yeah I checked all of those fuses and none were blown, thanks for the luck Pat I know I need it!
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Mar 8, 2007 | 11:55 PM
  #15  
theres 2 different type of alternators for the same car... difference is the voltage, so if you're using the wrong one u must've blown a fuse, or burned some wires... i believe one alternator is for vehicles with fog/automatic climate/at tranny or such perks, and the other is for the basic 5spd, i dont think the connectors for both alternators are the same.
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Mar 9, 2007 | 05:50 AM
  #16  
Quote: theres 2 different type of alternators for the same car... difference is the voltage, so if you're using the wrong one u must've blown a fuse, or burned some wires... i believe one alternator is for vehicles with fog/automatic climate/at tranny or such perks, and the other is for the basic 5spd, i dont think the connectors for both alternators are the same.
The difference is amperage- not voltage.

The fail is strong with you.
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