K, guys, saturday morning on the way to work the brake and battery light come on after a hard acceleration. On the way home saturday night the car died coming into the driveway(luckily downhill). Anyway, took the battery out and charged it, then drove it to an STS repair place about 4 miles away and the thing was accelerating all weird. Anyway STS says the alternator is shot but provides no proof. They want 250 for the alt and 150 for labor, i get the impression im being raped but i really dont know. All i know for sure is the voltage is 11.8 and a normal alt is around what, 14?

 

If you measured 11.8v with the car running then yes, you need an alternator.

You are correct, it should read 14.2v at idle.

 

Not sure what the acronmyn STS stands for. You will get a refurbished Toshiba (OEM) alternator from stealership for little less than $300 and $150 is reasonable for labor. It will take more than a hr to get the old one out and put a new one in. DIY, it took me over 4 hrs to get the whole exercise done....

 

While the car is running, turn on the headlights. Take the negative off the battery. If the car dies, alternator is not charging properly. If it keeps running... alternator is ok...
Easiest way to check.

 

Never do that. Never take the negative off while the engine is running, without load the alternator will sooner or later fryup a functioning alternator. Take the vehicle to a auto store like Kragen/Car Quest/Autozone and they can check the alternator while on the car.

 

Sure you're right... without the load.
In this case, the headlights is the load. - plenty of it.


I'm not saying LEAVE it off.
you'll know right away... within a minute.

its safe, with the load.

easiest and quickest aaaand cheapest way to check your alternator.

 

My friend we are not looking for the easiest way to check an alternator -- what you are proposing is the easiest way to blow an alternator which may be working afterall.

The right way to do it take it to Kragen/Autozone and have them check it out.

 

excellent.
np with me...
that is a great advice.


97maximaman, in case you want to safely and quickly check if your alternator works properly or not, and you have no electrical tools of any kind, and you can't get to the store like the gentleman above suggested,
do it.
Headlights are the load and its safe for a short period of time. If the voltage is as indicated above (measured by somebody), then you need a new one. In case you STILL don't believe that its the alternator, do what I say.
I thought that that's what you had a problem with... wanting to double check your alternator.

if the above mentioned conditions don't apply (tools available/can get to store/not measured - speculating) by all means go to that store.

 

Does it whine?

 

O yeh, the whine, wasnt sure if it was related but it started around the same time, about an hour before the battery light came on. Why? is that something else.

At this point the dilema im in is that the car seems to need an alternator-400 with labor
plus cv's-500 with labor, plus an 02 sensor-65 do it myself. So im not even sure if its worth putting money into an 11 year old car thats only worth a half time more than what the repairs would cost.

 

go ahead and dump a bit of money into your car. You spend the $400-$500 on getting the car fixed and then you can drive it for a ton of miles before something else goes wrong. Dont be scared to dump some money into your car, you take care of her and she'll take care of you.

 

Guys are right...
We've all been doing that for the last several years.

Even if you have 1200 in repairs per year (100 per month), it's still a lot better then making a payment on a newer car, and it still rides and drives like some newer cars. (very simplified thinking and reasoning) but still valid.

 

I guess the real question is....is it embarrassing for someone who makes $60,000 a year to drive such a beater. Now im sure most of you will be saying yes. Im thinking tommorow i might test drive a new maxima and altima coupe.

 

Why be embarrassed? I make about the same amount and I still love my 4th gen. The way to keep all of that money that you make is by saving it instead of having a monthly car payment.

 

A guy at my work owns a $180k house on a salary of $125k. His wife works part time as well. They could own a much bigger house. BUT... his children just started high school and already have all the money they'll need for college without taking out loans.

Bottom line... keeping up with the Jones' hurts when you're living foolishly with your money. Debt is never cool and will only get you into trouble. Thinking ahead to your future will, however, pay off. So think about your situation, the future of our economy, and the upside to owning and knowing your maxima.

Now, if you were making $600k... I'd say buy yourself a new Altima. You deserve it.

 

I'm an engineer, not a salesman, so the answer is no it's not embarrassing. The longer you keep it clapped together and rolling forward the more it will impress other engineers.

But back to the subject, has your alt been replaced under the recall? There are some 97s that get new alts under recall. I was lucky, and my alternator failed about 2 weeks after the recall was announced.

Dave

 

Buy the car that is right for YOU - not the car that you think people expect you to drive.


When I see someone driving an Escalade (or some similar piece of automtove costume jewelry) I know that 99% of the time the driver is loaded out with a$1000/mo lease and has about as much financial sense as a potted plant.

 

Is nissan still doing the alternator recall? If so, you might want to check with the dealer to see whether your VIN is included and you'll get a free factory replacement, labor included.

 

yea they are. call nissan north america and read them your vin

 

First make sure the connections on the battery look good, not corroded or anything, you could just have a poor connection, its possible the alternator is sending the juice, but the battery is not recieving it, this is an often overlooked component when checking a charging system.

If it is the alternator, the price they quoted is ridiculous, I hope no one on this forum is getting robbed by shops that bad.
I got my alternator built up to 150A, installed and warrantied for 180$ canadian.

 

Is the alternator they are trying to sell you brand new or rebuilt. I just bought my rebuilt one for 149.99 with a life time warranty. Will they install the alternator if you buy it somewhere else yourself. You could save some money that way.

 

is it the alternator that makes whining sound or can the belts too make that whining sound ? i don't hear it all the time but when the car climbs small inclinations i hear a whining sound ...

need axles replaced ... cheapest quote i got is $260 for parts n $190 for labor, sounds good ?

 

OK, I believe I'm having alt. problems as well... I noticed a whining noise earlier this weekend driving home one night, and my wife noticed the same noise today while she was out. I searched the forums to look for what the problem might be, and the main symptom (whining noise which correlates in pitch with engine speed). I'm not seeing any electrical symptoms... yet...

So, my questions for you guys...

1) Do auto parts stores (Autozone, NAPA, etc.) charge for checking the alternator? I know they don't charge for checking batteries (as of the last time I bought a battery).
2) Should I buy an alt. myself or let the repair shop provide it? (I'm not too handy with anything under the hood)
3) I know alt. work isn't cheap, but how much before I'm being swindled?
4) <ETA> Since there are absolutely no other symptoms, could I just be mistaken and the car is just showing a little age?

Appreciate the help.

 

RE: the axles...
... if that's per axle, it's a little high (I paid about 350 for the left and 370 for the right)...
... if that's for both, I want the number for your mechanic.

 

My advice if you have any sort of time is to:
1. Buy a Haynes - $20
2. Get a reman alternator from autozone - $108
3. Borrow a metric socket set or use your own - free
4. Have the satisfaction of fixing your own problem for $130 instead of $400

 

You might wanna test your battery and your altenator in the car!

 

alternator is a big job if ur a noob like me....also on mevjen's list ur gonna need some ramps...a 10" socket extension...pb blaster...probally a new belt.... and about 5 hours if u don't know what the hell ur doing. if it's less than 450$ get it done the right way and don't worry about it. i am a cheap *** college student, so it was worth the learning experience.

 

97maximaman, did you resolve your alternator issue? Did you just go to the mechanic, or you attempted it yourself? Something else -- since it's a 97 maxima - it might be covered under the alternator recall. I am not sure how to check whether your car is covered under the recall - maybe the dealership can check against your VIN #?! Actually I am trying to determine whether my 1998 has the faulty alternator as well. Any ideas what is the easiest way to check?

 

Sounds like a good way to boost some mechanical confidence.