Maxima leaves me stranded. Alternator issue?
01-29-2009, 12:52 AM
#1
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Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 34
Maxima leaves me stranded. Alternator issue?
Hello everyone!
Sooo, I was dropping off a friend at the airport. On the way there everything worked fine. Less than an hour later, on the way back, maybe 5 minutes after leaving the airport and as I was going on the highway, the ABS light turned on. I stepped on the brakes to see if they work. The ABS light turned off, but the Airbag light lit up. A bit later the ABS light turned on again, and right after that the engine lost power. I pulled over and could not start the car again.
The next day, after towing it home, I was able to jump-start it with a friend's car with 0 issues... I think it's an alternator problem. Probably the alternator went out and after sucking out all the power from the battery, the engine couldn't run any more (especially since I was driving on headlights at night).
Is there any other explanation to what's going on? How can I test what's causing the problem? is it possible that it's just a fuse that blew and might be an easy fix? Also, I looked at prices of alternators: the 3 options are 1) new alternator, 2) remanufactured and 3) junk yard. Of course, the prices go down as you move down the list, but I am not sure what is the most cost efficient way to proceed... Anyone has any impressions on how reliable the alternator on Ebay are?
Thanks for your input!
Sooo, I was dropping off a friend at the airport. On the way there everything worked fine. Less than an hour later, on the way back, maybe 5 minutes after leaving the airport and as I was going on the highway, the ABS light turned on. I stepped on the brakes to see if they work. The ABS light turned off, but the Airbag light lit up. A bit later the ABS light turned on again, and right after that the engine lost power. I pulled over and could not start the car again.
The next day, after towing it home, I was able to jump-start it with a friend's car with 0 issues... I think it's an alternator problem. Probably the alternator went out and after sucking out all the power from the battery, the engine couldn't run any more (especially since I was driving on headlights at night).
Is there any other explanation to what's going on? How can I test what's causing the problem? is it possible that it's just a fuse that blew and might be an easy fix? Also, I looked at prices of alternators: the 3 options are 1) new alternator, 2) remanufactured and 3) junk yard. Of course, the prices go down as you move down the list, but I am not sure what is the most cost efficient way to proceed... Anyone has any impressions on how reliable the alternator on Ebay are?
Thanks for your input!
01-29-2009, 01:16 AM
#2
Take the car to autozone (or pull the alternator and battery and bring them) to have the battery and alternator tested. They do it for free.
It's unlikely it's a fuse.
So you jumped it, and it ran and drove fine after the jumper cables were disconnected? Alternator isn't fully dead yet, if it is the alt.
Personally I'd go with new or junkyard, around here junkyard alts are only $15 and an hour to change, so
It's unlikely it's a fuse.
So you jumped it, and it ran and drove fine after the jumper cables were disconnected? Alternator isn't fully dead yet, if it is the alt.
Personally I'd go with new or junkyard, around here junkyard alts are only $15 and an hour to change, so
02-01-2009, 10:28 PM
#5
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 34
Ok, this is weird... I jump started the car again (again with zero problems) and when I disconnected the cables I measured the Voltage on the battery. 14.2 !!! I put in a new battery and now the car runs as it it never had an issue. I drove it around 40 miles on the highway, with headlights and AC on. Everything seems OK. When I got back I checked the voltage again and it was still something like 13.8V.
Isn't that weird??? Obviously the alternator isn't dead. Is it possible that it's dying slowly??? How reliable is my car now? Should I try to change it as soon as possible? Also, is it possible that the previous failure was due to something else, like an old battery, and the alternator is actually perfectly fine? I read somewhere that autozone can do a check on the alternator for free. How do they check it, though? Do they just measure the voltage like I did, or they do something more? I guess the real question is - can they tell me if the alternator will work 1 month from now, or they can only measure if it's working at the moment when they are testing it?
Thanks again!
Isn't that weird??? Obviously the alternator isn't dead. Is it possible that it's dying slowly??? How reliable is my car now? Should I try to change it as soon as possible? Also, is it possible that the previous failure was due to something else, like an old battery, and the alternator is actually perfectly fine? I read somewhere that autozone can do a check on the alternator for free. How do they check it, though? Do they just measure the voltage like I did, or they do something more? I guess the real question is - can they tell me if the alternator will work 1 month from now, or they can only measure if it's working at the moment when they are testing it?
Thanks again!
02-02-2009, 04:01 AM
#6
Senior Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Rockford, Michigan
Posts: 328
Don't keep jumping it.
Go and get it checked out immediately. My Alternator died, and the shop said if I had gotten a jump, it would have caught fire. Obviously yours isn't dying as fast as mine did, but you never know. Just be safe and go get it checked by a professional.
Go and get it checked out immediately. My Alternator died, and the shop said if I had gotten a jump, it would have caught fire. Obviously yours isn't dying as fast as mine did, but you never know. Just be safe and go get it checked by a professional.
02-02-2009, 04:03 AM
#7
Ok, this is weird... I jump started the car again (again with zero problems) and when I disconnected the cables I measured the Voltage on the battery. 14.2 !!! I put in a new battery and now the car runs as it it never had an issue. I drove it around 40 miles on the highway, with headlights and AC on. Everything seems OK. When I got back I checked the voltage again and it was still something like 13.8V.
Isn't that weird??? Obviously the alternator isn't dead. Is it possible that it's dying slowly??? How reliable is my car now? Should I try to change it as soon as possible? Also, is it possible that the previous failure was due to something else, like an old battery, and the alternator is actually perfectly fine? I read somewhere that autozone can do a check on the alternator for free. How do they check it, though? Do they just measure the voltage like I did, or they do something more? I guess the real question is - can they tell me if the alternator will work 1 month from now, or they can only measure if it's working at the moment when they are testing it?
Thanks again!
Isn't that weird??? Obviously the alternator isn't dead. Is it possible that it's dying slowly??? How reliable is my car now? Should I try to change it as soon as possible? Also, is it possible that the previous failure was due to something else, like an old battery, and the alternator is actually perfectly fine? I read somewhere that autozone can do a check on the alternator for free. How do they check it, though? Do they just measure the voltage like I did, or they do something more? I guess the real question is - can they tell me if the alternator will work 1 month from now, or they can only measure if it's working at the moment when they are testing it?
Thanks again!
They aren't psychic, they can just tell you whether or not it's currently working as it should be.
02-02-2009, 07:12 AM
#8
When Autozone checks it, they hook it up to a big machine with a belt and they stress test it... put it under a load... etc...
My OEM alt lasted 190K miles with no problems. Unfortunately, the rear bearing finally gave out and you could tell when it was on that machine.
It may be failing under a load.
When mine went, the only reason I made it home is because I was turning the lights on and off as I was driving and I had two GEL batteries.
My OEM alt lasted 190K miles with no problems. Unfortunately, the rear bearing finally gave out and you could tell when it was on that machine.
It may be failing under a load.
When mine went, the only reason I made it home is because I was turning the lights on and off as I was driving and I had two GEL batteries.
02-04-2009, 02:31 PM
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 127
Alternate possibility
Hi -
You should definitely check the alternator belt and/or tension. I had a similar issue with my '95 gxe. Just happily driving to work one day and the inside lights (cel, abs, airbag, etc) went bonkers and the car stopped. Jumping charged the battery for a bit, but then it kept happening. My first thought was that the alternator was bad, but I took it to a trustworthy mechanic. He replaced the belt and all was good again.
Rob.
You should definitely check the alternator belt and/or tension. I had a similar issue with my '95 gxe. Just happily driving to work one day and the inside lights (cel, abs, airbag, etc) went bonkers and the car stopped. Jumping charged the battery for a bit, but then it kept happening. My first thought was that the alternator was bad, but I took it to a trustworthy mechanic. He replaced the belt and all was good again.
Rob.
02-04-2009, 04:08 PM
#10
The shop lied. I drove tow truck for six years and not once did an alternator start on fire from a boost whether it was good or bad.
02-04-2009, 04:09 PM
#11
02-04-2009, 07:19 PM
#12
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Join Date: May 2008
Location: Rockford, Michigan
Posts: 328
02-05-2009, 09:31 AM
#15
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Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: Philadelphia, PA
Posts: 14
The 4th Gens have a recall an the alternator go to the nissan dealer ship and give them your vin and registration they should be able to help you out. if not i would get it checked and then go from there
02-06-2009, 12:14 AM
#16
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Posts: 34
Thanks for bringing this up!!! I just checked the manufacture date and it's 7/1997. I looked up online and it seems that there is a recall on the alternators for all Maximas made in late 97, early 98. I guess I have to find a dealer and see if they'd be willing to fix it. That would be so awesome...
02-06-2009, 04:09 AM
#17
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Join Date: May 2006
Location: Eastern CT
Posts: 10
I went through 5 altenators in a matter of 2 yrs on my 97. they were all napa replacements. The last one i got i guess is the diamond in the ruff. ill prolly jinx myself after writing this response. But maybe when you changed the battery, the terminals were badly corroded or loose. A bad ground can cause that to happen. Normally when the altenator starts to grenade it doesnt just start working again
02-23-2009, 01:07 AM
#19
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Location: Rancho Cordova, CA
Posts: 8
Wow, this is similar to me car:
Just this past Friday night, I got home from work and parked my car at home. I was in the car on my phone for about 30 minutes when I decided to go get something to eat from Chipotle. I turned the car to start and the car just made this whining noise. All the lights dimmed on my car and the clock started fading around the edges. So, I was left without a driveable car for about 14 hours. Here's a bit of history on this vehicle: My mother bought this Maxima back in 1999. It had only 35k on it when she bought it. She said that every 18-24 months, the car would slowly show signs of power loss, then eventually just die. She finally figured out through a mechanic that the electric system on the car was faulty and because of that, it would eat up alternators like they were going out of style. I had to get my car towed because, for one, my stupid a** didn't have any jumper cables to check and make sure it wasn't the battery and, for some odd reason, no one in my apartment complex had any either. I had to pay $60 to get my car towed the next day, only to have tests run that showed my battery was just drained of power for some odd reason. I think it was because I left my car on the accessories mode for so long. I personally think it was my alternator warning me of its impending death. But I know for sure my car has a crappy electrical system. I am gonna just have to keep replacing alternators then, because I like this car too much... But trust, you're not alone. BTW, I've never ever heard of these cars having combustible prone alternators. Recalls yes, but fire starting? No.
Just this past Friday night, I got home from work and parked my car at home. I was in the car on my phone for about 30 minutes when I decided to go get something to eat from Chipotle. I turned the car to start and the car just made this whining noise. All the lights dimmed on my car and the clock started fading around the edges. So, I was left without a driveable car for about 14 hours. Here's a bit of history on this vehicle: My mother bought this Maxima back in 1999. It had only 35k on it when she bought it. She said that every 18-24 months, the car would slowly show signs of power loss, then eventually just die. She finally figured out through a mechanic that the electric system on the car was faulty and because of that, it would eat up alternators like they were going out of style. I had to get my car towed because, for one, my stupid a** didn't have any jumper cables to check and make sure it wasn't the battery and, for some odd reason, no one in my apartment complex had any either. I had to pay $60 to get my car towed the next day, only to have tests run that showed my battery was just drained of power for some odd reason. I think it was because I left my car on the accessories mode for so long. I personally think it was my alternator warning me of its impending death. But I know for sure my car has a crappy electrical system. I am gonna just have to keep replacing alternators then, because I like this car too much... But trust, you're not alone. BTW, I've never ever heard of these cars having combustible prone alternators. Recalls yes, but fire starting? No.
Last edited by RanchoCordovaGLE97; 02-23-2009 at 01:09 AM.
02-23-2009, 07:07 AM
#20
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Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: NW Burbs Chicago IL
Posts: 54
Good point about clock
This type of thing has happened to so many of us.. Funny thing is that the Charge and Brake light never came on ( for me anyway). The first sign of trouble was the clock segments in the last number started to dim. I f you see that start to happen then you don't have a lot of driving time left before other dash lights start comming on and the car dies..
02-23-2009, 08:20 AM
#22
It's the alternator. My friend all of a sudden would be driving and the car would just die out of no where. We found that the wires to the battery were loose. They were loose for a while and after only about 2 weeks, his alternator died. I would put money on the fact your alti is dying/dead. Makes sense that when you boost it it'll go but after so long it'll die. Boost it once more, turn your heat on, and let it warm up. measure your voltage as soon as you start it and when it is warmed up...I bet it is slowly dropping, that is unless oyur car dies before it warms up.
gl
gl
on the alternator, went throught the EXACT same thing about a month and a half ago.
03-14-2009, 08:59 PM
#24
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Join Date: Aug 2008
Posts: 2
alternator got fire
Maxima 96 GXE 190K
I came to work as usual and left my lights on. After work I found that my wbattery was dead and asked my colleague for jump start. We jump started my car with no issues. Car was working for several minutes and then I got into a car and went home which is 25 kms far from my office. On the way home I noticed some noise sounds like when turning steering wheel to far right or far left, but this noise appeared when engine run around 1500 - 2000 rpm. On the way home I did some short stop for grocery and I smell some burning like oil, breaks. I came home and opened a hood to check what makes noise - it was an alternator. I shutdown engine and checked alternator - it was very hot. I've started my car again and looked at alternator and noticed that some very bright red light like wire got to be melted inside of alternator. I turned my car off and at the moment when I turned my car off the alternator got fire - it was fun to watch - I couldn't believe how car can get on fire so quickly. I went inside house to take some water - it took me less than a minute but when I came back the fire was so great that my neighbor came to see what happens. I never have a problem with electrical system. There is 190K on it and an alternator was working fine. I assume that because I connected jumps directly to my battery (not to the body as Hayns says) and it ruined alternators electronic parts inside - what led to the fire...
I came to work as usual and left my lights on. After work I found that my wbattery was dead and asked my colleague for jump start. We jump started my car with no issues. Car was working for several minutes and then I got into a car and went home which is 25 kms far from my office. On the way home I noticed some noise sounds like when turning steering wheel to far right or far left, but this noise appeared when engine run around 1500 - 2000 rpm. On the way home I did some short stop for grocery and I smell some burning like oil, breaks. I came home and opened a hood to check what makes noise - it was an alternator. I shutdown engine and checked alternator - it was very hot. I've started my car again and looked at alternator and noticed that some very bright red light like wire got to be melted inside of alternator. I turned my car off and at the moment when I turned my car off the alternator got fire - it was fun to watch - I couldn't believe how car can get on fire so quickly. I went inside house to take some water - it took me less than a minute but when I came back the fire was so great that my neighbor came to see what happens. I never have a problem with electrical system. There is 190K on it and an alternator was working fine. I assume that because I connected jumps directly to my battery (not to the body as Hayns says) and it ruined alternators electronic parts inside - what led to the fire...
Last edited by vaso; 03-14-2009 at 10:07 PM.
03-14-2009, 11:29 PM
#25
Maxima 96 GXE 190K
I came to work as usual and left my lights on. After work I found that my wbattery was dead and asked my colleague for jump start. We jump started my car with no issues. Car was working for several minutes and then I got into a car and went home which is 25 kms far from my office. On the way home I noticed some noise sounds like when turning steering wheel to far right or far left, but this noise appeared when engine run around 1500 - 2000 rpm. On the way home I did some short stop for grocery and I smell some burning like oil, breaks. I came home and opened a hood to check what makes noise - it was an alternator. I shutdown engine and checked alternator - it was very hot. I've started my car again and looked at alternator and noticed that some very bright red light like wire got to be melted inside of alternator. I turned my car off and at the moment when I turned my car off the alternator got fire - it was fun to watch - I couldn't believe how car can get on fire so quickly. I went inside house to take some water - it took me less than a minute but when I came back the fire was so great that my neighbor came to see what happens. I never have a problem with electrical system. There is 190K on it and an alternator was working fine. I assume that because I connected jumps directly to my battery (not to the body as Hayns says) and it ruined alternators electronic parts inside - what led to the fire...
I came to work as usual and left my lights on. After work I found that my wbattery was dead and asked my colleague for jump start. We jump started my car with no issues. Car was working for several minutes and then I got into a car and went home which is 25 kms far from my office. On the way home I noticed some noise sounds like when turning steering wheel to far right or far left, but this noise appeared when engine run around 1500 - 2000 rpm. On the way home I did some short stop for grocery and I smell some burning like oil, breaks. I came home and opened a hood to check what makes noise - it was an alternator. I shutdown engine and checked alternator - it was very hot. I've started my car again and looked at alternator and noticed that some very bright red light like wire got to be melted inside of alternator. I turned my car off and at the moment when I turned my car off the alternator got fire - it was fun to watch - I couldn't believe how car can get on fire so quickly. I went inside house to take some water - it took me less than a minute but when I came back the fire was so great that my neighbor came to see what happens. I never have a problem with electrical system. There is 190K on it and an alternator was working fine. I assume that because I connected jumps directly to my battery (not to the body as Hayns says) and it ruined alternators electronic parts inside - what led to the fire...
There is a recall on the alt in that year I believe.
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