Battery - about a year old
Alternator - was told it is in a good condition

Other day, my wife was driving the maxima and while on her way home she calls me to tells me that all the lights and everything got shut off while driving. So had to get the vehicle towed since it was on the street and dark. Too cold and dark to look under the hood but I think I may have noticed one of the belts missing (can't tell really due to darkness). Could that have been the culprit since it was making screeching noise during start-up for a week and I continued to ignore it and now this is the result of it?

I just wanted few opinions and then to determine whether it is easy DIY?

 

alternator

 

I'll put my money on the idler pulley, seized up and shredded the belt.

 

When I first got my Max there were several times when the lights, radio, etc would turn off and on, then the engine would stop. I found a bolt missing where the negative cable bolts to the body next to the battery. I put a new bolt in and the problem went away.

 

sounds like you lost a belt. that screeching noise was the alt belt. Put on a new belt, nope your tensioner still works and if it does drive happy.
why can't people fix their cars when it gives them warning?

 

If your alternator or belt went out I would not expect the lights to go out suddenly. It should be a gradual thing. By all means check your alternator belt and connections at the alternator.

Did the engine die also? If the headlights along with dash went out suddenly I would check the battery connections make sure they are clean and secure.

 

Also check the fuses.

 

hey there similar problem here. got new remanufactor alternator and the belt is new the battery is fully charged but the gauge lights dim when i turn the turnsignals or the window switch and idle drops a lil from 650 to 600 and i have that screeching noise at start up also. can it be the pulley might have been over tighten or the tensioner over tighten?

 

I just had a similar problem. As I was turning into a parking garage, the car died. I pushed it into a spot, had it towed, and Sears took a look. The car would only run when hooked up to their charger. They told me it was the alternator. $500-600 parts & labor. I asked if the alternator pulley or belt could first be replaced to see if that was the cause of the problem. They said no. I hate Sears and always feel like I'm getting suckered when I go there. They also told me my starter should be replaced because it's making a clicking noise. Is it a coincidence that both the starter and alternator are failing at the same time or could it all be a result of one problem?

 

Its an easy DIY project and costs less than $30. It should be pretty obvious if one of the belts is missing... My bet is on the alternator, though.

 

You may be right since belts were appearing to go bad. Here are some additional silly questions. How many belts are there? One is idler pulley and other alternator belt? Any specific type/brand from Autozone?

Which fuses? If everything went out, including engine, which fuses are your referring to?

It did look obvious but since I didn't see a belt - can't really make out if the belt supposed to be there or not. (can't recall previous mental image). Also, I searched for DIY and couldn't find one with pictures.

btw, Happy New Years to all.

 

not to come off like a ****, and i dont mean to, but why do you keep going there then?

 

the belt quite possibly snapped. and the car does not turn back on? one test is to start the car, if the belt didnt snap, and if it does indeed start, and with the electrical accessories all off, and the car on, disconnect the neg terminal on the battery. if the car dies, your alternator is bad. if it did snap, then ignore this post and buy a new belt lol

when my alternator went, my air bag light flashed on and off, dash lights became very dim, radio turned off and on. but my belt didnt snap.

 

I had two belts snap on a different brand of car, turns out it was the A/C clutch that went out. Just a thought, if the belt is history.

 

Sorry, completely misread your post, I'm hopping aboard the belts wagon.

 

Good question. It's walking distance to my house and I haven't found a mechanic in my area who I can trust.

 

Hey Maroon - Doesn't sound like you trust Sears, either. Try walking further?

 

To get back on topic again.... here's an update. I went and bought AC/alternator belt to replace and see if that is/was the case and after that I can go the alternator route. Seems I even have a bigger problem now! Last time when I went to check under the hood, and closed it (didn't try opening it until today), I cannot open the hood! Internal mechanism is pulling (not sure if it is unlocking) and then when trying from front, puller goes up and down, but no response from the hood. I tried pushing it hard and having pulled from inside and from outside at the same time (with help of someone), still cannot open the hood.

I searched for tips but seems none are right on. Any ideas how I can open it or make sure the internal mechanism is working? (I will create a new post for hood issue)

 

try hitting the hood where the latch is while someone is pulling the cable and holding it pulled...
also, if your lights dim at idle its either belt tension, or alternator.

 

Here's an update:
Alternator and belt was replaced yesterday with help of someone. Took more than 5 hrs in the garage with outside temperature in single digits with very strong chilly winds. Anyhow, I wanted to get an idea how it is actually done at DIY link mentioned by few in sticky however that is a dead-end loop and Google search got me no where either along with Haynes manual, which is a joke. Therefore, my conclusion led me to believe that there is NO write for 4th gen alternator replacement.

After the belt (original on it was fine but replaced it anyways) and alternator got replaced, somehow there is something that is draining the battery. Instead of jumping to 14-15 when started, it goes down to 11; same case as before doing the entire exercise. Now how can I trace the drainage since this will not hold the charge, instead its draining the juice out of the battery.

 

pull fuses out one at a time until you find one that when removed stops the draining