The car left the house fine, with no indicator lights. After I got back in after leaving the bank, both the Brake and Battery light came on. I parked it back at the house and the fluid level is fine, the oil level is fine, and the belts are intact (as far as I can tell). I went back later to start the car and it sounded like it turned over, although it apparently did not as the RPMs were 0, it was super quiet, and when put into gear, it would not budge or rev. The brake jammed up too but I was able to get it back in park. then the check engine and oil pressure lights came on! The air was blowing hot and the radio was still playing. I turned it back off and it revved and the air was cool again, although the original two lights were still one (the others turned off). I didn't put it into gear so I can't speak on it this time around. The car has had a recent alternator and battery change (last year) and a wreck sometime long ago, before my dad got it.

WHAT IS UP?

Forgive me if this is posted somewhere else. Couldn't find it.

 

Sounds like there is an issue with your charging system and/or battery.
From what I have read on the .org, Battery + Brake Light usually is a sign of a bad charging system and/or battery. Have it tested as soon as possible.

When all the lights turn on as you mentioned, the ECU detects that the car's engine has shut off, and goes back into pre-startup mode.

 

What he said
Next time turn the stereo down so you can hear the cat. It wasn't running.

 

Of course the cat wasn't running. It's threading slowly and carefully and curious what is going on with its owner's car.
This is also assuming the owner has a cat.

 

Lol
Still getting used to the Droid. Don't think I can edit either.

 

This happened to me last fall and it was my alternator. It ran for a little while until the battery died and then it was kaput. Once the alt was replaced the lights went out and all was good. Since you said that you had the alt changed recently maybe you got a bad one?

 

Maybe it was? I know that this car has so many issues. The odometer doesn't even work.

 

How much does an alternator cost to replace at the dealership? A guy who is a cousin of my dad (that actually makes him my cousin too) fixed it the first time and I'm not sure if I want to take it back there. I KNOW the dealership is going to charge an arm and a leg though, but isn't there a warranty. They will probably add a ****load of other costs to fix that's also wrong with my car, like the little jerking back and forth and the oil leak.

I was looking at getting another car, but fixing the Max may still be cheaper. At least I hope so!

 

At ~$106/hr labor, you are better off buying the alternator from them ($250 with core) and putting it on yourself.

 

yeah, buy the altenator from the dealer, great advice . if they installed it within the last year, all they should charge you for is the labor for a new one to be installed, if out of warranty, get one from napa for 125.00 bux and have somebody else install it for like 150.00-200.00. nuff said

 

Turns out it's not the alternator or battery. There is a short somewhere. The car sputters after it starts up and starts getting real sluggish. Then when the brake pedal is pressed, the stereo and other accessories shut off and the car almost dies. I have no clue what it could be. I think I need to go ahead and buy another car. This car may never be right. It was hit on the front left side, where the fuse box is under the hood.

Is it possible to get a 4th gen for under $3000 in decent condition aka not taking up space in the front of house?

 

you just answered your own question. you have a short somewhere and need to trace it to its origin. did you ever have someone scan the ecu for codes to see what it might be??? an ecu swap isnt all that hard, and a short to a lead wire could be all it is.

 

No it hasn't been scanned. It may be that, who knows. The battery did go dead, and it got its third replacement from ****ty Wal-Mart (need to leave them alone), but the brake and battery lights were still illuminated. As for the alternator, it came to find out that the oil leak from the rear valve may had been dripping on the it, causing it to short and blow out. The alternator is still under warranty, so it can probably be easily replaced. This causes more of an impetus to fix the oil leak. Has anyone else had that problem where the oil drip screwed other components?

 

You can't blame wall mart because your car is draining batteries. Fix your ****. Fix the vc gaskets, find your short, or quit coming here complaining about it. A car is only as bad as the owner allows it to be. If your so inept or lazy ride the bus.

 

you need a new alternator, since your alt. is not charging right your battery keeps dying as well, and if your front valve cover gasket is leaking bad enough it will drip onto your alt and ruin it

 

pa-leeze, my original alty had 214,000 and was soaked in oil before it died. obviously he needs an fsm and some "me" time to figure out the max or his lack of common sense

 

Excuse me, but where are these rude comments coming from? I didn't come here to get bird s**t thrown at me.

First of all, I'm not a he, but a she. Second of all, this is my first car, so what the hell am I supposed to know? I didn't even buy it, my dad bought it from some guy, who turned out to be shady, at his job for $1500. All these problems weren't discovered until AFTER he got the car because he didn't do his research on it. Unless I want to take a risk on another car under $3000, I'm pretty much stuck with fixing this one. I looked at the AutoCheck and found out when it had the wreck, and judging from the shoddy bodywork, it was on the driver's side, with most of it in the front quarter. It's pretty damn hard to keep a car running right if the previous 2 owner's or so didn't do their job. From the looks if it, the car was pretty neglected and, according to my dad, was laying around for 6 months or so before it was even sold. This wasn't a problem that I caused and don't make it out to be so. I'm the party who got dealt the s**t stick. I only had the car since last December and my dad bought earlier last year in March. I came here to get some general opinions about what may be wrong as my cousin is also trying to figure it out.

Nobody ran any codes because the heap can't go anywhere and there isn't any equipment nearby. I could have taken it earlier to AutoZone or something, but my mom didn't feel like driving down the street and decided to wait on my dad. I don't even have a license yet. This car is meant for practice, but the only practice I'm getting is learning how much money you can spend repairing a car and telling people the same story when they ask "Where is your car?" If it can move from in front of the house, its going the mechanic first, and then it can be more easily assessed and diagnosed. The oil leak fix was delayed because it was determined to be minor and too much to fix, although that doesn't seem to be the case. My dad bought the Wal-Mart batteries. I petitioned to fix the leak and get another battery, but he always says he'll take care of it and to keep my money. After he gave it to me, I managed to get it in decent cosmetic condition since I made a preliminary conclusion that all mechanical aspects were fine. Wrong. I love my dad and appreciate his effort, but I may just have to wait until I graduate in another year so I can do the buying for myself and get something newer and better. I haven't gave up on Maximas. I still like them, although I just got a bad one. Its a love/hate relationship, but right now I'm really tired. All of this at the end of the semester during finals.

 

Dismount the fusebox on the driverside and check all the wires for chafing or being caught in a body crease. check the wiring between the battery and the alternator, including the fuses. There are some people on here with downloadable FSM (factory service manual). Do a search for charging issues for some insight.

 

The car was amazingly able to move from in front of the house as the mechanic (my cousin) took it to the shop. I have to wait until next week to hear the verdict bc he has 2 other cars he is working on. I do know that the alternator will be replaced first (it is still under warranty, but I have to pay labor), and then the valve leak, which is the big job. He said something about cleaning up the engine and proceeding with changing all valves to be on the safe side. The electrical system will also be checked to see what the problem is and if its not just the bad alternator. Don't ask me how it moved. I was returning from school (on the bus) and saw the car was gone and my mom had no idea it was gone but my dad said my cousin took it. Soooo, the waiting game begins. I hope its nothing major. I've been planning to get some new back tires. thinking its about time to change the air and fuel filter too because who knows when that was done before I got the car. It needs new hoses and probably spark plugs too on top of regular the oil change.

This car is a zombie car. Everytime I think she's dead, she never really is. Maybe she's like Christine.

 

SOB this just happened to me tonight im pretty sure its the alternator and this also explains why my HIDS would not turn on sometimes