I have a 95 Maxima that has about 215000 miles, my alternator died recently and was replaced and now when the factory alarm goes off the horn honks but the lights don't flash, it did before the alternator was changed but now it doesnt.

Also i have coolant leak the the mechanic doesnt see and or do i see where its going, I top off the overflow and within a day after driving once the car is parked and cooled off the overflow reservoir goes empty once again. While driving i can tell if its empty because of a strong burning smell coming from under the hood. If there liquid still in there the smell doesnt really happen.

PLEASE HELP as im lost on these issues.

 

Most coolant leaks tend to happen on the big hoses. Either on top or the Lower hose. Can you pin point the area where the smell is coming from? Try shutting it off and listen for a sizzle. You back trace that to a drip sometimes. If you can't outright see it, chances are its on the bottom part of the radiator or lower hose. Jack it up on some stands after your ride.

 

Look for a crack on the radiator top tank, just below the rad cap. It generally evaporates before it can run or pool anywhere. Any steam from the tailpipe?
A steaming tailpipe in July is a certain blown head gasket.

 

Thanks for the replies, I took the car to a different mechanic today and he found the problem is the water pump needs to be replaced.


One more issue is when im idle at a red light or something the rpm drops and the car starts to shake but doesnt stall. To stop the shaking I put it in nuetral or if i have space give it a little gas, also when u got to pull off the car like goes slow then shoots foward out of nowhere. A mechanic said a coil is going bad but i think its the iac valve as the car has 216000 miles. What sounds more likely? as i wanna fix this issue also

 

I would clean the IACV, TB, MAF. If you have 216,000 miles on it chances are they need a good cleaning, seach "Clean IACV TB MAF for dummies" and follow the steps in that thread to clean it all out. that should help with the idle. I would do that first before replacing a coil.