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alternator or fuse? Flickering battery and brake warning lights dashboard

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Old 10-13-2015, 09:57 PM
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alternator or fuse? Flickering battery and brake warning lights dashboard





Ok so back in July my battery and brake lights disappeared on ignition mode. I just thought the bulb had burned out so I thought oh no big deal..


In August I see my brake and battery light come back on out of nowhere in igniton mode.. Remains off when driving and started.. This has happened atleast 5-7 times before I experence flickering lights!

Today I experience both of these lights Flickering! Yes flickering.. Weird what is this and why is it causing it?

Found out these conclusions:
-if the car is at a certain angle.. The lights seem to come on..not 100% on this though.
-If I pull the emergency brake; the brake light comes on, so this is saying the bulb works.
-as soon as I turn off the car and put it back on ignition mode, the brake and battery warning lights are gone.
-the car starts up perfectly and runs like a dream. No weird signs of a failing alternator to me.. No fading dashboard lights or headlights..

My guess is: A fuse has gone bad
-loose wiring connection somewhere, what causes the brake and battery lights to come on? Or I should say connects to...

Am I going to be experiencing a fire soon? I hope not.. Just a loose connection making no full contact?

And yes before you say "get the alternator load test or battery test;" I will.. But I am curious that why it is doing this and I don't see any signs of any failing battery or alternator.. Atleast from what I'm Experecing but I will get it looked at..
let me know what you think..




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Old 10-13-2015, 10:57 PM
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It's not a fuse...

And you already know what we're going to say...have your alternator tested!

Could be on it's way out, could be overcharging the system. You won't know until you do some easy testing.
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Old 10-14-2015, 01:47 AM
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alternator or fuse? Flickering battery and brake warning lights dashboard

Just those two lights flickering and not all of them?
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Old 10-14-2015, 07:00 AM
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Originally Posted by The Wizard
It's not a fuse...

And you already know what we're going to say...have your alternator tested!

Could be on it's way out, could be overcharging the system. You won't know until you do some easy testing.
Agreed ...
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Old 10-14-2015, 11:11 AM
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Originally Posted by Daniel VQ30life
Just those two lights flickering and not all of them?
Is it possible it will just fail on me rather than cause a fire?



Yeah just the battery and brake lights flickering, nothing else.



Guess the only answer is to get it tested.

Last edited by JoshG; 10-14-2015 at 11:15 AM.
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Old 10-14-2015, 11:41 AM
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Originally Posted by JoshG
Is it possible it will just fail on me rather than cause a fire?
The alternator is going to fail, but nobody can answer if it will go out in a ball of fire.

My alternator died 2-3 months ago and it chose ball of fire. It's nice to know that the wire harness connections are a short piece of wire harness that is replaceable.

Harness-Alternator, part # 24076-40U00


Originally Posted by JoshG
Guess the only answer is to get it tested.
Good choice.

Last edited by DennisMik; 10-14-2015 at 11:44 AM. Reason: add part number
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Old 10-14-2015, 01:54 PM
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Ok got the battery and alternator tested, my battery is good but my alternator is putting 12.8 volts, which he said its going bad. How long is it going to last? And what should I replace it with? Autozone new alternator? No cheap ones..either to wait to crap out on me or replace it? I just got my leaking radiator replaced and a tune up for $400 last week. Now another thing to look out for and is about to fail

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Old 10-14-2015, 02:34 PM
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Our cars are twenty years old or so. Parts only last so long. People sell old cars like ours because it is not cost effective to maintain them any more.


The previous statement applies to those who need to take their cars to a mechanic for just about everything.


Our cars are quite affordable and cost effective for those who do their own work and buy parts at discount.


I have not replaced the alternator, so I don't have an answer to your question. I can tell you that replacing it is something you could do yourself.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:05 PM
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Well I mean yeah, it's just a part of maintaining, but once replaced they last for years.. Besides mine is low miles and the pearl paint is in excellent condition, leather is like new.. No real reason to get rid of it cause it looks like a new car and replaced plenty of things, runs really well. all I focus on is repairing and maintaining the car, put money on the side for it.. So it helps me out keep it on the road

Have not had any problems with this car for 3years until now. So it was time to get replacing

Last edited by JoshG; 10-14-2015 at 03:09 PM.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:45 PM
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So I should replace it now or wait till it really starts to fail when its on its last leg which means that the car will idle low, things will start to fade, and the lights will come on driving.. I have enough to replace it now and my mechanic can replace it.

Last edited by JoshG; 10-14-2015 at 03:51 PM.
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Old 10-14-2015, 03:57 PM
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alternator or fuse? Flickering battery and brake warning lights dashboard

Originally Posted by JoshG
So I should replace it now or wait till it really starts to fail when its on its last leg which means that the car will idle low, things will start to fade, and the lights will come on driving.. I have enough to replace it now and my mechanic can replace it.
Go ahead and replace in case it decides it wants the grand finale exit
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Old 10-14-2015, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by JoshG
Well I mean yeah, it's just a part of maintaining, but once replaced they last for years.. Besides mine is low miles and the pearl paint is in excellent condition, leather is like new.. No real reason to get rid of it cause it looks like a new car and replaced plenty of things, runs really well. all I focus on is repairing and maintaining the car, put money on the side for it.. So it helps me out keep it on the road

Have not had any problems with this car for 3years until now. So it was time to get replacing
Josh,

That's the thing about these cars..... once fixed they tend to stay fixed.

Our cars can still be used for daily driving, and for long trips. Once up to snuff of course.

It is said that when you buy a used car, you are buying someone else's problem.
True, that. Most people that buy an old Maxima will have to do a LOT of deffered maintenance. Doing all the repairs takes time and money.

Some repairs involve costly parts, some not so much. It's the labor costs that make all the difference. You would save a lot by doing your own work.

I can tell that you are taking a long_term view. Your car is costly right now, but not so bad if it can be driven 5-10 years. I've had mine for close to ten years and over 100k miles.
Most of the time it is like a much newer car, sometimes it seems like everything needs work at once.

Our cars can be money-pits or time-holes. By paying your mechanic, even at a good labor rate, you own a money pit. Provided you do your own work, money is far less of an issue.
But then, you are looking at a time hole.

Most of those who have owned these cars for some time know all about time holes
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Old 10-14-2015, 04:46 PM
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Originally Posted by JoshG
So I should replace it now or wait till it really starts to fail when its on its last leg which means that the car will idle low, things will start to fade, and the lights will come on driving.. I have enough to replace it now and my mechanic can replace it.
Would you like to do the repair at your convience, or let the car decide that for you?

You could drive to your mechanic and have it fixed, or you could be out on a date late at night and get screwed, but not the way you want.
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Old 10-14-2015, 05:12 PM
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Originally Posted by JvG
Josh,

That's the thing about these cars..... once fixed they tend to stay fixed.

Our cars can still be used for daily driving, and for long trips. Once up to snuff of course.

It is said that when you buy a used car, you are buying someone else's problem.
True, that. Most people that buy an old Maxima will have to do a LOT of deffered maintenance. Doing all the repairs takes time and money.

Some repairs involve costly parts, some not so much. It's the labor costs that make all the difference. You would save a lot by doing your own work.

I can tell that you are taking a long_term view. Your car is costly right now, but not so bad if it can be driven 5-10 years. I've had mine for close to ten years and over 100k miles.
Most of the time it is like a much newer car, sometimes it seems like everything needs work at once.

Our cars can be money-pits or time-holes. By paying your mechanic, even at a good labor rate, you own a money pit. Provided you do your own work, money is far less of an issue.
But then, you are looking at a time hole.

Most of those who have owned these cars for some time know all about time holes

Hmm I agree, I only had leaks to fix and replace old parts..these are parts i replaced since June, my mechanic is reasonable charge an hr for labor so he's very reasonable and trustworthy.. I just think that these parts were things that were going to go at the same time.. it happens.

April- Lowered the car 1.5inch so new springs and struts..new bearings..


June- Oil leak Fix
Timing chain cover
Both valve covers
oil pressure switch
knock sensor
new oil pan
new oil

September- do 97 rear end/front end swaps and repair quarter panel to make the car look brand new.

October- Tempature gauge started rising, Was a leaking radiator leaking out coolant so I eventually lost coolant..Fixed the problem.
-Replaced Radiator with new one
-Replaced Air filter
-New NGK platinum laser spark plugs
-New fuel filter
-Clean MAF/Throttle body.

-A alternator is about to fail soon, Could be a couple months, could be a couple weeks. its been like that since July so.

Overall, Its been having alot of work done to it recently, but I then think that its cause that I can go 50k miles of worry free..if not more miles.. It's pretty much a brand new car now.

Last edited by JoshG; 10-14-2015 at 05:15 PM.
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Old 10-14-2015, 06:14 PM
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Originally Posted by JvG
Would you like to do the repair at your convience, or let the car decide that for you?

You could drive to your mechanic and have it fixed, or you could be out on a date late at night and get screwed, but not the way you want.
Exactly. The question makes no sense. Change it now or change it after it leaves me stranded on the road???Hmmmm...tough question.
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Old 10-14-2015, 10:25 PM
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Originally Posted by The Wizard
Exactly. The question makes no sense. Change it now or change it after it leaves me stranded on the road???Hmmmm...tough question.



HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.


Agreed, as soon as something shows signs of problems, I would replace it. Unless you have AAA and don't mind the half-hour wait.


But then again, someone else on this board had their alternator fail in a dangerous way. You don't want the failing alternator to damage other items in your car.
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Old 10-15-2015, 06:14 AM
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alternator or fuse? Flickering battery and brake warning lights dashboard

Originally Posted by JvG
Josh,

That's the thing about these cars..... once fixed they tend to stay fixed.

Our cars can still be used for daily driving, and for long trips. Once up to snuff of course.

It is said that when you buy a used car, you are buying someone else's problem.
True, that. Most people that buy an old Maxima will have to do a LOT of deffered maintenance. Doing all the repairs takes time and money.

Some repairs involve costly parts, some not so much. It's the labor costs that make all the difference. You would save a lot by doing your own work.

I can tell that you are taking a long_term view. Your car is costly right now, but not so bad if it can be driven 5-10 years. I've had mine for close to ten years and over 100k miles.
Most of the time it is like a much newer car, sometimes it seems like everything needs work at once.

Our cars can be money-pits or time-holes. By paying your mechanic, even at a good labor rate, you own a money pit. Provided you do your own work, money is far less of an issue.
But then, you are looking at a time hole.

Most of those who have owned these cars for some time know all about time holes
True, these cars have quirks just like all cars and provided you do your own labor their basically criminally cheap to own and maintain
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Old 10-15-2015, 06:47 AM
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$200.00-250.00 tops for an alternator replacement, that's parts/labor. you/they have to move the ac compressor out of the way or it would be 30 minutes to replace.
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Old 10-15-2015, 08:01 AM
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Hmm I suppose so haha, Looks like I'm replacing it, just will call my mechanic and he will replace it in probably 1hr. Autozone new gold alternators should work perfectly fine? No weird low idle or anything happening right?

200$ is cheap for me, and probably would avoid a fire or just being stranded somewhere.. So I gotta do it now.

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Old 10-15-2015, 10:56 AM
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Originally Posted by JoshG
..... Autozone new gold alternators should work perfectly fine?.......
I guess we'll be seeing another troubleshooting thread from you in a week or 2.
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Old 10-15-2015, 11:26 AM
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Lol im just being cautious and don't want mistakes.. >.< want to replace with the right things rather than the wrong things so i don't got to do it all over again.
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Old 10-15-2015, 11:56 AM
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Originally Posted by dwapenyi
I guess we'll be seeing another troubleshooting thread from you in a week or 2.
This is true no matter what.
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Old 10-15-2015, 05:59 PM
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get a higher amperage alty, i did cause of my hid's and my stereo. i think the hitachi is 115 and my napa one is 145. helps in the cold as well. O, and lifetime warranty
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Old 11-04-2015, 03:56 PM
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welll.. about time my alternator quit on me lucky I am at home and not somewhere else, around oct 13 when i got it checked..the alternator was at 12.5 volts or something...should be putting out 14 volts i heard, said I could be stranded at any time, without warning and said "you probably have a few weeks left on that alternator..." Well now its been 3 weeks and now it crapped out on me..lucky it didn't catch fire though.

got in, turn on ignition mode (Battery and brake lights are gone in ignition mode)... Car tries to fire, For a SPLIT second I SAW the battery light flick when it was trying to turn on... Failed to turn on.

I wait a few seconds, try again...struggles to turn on, but didn't fire. after that All I got was clicks I did this for 20 times..,
I notice the dashboard for the temperature would always look "Faded with lines across it..This was every morning, then once I got driving the dashboard for the temperature went back to normal without the lines... assuming the alternator was not keeping its charge to keep the electronics running.

Also sometimes i would hear a "whining whistle" noise on acceleration at 2k rpm sometimes but not all the times.. so that'd be the alternator.

well time to change it out for a new one asap. The battery and brake lights were gone since July, battery and brake lights coming on randomly on ignition mode in August... So the alternator gave me a good 5 months use before it just gave up.

i've also noticed when I turn off the car and leave for 20 mins or an hour and then turn it on.., the car would always struggle to turn on as if the alternator didn't fully charge the battery..meaning the battery has enough to fire but very little. but If I didn't start it overnight or a couple hours, It would fire up perfectly, meaning the alternator had enough time to charge the battery slowly.

Last edited by JoshG; 11-04-2015 at 04:08 PM.
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Old 11-04-2015, 09:47 PM
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Originally Posted by JoshG
welll.. about time my alternator quit on me lucky I am at home and not somewhere else, around oct 13 when i got it checked..the alternator was at 12.5 volts or something...should be putting out 14 volts i heard, said I could be stranded at any time, without warning and said "you probably have a few weeks left on that alternator..." Well now its been 3 weeks and now it crapped out on me..lucky it didn't catch fire though.

got in, turn on ignition mode (Battery and brake lights are gone in ignition mode)... Car tries to fire, For a SPLIT second I SAW the battery light flick when it was trying to turn on... Failed to turn on.

I wait a few seconds, try again...struggles to turn on, but didn't fire. after that All I got was clicks I did this for 20 times..,
I notice the dashboard for the temperature would always look "Faded with lines across it..This was every morning, then once I got driving the dashboard for the temperature went back to normal without the lines... assuming the alternator was not keeping its charge to keep the electronics running.

Also sometimes i would hear a "whining whistle" noise on acceleration at 2k rpm sometimes but not all the times.. so that'd be the alternator.

well time to change it out for a new one asap. The battery and brake lights were gone since July, battery and brake lights coming on randomly on ignition mode in August... So the alternator gave me a good 5 months use before it just gave up.
We called it...

Originally Posted by JoshG
i've also noticed when I turn off the car and leave for 20 mins or an hour and then turn it on.., the car would always struggle to turn on as if the alternator didn't fully charge the battery..meaning the battery has enough to fire but very little. but If I didn't start it overnight or a couple hours, It would fire up perfectly, meaning the alternator had enough time to charge the battery slowly.
This makes no sense and is the oddest thing I've heard in a long time. The alternator only charges the battery when the car is running. The problem your describing is related to either a bad FPR not holding pressure, or a leaking injector flooding the engine

Last edited by The Wizard; 11-04-2015 at 10:23 PM.
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Old 11-05-2015, 07:28 AM
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Well got me a new gold alternator, didn't want to go with the hit or miss for the re-manufacture alternators.. Time to install it, brake and battery lights on dashboard should be back I hope

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Old 11-05-2015, 10:06 AM
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Ok so... The mechanic installed the new alternator and it just clicks, I'll head over to help.. Any suggestions what it could be? Last night it failed to start 2 times. And then after that it just clicks, all the lights work on Dashboard.. Remember I was stating that sometimes it'd be tough to turn on if I went on short trips.. But if I went on long trips it wouldn't do that.


The alternator was on its way out so I don't mind that I had to replace it anyway
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Old 11-05-2015, 11:22 AM
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Well it's the starter.. >.
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Old 11-05-2015, 11:55 AM
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Josh, I'm curious.... you pay your mechanic to do just about everything for you. Ok, your choice and your money. Yet when something goes wrong you are always asking for solutions on this forum rather than relying on the mechanic.

Do the members on this forum have more accurate diagnostic skills than your mechanic?
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Old 11-05-2015, 12:26 PM
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No I just point out my experience so that if anyone experiences it.. They would have more of an idea what the problem is.. I don't know why it's bad for me to help others out what I'm experiencing...

Even though there's tons of threads out there but the more there is the better. People deal with different types of problems.. Like my battery and brake lights were gone.. So that may point out to people that it's going to go out..

And by the way the battery and brake lights are back on in ignition mode.. The old alternator was full of oil from the oil leak I had 6 months ago but i had fixed that already since then. So the alternator was on its way out too anyway..

He tapped the starter and the car started so it was on its way out.. Replacing it tomorrow. All it does is click. Everything on dashboard works.

Last edited by JoshG; 11-05-2015 at 12:33 PM.
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Old 11-05-2015, 12:54 PM
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Josh, I found your failing alternator story helpful. Someday mine will start to fail, your story can help me and other people. I was not attacking you.

Makes sense that the oil leaking on an alternator will eventually kill it. Now you have a more reliable car. Nice that you were not stranded.
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Old 11-05-2015, 02:49 PM
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You truly need to increase your confidence to do this stuff yourself.

An alternator replacement is not technically difficult, but can be time consuming.

A starter replacement is, IMO, even easier and less time consuming.

Either way, I ... personally, love my car ... so the time consumption doesn't des wade me in the least.

Besides, based on the number of times I've done both, I'm able to changeout both/either in about 45 minutes.

You truly need to increase your confidence to do this stuff yourself.

Nonetheless, I've experienced the very same thing you've experienced ... bad alternator replacement reveals a bad starter ... very same experience.
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Old 11-06-2015, 08:57 AM
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My alternator died and got my wife stranded on the road, battery was drained completely, had AAA towed home. I re-charged the battery at autozone, put battery back, I saw smoke came out and inside of the alternator became red, almost caught fire. This just happened couple of weeks ago, I ordered a 125amp re-man alternator and replaced it myself, now everything is fine.
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Old 11-06-2015, 11:23 AM
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Well cause I bought an alternator before my mechanic came to see my car. cause I thought that would go out but it wasn't my main problem.. How ever it solved my battery and brake light issue.. It shows up all the up now in ignition mode so it happened for a reason.. It probably could of caught on fire if I did not change it cause of all the oil it had on it from having the leak for 2+ years..(already fixed leak 6 months ago..no more leaks.)

It was even in the wires.. So It probably prevented me having a hazard situation and cost more to fix.. So I'm safe now. Better safe than a fire

The main problem was my starter. The car starts up every time, and wizard as I was mentioning the small trips would cause hard starts, now that does not happen anymore. I took a 10 min drive, let the car be off for a minute, fired right back up. I guess I didn't explain it so well. So it's all nice and new again

The old alternator was full of oil and I found out it's the original alternator.. Too bad it's covered in oil really bad.. I'll post pictures

And the starter was a remanufacture so this car has gone through atleast one starter.. So it wasn't the original

So I got a new gold alternator and a brand new gold starter from autozone installed.. Didn't want to go with the hit and miss for remanufacture so.. This should be my last problem for a while. I already knew the alternator was on its way out but not the starter..

Last edited by JoshG; 11-06-2015 at 12:26 PM.
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Old 11-06-2015, 11:28 AM
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Old 11-06-2015, 04:29 PM
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97-99 alternator recall

Was that alternator the original one assembled with the maxima or was it a refurbished Nissan alternator? They replaced the diode kits on the OEM alternators. Nissan did a recall on certain 1997 and 1998 maximas. Nissan threw an alternator in my 1998 maxima back in 2003. The diodes in that alternator burnt last year due to valve cover oil leak just like yours. Throw in your VIN on this website to find out if you could of saved some cash by having Nissan install it for free

http://www.nissanusa.com/recalls-vin#/

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Old 11-06-2015, 05:12 PM
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Mine is a 96 with 97 front and rear end swaps lol, so i doubt it's the recall
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Old 11-07-2015, 12:38 AM
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diirrrrrty alty,
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Old 11-07-2015, 09:15 AM
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haha yeah.. thats what happens when a car leaks oil for 2+ years and do nothing about it..it can destroy other parts. well nice and clean new alternator/starters, no more leaks.. happy car now.

Last edited by JoshG; 11-07-2015 at 09:30 AM.
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Old 11-07-2015, 12:35 PM
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my alternator was soaked in oil when it finally died at 248,000 4 years ago. oem ftw!!
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