My car is doing something funky. I was on my home yesterday, and my car
started to fade in and out. Meaning that it would literally turn off and on. I had to have my wife come jump start me (embarrassing) and then I made it another couple of miles, where she had to jump start me again before I made it home.

I have a fairly new battery, and I am wondering if this sounds like an alternator.?.?.?

I also notices that the battery cables are not tight on the battery. (Battery installed by Autozone.) They aren't falling off or anything, but I can remove them without loosening them.

So, is it likely the alternator, or do you guys have any other ideas?

Thanks in advance.

 

In my past experiences (not with the Maxima) I would say it was the alternator.

 

if your connection is so "loose" that you can move them, you may be getting an insufficiant charge to the battery. First fix your connection, then charge your battery to its proper level. If after that the car "fades" in and out again i also would lean towards the alternator.

 

The little battery light comes on at 10 volts, like 02 said, tighten the connection. If it still happens....alternator issues could be the culprit

 

I'd say alternator also, but a quick check with a voltmeter will tell you for sure. Also, even if the cables AREN'T the problem, I'd tighten those connections down and make sure the contacts are clean.

 

you need a clean contact between your battery terminal and the conectors make sure it tight. Had a problem like that car would start up sometimes and wouldn't on other times untill i realized the clamp on the battery was no good and was makin a bad connection for the battery.. if all failes then turn to your alt.

 

Ihavea5spd. Do you mean that the electrical fades in and out or the car shuts off on you like there is no power coming from the engine? Anyways if you got a battery from Autozone, you probably have a warranty with them, so they will check your electrical probably for free. Tighten you bolts and see what happens. If it's a powertrain issue please advise.

 

tighten the battery connections. then check to see if the alternator is charging correctly..

 

First, tighten the battery cables before you do anything else. Don't over-tighten but do make it so you can't just ****** it right off the post. Second, check to make sure you have gas in the car. I know it sounds crazy but I had a car do something similar due to the fact that someone had helped themselves to the gas in my tank while I had it parked at a friend's house (gas gauge didn't work so how was I to know?!). Third, start the car and run a volt meter across the alternator or have them check it at Auto Zone (they'll do it for free AND you should have a battery warranty).

Worst case, its the alternator and you'll be at Auto Zone anyway so you can buy another. Best case, the posts weren't making good contact with the cables and you'll be running again within a few minutes.

Good luck and I hope its something minor!

 

If the car is cutting off while its running, its probably not the battery. Now I am no mechanic, but I do know that an alternator "recharges the battery" and you can start a car, remove the battery cable and if it still is running then its not the altenator. Someone correct me if I am wrong. So if your batter is dying after being charged, its because the altenator is not recharging the battery. I have had to replace an altenator on 3 of my previous cars I have owned.

 

thanks guys. i'll get the connections tightened and see if that does the trick.
if not, is the alternator on the max a hard swap?

 

Its somewhat tricky, as to its location. But otherwise its just like any other alternator.

 

Update:

I had the alternator tested, and it checked out fine. Then I had the battery tested. It was bad. So, they gave me a new battery, and I got the cables nice and tight. Everything was working perfect.

Then, I drove home to help my mother yesterday (about 90 miles.) That was fine too. But, on the way back to my house, after about 45 miles, my car started to die again. I pulled to the side of the road and it idled for a few minutes and died. I tried to start it, and nothing happened.

But, here's the kicker. I let it set for a little while, and it turned over, and I could drive it for a few miles before my lights would start to go dim and all of my electrical stuff would go dead and then the car would bog again. When I would pull to the shoulder and start to slow down, everything would light back up and it would run fine. So, after some experinenting, I figured out that if I keep the car at or under 2000 rpms, or about 50 miles per hour in 5th, it was fine.

So, any ideas? Could it be that my belt is slipping at a higher rpm?

Thanks!

 

diode is good on the alternator?

 

alternator is bad.....looks like you took it to a sears or some place like that. Their alternator tester has failed me twice on two different cars

 

if that is bad, would i need an entire alternator?

 

took it to autozone. they didn't test it at higher rpms.

 

yea, idle is always about the same, you have to test it at 2000rpms MIN. And you can get a rebuilt one, but I would go for a new one. Call Dave Burnette: 1888-254-6060 for the best price on an OEM alternator.

 

One thing a lot of people don't know is that there are a lot of shops around that will rebuild alternators and starters for cheap. When I was 16 I had a new motor put in my Camaro and the battery kept dieing on me. Took it to a place called Summit Electric that is local to me and they rewired the charging system on the car and it was like $80 for it. They were primarily a shop that rebuilds electric motors, starters, alternators, etc... I'll definately try them again before I ever buy another $200 rebuilt alternator because that is basically what they do. Check around.

 

update: finally took it to the shop to get the alternator checked out by someone
other than a parts salesman.

bad alternator. he'll put a new one in for $305 total, but i had to pay another $55 to have the part overnighted. should be done tomorrow.

it REALLY blows having 2 adults that work, a kid in daycare, and ONE car.

 

Time to get a second car my man.

 

oh, we do. i meant it sucked having one car while mine is in the shop.

forgot to add, i had to get the car to the shop by driving it with a charge box attached to the batterty and the hood zip tied down. definitely the most ghetto thing i have ever done.

 

I went to start my car after it had been parked only for around an hour and it didn't start. I noticed that one of the terminals, not sure which one, but the one on the passenger side had gotten loose and wasn't touching the battery terminal. I tightened it and it started fine.

If it was loose it may have prevented the alternator from keeping the battery charged.

 

yeah, both terminals were loose. but after i installed a new battery, and tightened them, it did the same thing. i had a shop test the alternator after that, and it failed.

 

Well I hope the new alternator does the trick for you. I was going to suggest the battery cables themselves since in previous posts you said the alternator checked out fine. I hope everything works out for you.

Cheers.