The battery light came on today again when i started the car, After depressing gas pedal few times the light went away. The problem is rare, but comes back every now and then and always when i start the car. I put in new battery recently . Checked the voltage to be about 12.6v when the car is off, 14v when the car is on without any load, and 13.6v with full load.
I also checked the tension on alternator belt which is fine.

 

Similar thing going on with me. Mine happened 3 times in one day while driving has not returned.

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread....29#post4187729

 

A dying alternator?

 

like 00Max00 said ALTERNATOR problem!!!

 

my light used to come on during winter at startup. would go away after taking off or a few seconds after start. I was still on oem battery, for fun i threw in a 6 month old red top. the light ever only came on once after that. conclusion.... get your alt/battery tested FIRST, before jumping to conclusions and spending unnecessary money. i still have yet to find my root cause as it went away with the cold weather. im not exactly concerned because if it is a sign of the alt going...i aint gona replace it untill i have to.

 

how can it be alternator or battery problem if the voltage remains at 14v ?

 

My thoughts exactly. I will update you if I find anything new. I've been driving with my voltmeter running. But it has not repeated. I bet the moment I take of the meter it will happen.

I'm wondering if its slipping belts.

 

i had this problem before for my 00 max.. the battery light was on if i step the gas it went off,it's like on and off.... i went to R&S got the recharge system check show my alternator won't recharge, and it took me $350 to fixed for the alternator with 2 belts from other car shop!!

 

if the alternator fails, wouldnt the battery slowly loose voltage, i mean i have ac running on all day as well as radio , wouldn't that drain the battery already?

 

Whatever this is its intermittent, maybe I should look into what triggers the light to be on or off?

 

perhaps the voltage regulator malfunctioning? i wouldnt know much about this but heard this part is responsible for triggering light as well.

 

Charging systems are hard to diagnose. I had this problem a couple of years ago. I took my car to the dealership and they said it was the alternator. Anyway, since my car was still under warranty I got them to replace it. Problem has since gone away. I didn't notice any problems with the car itself. I used it for a couple of days before taking it in. No problems starting or anything. Just the battery light.

 

Whtmax,

Did you change your alternator out? Did it fix the problem?

 

this is definately a dying alternator, the alternator is a current supply @ constant voltage it can provied a range of current based on demand, when the alternator starts to die it cant provide as much current as it could and pusts lots of stress on the battery making it weak and not hold its charge as well, then when u start your car your battery is extra low for a little bit and thats why u get the light, untill u give it some gas and get the battery charged back up

 

to update, it was an alternator, the plastic connection plug was almost all fried and it just crumbled when touched. No more battery light.

 

Is that the plug with the 2 skinny wires (red/white and yellow/black)?

or is it the connector covered by the big rubber seal?

thanks

 

its the black plug that is attached to the alternator, i dont remember the colors of the prongs. I will take pics of what iam talking about once i get camera this week. To remove the alternator by the way, need to first remove ac compressor. Also it wasnt only the connector on the alternator that was fried but also the connector which plugged into it, mechanic had to salvage connector from a junk alternator i had and solder the good piece in place of the fried one. This is the connector that connects to the alternator.

 

thats good u found the problem, beware your battery may be on its way out too now, maybe u should just get that checked to make sure

 

got new battery week before new alternator install.

 

Whtmax,

I see you swapped yours out. Here some info in case you ever have to test similar alternator failure.

Next time the brake + battery light comes on. I noticed, if you hold a flat head screwdriver firm but gently against the pulley on the alternator you don't feel any magnetic field pulling on the screwdriver (failure condition). Under normal condition I can feel the magnetic field pulling on the screw driver.