ajth87

Hey everyone,

After doing some reading on this, I havent come to a definitive answer to help me out. I just experienced this issue tonight on my way home from work. I was driving, I came to a stop, then when I accelerated again, my ABS and TCS light came on. It would only come on as I accelerate. Once I came to stop, they would go off and then reappear upon acceleration again. I did notice the lights, both interior and exterior, would dim when i came to a stop them brighten as i accelerated. A couple times during my drive, the Battery light and brake light came on then would go off either by itself or when i came to a stop. At the end of my drive, right before i got home, the ABS, Slip, and TCS off light all came on and when I stopped and parked home, they didn't go off. I want to conclude a bad alternator. Any advice on this??

Thanks

2damax

Bad alternators do crazy things haha. Check it, change it.

OnOiShNo0dl3Z

iTrader: (2)

Sounds like a bad alternator. You can use a multimeter and check the voltage on your battery while the car's running. If the voltage keeps dropping lower and lower then your alternator is most likely bad.

With the car off and nothing turned off, the voltage on the battery should be around 12.5V to 12.7V.

When the car's running, the alternator should keep it above mid 13's to mid to high 14s.

ajth87

thanks for the replies! I am going today to get it tested to make sure it is indeed the alternator. I am putting my money on it being the alternator. I'll update with some results.

ajth87

Ok so I went and had my alternator and battery tested. Both are fine.. The peculiar thing is that as of yesterday, the lights that were coming on before went off and havent come back on since. Any idea so to what could have happened? One thing I should add is, while testing the two, i discovered battery acid on top of the battery.. The battery is new, I just bought it about a month ago. Might that have caused the issue I was having with the lights? What would cause the acid to drain onto the battery?

EuroDriver

iTrader: (21)

I'm suspecting you had a loose battery terminal - probably got "fixed" when they tested your battery!

Odd thing is, symptoms are usually backwards when the alternator goes. Lights come on & dome lights dim when you stop or idle rather than when you accelerate - your car must be unique...

mrshakdaddy

iTrader: (1)

Check your ABS sensors, could be dirty in there and tripping the sensor while driving. I was helping a friend diagnose the same issue and ended up being the sensor itself wasn't giving a good reading and tripping the sensor.

If you go to a mechanic that has an ABS code reader preferably a live tester, they can tell...

MizzMaxine

iTrader: (4)

It's either your alternator or your 5th gen is haunted

ajth87

@EuroDriver That is what was happening. when I stop or idled the lights would dim. Then as soon as I accelerated everything brightened.

The peculiar thing that I am still yet to make sense of is the fact that when I purchased the car, the dash lights (speedo, tach, etc..) were always what I felt to be on the dim side. Then when this issue occurred, that is the first time I experienced the lights brighter. When I was at idle, the brightness was as it normally was when I first got the car, then accelerating made them brighter than I have ever seen them. Would it be possible the car was getting too much power or volts that it was causing this issue and also caused the battery acid to seep out onto the top of the battery? I am just trying to make sense of this. even though the test came back good, if it is a possibility that the alt is on it's way out and I just happen to have it tested when it was operating fine, I will still replace it if that is the case. Any suggestions?

Thanks again to all for the feedback!

EuroDriver

iTrader: (21)

^ Electrical systems are very strange so yes, that is possible. However, it is highly unlikely that the system is overcharging (i.e., too much voltage). On the contrary, they brighten up to how they should be, but look brighter in contrast to seeing them so dim.

IMHO, the most likely scenario is that if a battery terminal was loose, it would cause this type of behavior and because there was too much current resisance at the battery post, it was heating up the battery and causing it to sweat (thus explaining the seepage).

I have also had alternators get tested, do fine, continue with problems and have it fail at retest. That being said, you shouldn't rule out the possibility of having to replace it.

Start with checking that your battery cables are tightly connected at both ends (battery posts, chasis ground and starter). If the problem continues, I'd be willing to put money on the alternator being the culprit.

ajth87

Thanks EuroDriver. I still am not ruling out the alternator being the culprit. Even though the lights are no longer there and there are no signs of the alternator failing, the fact that those things did happen make me rule the alt as the culprit. Since I have the money I might as well just go a head and change the alternator just to make sure. Now that the lights have returned to being dim as they used to be, I would like to see them stay at the brightness that they were for two days I was experiencing the issue. I will have the alternator replaced this weekend and update with results to see if the lights return to the brightness they are supposed to be. I will also check the terminals to ensure everything is tight as it should be.

Thanks again!

ajth87

Well I had the alternator changed yesterday. After doing some driving, no more issues with the lights. The lights don't go dim then brighten again, they stay steady, though still not as bright as I seen them get when the issues were occurring -__-

Though that got fixed, of course there is more! I need two motor mounts per Nissan. I had one done and they are going to do the other one later this week when the part arrives.

Then, my SES light is on. I have to see what codes that is throwing and get it all fixed. Then hopefully my Maxima will be good as new!

Thanks for everyone's feedback!