Sup Org!

Alright, so I have a possible alternator/electrical issue.


Issue

1. Simultaneously, the brake light, ABS and battery dash lights flashed intermittently and the car lost power; engine is still on, but very little power.
2. Only happened once while going up fairly steep hill. Couldnt get up the hill. Again, engine running, no power.
3. Had it towed, she cranks and starts no problem and even took her around the neighborhood with no issues except!
Symptoms returned when I went up a small incline, but stopped once i cleared it.

Diagnostics thus far

1. I tested the battery and the alternator, and to the best of my limited electrical knowledge, they both passed.
2. Idler pulley and drive belts are secure with no play.
3. Did a scan with no codes.
4. Idles fine while parked.

** Update 03.22.17 **

Got the Maxima back. Below is what the mechanic did.

1. Replicated the issue; validated it happens when car is at operating temp.
2. Ruled out battery, alternator, and their connections as the issue.
3. Finding it difficult to pinpoint the issue; he's sure it's engine related (he's been wiggling wires)

One other thing i've thought about is, would a remote starter be causing any issues? It xame installed when i bought it a few years ago.

 

Doesn't sound like an alternator to me. Could be electrical but not alternator. Even if it did stop charging for a short time it would keep running fine off the battery for a good while.

I'd let it idle and start jiggling wires under the hood to see if you can recreate the issue.

 

I agree with Derrick.

If I strip all the redundant verbage from your description, then your symptoms are:
- Your car looses power, intermittently.
- The lights (alternator etc.) come on. I suspect this is a consequence rather than the cause.

Like Derrick said, check your connections and connectors. Also, sensors (TPS,CPS). And fuel delivery. You can only troubleshoot this when the problem is there - so this won't be easy. Good luck!

 

I was on the highway last year when the brake, abs, and battery lights all came on, followed by a loss of power (car still on).

I figured it could be the battery as it was getting old so I replaced it, and about a week later the car failed to start. The problem was the alternator. Apparantly for that week it was just at the absolute lowest it could run without completely failing.

 

Thanks everyone. It will be difficult to replicate as it has only happened while in motion. While waiting for the tow the other day, ibsat with it idling for about 20 mins and it didnt repeat.

I'll test some sensors of to see if they're bad.

Another question, since alternator/battery issues may not throw a code, wouldnt a bad CPS/CKP/TPS sensor throw one?

 

Now that you updated your description: It seems that the problem only occurs when going uphill. Correct? If so, is the car downshifting properly?

 

Yes, downshifting was no issue. It is currently with my mechanic (since Monday). He can replicate the issue and verified it occurs when the car is at temp. He ruled out the battery, alternator and all its connections. He is finding it difficult to pinpoint where the issue is happening.

 

Sorry to be so persistent, but if you want help, your description needs to be much more accurate and concise:

1. You have not answered my basic question: Does the problem only occur when driving uphill: YES, NO, or you DON'T KNOW ??
2. In your post #1 (updated on 3/22), you say that the problem only occurred once. However, you subsequently say that your mechanic can reproduce it. That's a contradiction. What gives ???
3. You are saying that "downshifting was no issue". How did you come to that conclusion ??? Does it mean that when going uphill, your car downshifts, but in spite of that, it has no power: YES, NO, or DON'T KNOW ?
4. You are saying that your mechanic "ruled out the battery, alternator and all its connections". How did he come to that conclusion? Did he/you confirm that the battery holds 12.5V (engine not running) and 14.5V-14.8V (engine running and charging the battery): YES, NO, or DON'T KNOW?

Normally, when the Battery/Alternator light comes on, it indicates a problem in the charging subsystem. However, the loss of power you are reporting is not "normal", so that's why both Derrick and I said "doesn't sound like an alternator problem to me". However, there is a small chance I could be wrong ..... .
We should be able to move forward once you answer my questions above (#1 - #4), and once you measure the voltages listed in #4.

 

I had the same problem (2002 SE) 5 years ago. Turned out to be the alternator. Problem was frustratingly intermittent and my mechanic could not replicate it. Took it to the dealer and in their "superior wisdom and knowledge" said it was a batttery issue. Replaced the battery and the car ran fine for about 3 weeks and then one night just before I hit the on-ramp the car died!

Got it towed to the mechanic and the next morning the car started fine no problem and then died some minutes later, bad alternator! You will know for certain when your dashoard lights look much dimmer than usual. That happened during the day before the car died, I ignored it by adjusting the brightness. Big mistake in hindsight.

I got rid of the Maxima almost a year ago it had 191k miles on it, if you can't work on these cars yourself repair costs are a wallet-emptier! It was a reliable car over the 10 years I had it though. The alternator problem was the only time I got it towed.

 

For what it's worth I had a non OEM alternator that only would go wonky once the car was up to operating temperature. How many km are on your alternator and is it OEM?

 

Have him disconnect and reconnect all the wires from battery and alternator.... Change the alternator with OEM one.

 

Maxiiiboy, are you being persistent or impatient? Because based on your response, and with your use of ALL CAPS, you seem annoyed.

1. As I've explained, when I tried to diagnose, it only happened when going on an incline.. the steep hill and then the slight hill. So my testimony hadnt changed. I hadnt asked the mechanic how he replicated it, other than understanding that he did so once the car was at op temp. So again, my statementd remin true to date.

2. Downshifting issues: i didnt recognize that the car downshifted at all when the originall issue occurred, the power was simply lost while engine was still on, and came to a rolling stop. So my answer is still NO, there were no downshifting issues that i could tell when i was driving it.

3. When did a test on my battery with egine off, YES, 12.5 V registered, when i tested with engine on, YES, it registered with 14.6V. I didnt ask the mechanic if he did the same test when he says he has ruled out the alternator and battery... but i am assuming that if i get that result as an amateur, he should get that as a professional.

He has one more day to diagnose, ill be taking the car back if he find it.

 

I'll see if he has one, butas mentioned, he really doesnt believe that it's the alternator.

 

Robo, thanks for sharing your experience. If my mechanic cant pinpoint the issue and i get it back, ill keep working on it myself. I cant say for certain now that the lights look dimmer. But ill be sure to keep that in mind when i get back.

I agree, i try to do as much as i can myself, with the limited mechanical knowledge i have. But bc of the Org, ive had the know how presented to me.

Thanks again.

 

Hey Ssneaker, i bought this Maxima, my third 5th gen btw, about three years ago and it was not the greatest condition.

From the look of it, it is probably the original, but cant say for sure unless i can really look at it.

I currently have 137k miles on it.

Did you have a similar issue?

 

Hey Flames, thanks for sharing. Did you have the same symptoms? Was it just when the car was warmed up, up hills, or just crapped out and wouldnt start?

 

I had the same symptoms which presented themselves seemingly at random... A cold or warm engine didn't have an effect on the it. Up hills could present the problem, but it also happened a couple of times on a flat highway. I do quite a lot of kms and it was around a week after the first symptoms that the car failed to start.

Jump started it and I was fine for the rest of the day as long as I didn't leave the car for a couple hours. So I replaced the battery, and the problem came back the next morning. Jumped it again, went to the shop and got it tested. They told me that the alternator was just barely working to get the car from point A to B (The lights and loss of power came on when it temporarily stopped working, thank god never long enough to leave me stranded). Replaced it and the issue has not returned in months and over 30,000kms.

If your problem is the alternator, then the reason it could stop working on hills is that it is now unable to handle the higher load.

 

That seems like the useful life of one of these alternators. Mine was toast by 120k miles last year.

 

Whats your fuel level look like? Could that cause this issue since your going up a hill the fuel could drain back into the tank causing the loss of power?

 

Here's another reason I don't think it's the alternator. Assuming I'm reading the symptoms correctly.

The car started driving like crap then stalled. Later the car started on its own and was fine. If a car dies from a bad alternator it doesn't happen till the battery is flat. That's what actually shuts it down. If the battery is too flat to run the car there's no way it will start the car the next day, or ever, without a jump. Even if the Alternator cools off over night and starts working perfectly the battery will still be dead.

If I had the car I'd be exploring a fuel delivery issue. A weak pump with a clogged filter could be fine at first then start to fail as it (the pump) gets hot. When it cools it could be fine. The hill may effect it too if it's sucking up a bunch of crap and increasing the demand at the same time. You'd be essentially running out of gas which doesn't throw or store a code.

 

And getting back to a surface charge always turn the lights on before checking the battery.
I had an issue with a bad battery in my other car and it just became hard to start.
The voltage checked fine 12V.

 

Derrick2k2Se,

What you just said makes a ton of sense! I'm getting the car back tomorrow, so I want to explore that.

Hmm, but as I think about that. How would that explain the engine still running? While i was on the hill and hitting the gas, the car wouldnt move, it even started to inch backward.

Would clogged filter or weak fuel pump theoretically still allow enough to run the engine but not enough to crank? Or am i making myself confused LOL.

Simple right, i press the accelerator, injectors fire, cumbustion happens, piston churns the camshaft, voila, power. Ugh.

 

Fuel issues can be strange. I've seen filters get packed up under load, cause loss of power then stalling. After sitting for a while they flow again.

An electric motor can overheat, shut down and come back on after sitting and cooling off.

I'm not saying this is what it is but it's worth looking at.

 

I have an alternator issue very similar on my other car
The issue is that whenever you disconnect the (-) better cable to work on it then hook it back up it idles REAL low. If you take a spin around the idle stabilizes.
Reason I think it's an alternator issue is because make a long story short
I put the bad battery back in the car (new one didn't fit right) and the guy at the store tried to quick jump me off with a 50amp charger.
Then he began to encourage me to step on it so the alternator would charge the battery back up.
Keep in mind this i think is an 80amp alternator. 06 corolla
I think it damaged the alternator in a way that allows the car to run but could have issues anytime the new battery is disconnected.

 

That doesn't sound like an alternator issue at all. Disconnecting the battery while the car is off has nothing to do with the alternator. The alternator doesn't store any memory or depend on the battery when the car is off.

It sounds like the ECU is compensating for some issue. Disconnecting the battery may be erasing it's memory of it. Once you drive again the ECU detects the issue and compensates again.

 

Another thing popped into my head. It has a remote starter installed, came with when i bought the Max a few years ago. Could that somehow be causing issues?

 

I really doubt it but anything's possible when someone unknown starts screwing with the wiring.

Check where they tapped into the system for power and all the other wiring. They may have twisted some wires together or used crappy connectors instead of soldering. If they pulled on wiring harnesses anything is possible.

I once saw a Saab that required $1,200 in diagnostic work to solve a no start issue caused by a stereo shop tapping into the wrong power source.

 

I doubt it too, only bc its been so without any issue. Ive used it like everyday during the past 3 winters. Maybe as you said a connection wasnt soldered and it may be causing an issue.

 

So still having the issue. Driving it back from the mechanic took about 20 mins, so i definitley got it to op temp. Lost power again around the corner from the house. But got it home.

I did an oil change bc it was way overdue. Was shaking all kinds of wires and connectors with no luck.

It did, however, for the first time, replicate the issue while Parked and idling. Took it around the neighborhood and went up the small incline i spoke of before and went limping up the hill.

Got to the top made the turn and shifted from D to 3, to 2 with no change until... shifted back up tonD and it transmission slammed into gear and bolted forward. That was new. Transfer case or tranny issue?

So, i am unfortunately, taking to my local Nissan Stealership tomorrow to see.

 

I would check your motor/trans grounds. I watched a pal do a motor swap on a Chrysler Pacifica and it wouldn't start after installation.he forgot he tore the ground on the motor mount so once we touched a wire from mount to frame it started right up.

 

My .02 here. I have an 02 Max that lost throttle response (engine would start and idle). Put a volt meter on it and found out that the alternator was putting out 18+ volts. OEM alternator had about 145k on it. Replaced the alternator and all was fixed.

 

Hey thanks for the reponse. Yeah, did voltage test on battery and alternator (mechanic did too) and it checked out normal.

 

Hey MadMax,

Yeah, my mechanic said the grounds looked good. While he had my Max, he was wiggling all different connectors and wires to see what else it could be. He couldnt pinpoint it. Its in with the dealer now, so just waiting to see what bs answere and crazy *** cost they'll come back with.

 

So dealership is saying its an alternator issue. Something about overcharging. Hmmm.

$563 fix

Warranty 12 months or 12,000 miles

 

Interesting. Was the battery swelling or spitting water?

I'd thought the original mechanic would checked the voltage.

 

Yeah that was my understanding... and when i tested the voltage myslef, it came out normal. I'll have them just do the work, I just dont have any time left. Need it for work. Ugh

 

That sucks, hopefully the replacement solves the problem.

 

I beleive you have a proverbial "gremlin" in your wiring harness. If anyone has modified your wiring harness and did not do it correctly you are in for the fight of your life buddy. If I were you id be absolutely sure that he correctly wired into the harness. Chasing a ghost around your wiring harness is not what you need to be spending time on. If your harness is suspect you need to swap it out with a known good one.

 

Thanks for the heads up. Any idea on the cost to replace?