While i was driving today, all of a sudden, my brake and battery lights came on. I noticed them i'd say no more than ten minutes after i had filled my gas tank and they were not on at that time. I do know that my rotors need resurfacing, but could the combination of these two lights mean something completely else? What should i do? Please help me out. I'll let the car sit for about an hour or so, then ill turn it on again to check if they're still there. Any help will be appreciated. Thanks.

 

I do realize that the easiest thing to do would be to start with replacing both the battery and Brakes (not breaks, i spelled it wrong in the title...damn anxiety), but the fact that they're on simultaneously arises some suspicion in my mind. I hope it doesn't lead to something else...

 

Go to autozone and test your battery voltage. That is 'free' and will tell you if you battery needs replacing. Autozone can also pull error codes from the ecu. That should be your first step.

 

http://forums.maxima.org/showthread.php?t=474948

 

Good call teksurv thanks for the hit on that thread...

 

Good call teksurv thanks for the hit on that thread...

 

So, great news...I took the car to school today and it started fine, then i got outta school, it started school, then stopped by a store to grab some indian food, came back started fine, then i went to the bank, came back and it didn't start. I got the car jump started, then i was on my way home and it was shaking while i was nearing a stop light, everytime i touched the brakes, the dash lights and needles would go wild. Boom i touched the brakes to stop and the car stalled out. I jumped out of the car and started pushing it to the side, low and behold, a cop was right behind me in an unmarked cruiser, i guess i didn't notice him cause i was looking at my gauges to make sure the car didin't flat line on me permanently, but he was there and he turned his lights and whined his siren a few times. All he had to say when he popped his head out was "What's wrong with it...." i say to myself uh im outta the car and pushing it sherlock, it's not running hahaha, then to him "It's died out on me". So he looked peeved and pulled his car next to mine to jump it at the light. Now, mind you, this is a single lane road so he's blocking on coming traffic. He automatically leaves his cruiser running and expects that everything will charge up. When i tell him to shut off and restart his car he says " It should be fine..." im like ok and he suggests i try to crank it. So i do, it doesn't start. So i say, "the best bet officer would be to shut off your car and restart it so that your alternator will send a charge through both batteries. " He looks at me and does it, so the car starts and he just looks at me and as im stepping out of the car he demands, "stay in your vehicle." At this point i KNOW he's pissed cause i in some way shape or form outsmarted his intelligence. Then he brings me my jumpers and i put them in the seat next to me, knowing that it's gonna shut off again. He starts walking to his cruiser and i exclaim, "****!" he says "What happened?" i tell him it shut off again, then he says that he's gonna pull his car in front of mine to let the traffic through and that i should "stay in my vehicle" again. so he asks for the jumpers through my window and we get it started again. Then i don't touch a thing until the light turned green again and as soon as the light turned green, i touched the brakes and it shuddered i said to my self, "hell no im getting the hell outta here, come on baby (to the car)..." so i make it through the light and not two hundred feet later it dies again and this time the cop doesn't stop, i know he saw me ppull to the side after the turn and there weren't any cars around, well he didn't come back. Protect and serve my ***... *****! damn popo. Hahaha, point of the story is that i pissed off a cop and am proud of it so i thought i might share knowing how much **** at one point in time each one of us has gotten or will get form cops. HA one point for MAxima.org a million for the damn cops...it's all good we're catching up!

 

 

Not wise pissing off someone who has a gun!

Anyway, have you checked the obvious? Brake lights on means there's not enough pressure in the hydraulic brake system. Usually because there's not enough brake fluid. Has nothing to do with whether or not your rotor is warped or not. So check your brake fluid level, make sure it's not below the 'low' mark.

Battery light means there's not enough electricity from the alternator to charge the battery. It could be because your alternator is not producing enough juice even as it spins at normal speed (needs to be replaced?), not turning with enough speed (belt slipping?), or it spins normally and produces enough juice, but it's not getting to the battery. Could be simply because the battery post is dirty. Hey, it happened on me once! I thought the battery's weak, so I went to autozone to get it replaced. The guy tested it, and says it's good. So I put it back in, and left. The car died on the street not one block from the store. A cop showed up and kindly jump started it, and I went back to the store. Turns out the battery post is dirty, once it's cleaned up the car starts up like it's brand new!

 

Either your alternator is gone, or your battery isn't holding any charge. I bet it's the alternator. Get it fixed!

 

sorry...wished i saw this earlier....ur alternator is dead. trust me on this one. It needs to be replaced. When u touch ur brakes it dies, because when u use the brakes, it requires electricity. The battery and brake light comes on at once means tha laternator is overcharging or not charging at all. IN your case, prob not charging.

 

Yeah i know he had a gun but what the heck the cops have hassled me enough, so i took it as a pay back. Hahahaha.

Yeah im 100% sure its my alternator too, as we speak im looking for a new alternator. WOuld it be ok to go with a cheap one from autozone or whatever or should i just go with OEM Nissan? I need the car back as cheap and fast as possible and thats why autozone and advance are possibilities. I do realize that you get what you pay for but then again when i have the money to dish out 400 on an alternator without core charges...i'll buy the oem. i just don't have the money.