I've been out of town for about 3 weeks and my Maxima ('95 with 85k miles) had been sitting the whole time. When I returned the car started up without any problems and my wife took off running errands. After her first stop the car was completely dead. I jumped it with my truck and it would barely turn over. Once I got it running I noticed a whirring sound through the stereo that I have never had before. You know, that whine that comes from the alternator and gets louder as RPM's increase? Also, when I turned the headlights on, the radio shut off from a lack of power! Do these things add up to a dead alternator? Oh yeah, the battery is about 1 year old.

Thanks for the help!

 

could be your battery or alternator, you might want to have a load test performed on your electrical system, if your battery fails to hold a charge then your battery needs to be replaced, regardless of age (I had the same problem w/ the battery when my '98 Altima was one year old, too bad those crooks at the dealer still made me pay partial price for a new battery, I had over 22K on it then).

However, if your battery checks out fine then chances are it could be the alternator ... let us know how it goes

 

It could be the battery. Did you leave any lights on when you were out of town? Maybe get it charged fully and see how it goes. But I had similar problem. I got the battery and brake light on suddenly and the car wont start even with multiple jumps. Finally I had to tow it and it ended up being bad alternator. I had a brand new battery.

 

I don't think the battery is the problem. The car started fine right when we got home but after starting it that first time it wouldn't even crank. I charged the battery last night and I will see what happens from here. I will let you all know.

What do you guys make of the whine through the stereo? Why would I get this all of the sudden?

Thanks.