Last night at 2 AM while driving home I had a red chevrolet colbalt SS pull next to me, so we both get on it about 40 mph, I didnt spray my nirtous, but while we were going, my brake and battery light came on and are still on, No CEL, but everything drives and functions normal... I checked the fuses and those seem fine. I don't see what it could be.. what would trigger that?

 

Your alternator is history.

 

Either that or it's the battery. Have them tested.

 

brand new yellow top optima, alternator i could see, since my radar detector and volt gauge have only been reading 12's... still curious about the brakes... oh well Lake Powell for 7 days then i worry about it. Thanks...!!!

 

alternator is dead or approaching death. brake light comes on because power is cut to abs when the alternator dies, in addition to power steering and a multitude of other things.

 

Yeah, don't think you're gonna make 7 days at lake Powell?!?!?!?

 

Yea your alternator done for. Making it 7 days is possible but highly unlikely.

 

well, if your Brake light is on (the red light that tells you if your E brake is on or not) you might try checking your brake fluid. I had this problem, where just the brake light would be on and i knew that this happens sometimes because the fluid is low. However, i dont see why this would happen in conjuction with the battery light and while driving. if not, then mb it is your alt.

 

not driving my max to powell, lol, i also don't have ABS, brake fluid is fine, but is is my alt for sure, i can tell now...

 

this just happened to my max two days ago. You're in luck though, there was a recall on alternators for 97 max's so you should be able to get it replaced for free.

 

A recall on all 97 alternators??? Cool, I need an excuse for free new stuff. I don't think I have a prob with my alternator though. Will they still give me another??

 

they should, I just talked to the guy today and all I have to do is give him my vin number tomorrow and he has to run a check.

1997-1998 Maxima Alternator Replacement
Applies to 1997 Maxima, the following Vehicle Identification Number
Ranges:
JN1CA21D*VT218136 - 222389;
JN1CA21D*VT847525 - 877868;
JN1CA21D*VM518869 - 540253.
Applies to 1998 Maxima, the following Vehicle Identification Number
Ranges:
JN1CA21A*WT300201 - 405210;
JN1CA21D*WT500001 - 615203;
JN1CA21A*WM800002 - 806538;
JN1CA21D*WM900001 - 923624.
Please be aware that not all VINs within these ranges may be affected
by this campaign.

The number of vehicles potentially affected is approximately 140,000.
Please review the disclaimer located at the bottom of this page for
more information.

Reason for Recall
On some 1997 and 1998 Nissan Maxima vehicles, there is a possibility
that the alternator may contain a damaged diode. This could eventually
result in an electrical short which may cause a fire in the alternator
that could spread to the engine compartment.

What Nissan Will Do
In order to prevent this condition from occurring, your Nissan dealer
will inspect and, if necessary, replace the alternator. This free
service should take about two hours to complete, but your Nissan dealer
may require your vehicle for a longer period of time based upon their
work schedule.

What You Should Do
Contact your Nissan dealer at your earliest convenience in order to
arrange an appointment to have your vehicle repaired. Instructions have
been sent to your Nissan dealer.

If the dealer fails, or is unable to make the necessary repairs free of
charge, you may contact the National Consumer Affairs Office, Nissan
North America, Inc. at P.O. Box 191, Gardena, California 90248-0191.
The toll free number is 1-800-NISSAN1 (1-800-647-7261).

If you have paid to have your alternator replaced prior to this
campaign, you may be eligible for reimbursement of the related expense.
You will still need to contact your Nissan dealer to arrange an
appointment to have your vehicle inspected.
Click here for Additional Reimbursement Information

You may also contact the Administrator of the National Highway Traffic
SafetyAdministration, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590
or call the toll-free Safety Hotline at 1-888-327-4236.

 

That's the problem I had with my AutoZone replacement alternator. Good thing for the lifetime warranty. I think it was remanufactured using 97 Maxima parts.

 

that happened to me last week, the belt snapped. i'm sure you already checked your belt to see that it hasn't snapped yet, and to make sure its tight enough to spin the alternator.

 

there could eb something else wrong but I just checked my vin and I fall under recall. And since I just added another amp to my system, I'd like to have a new alternator.

 

well i am back now, I am vt210871, thus i don't fall under the recall... ah well, gotta go get one and put it in myself i suppose... Thanks for all the responses.

 

always nice to see an .org member actually get help instead of just flamed for not searching.

 

Well im in one of the ranges listed...how would i know if the previous owner had the alternator replaced? Is there anyway i could tell?

 

i dorve 3 yrs with battery and brake light on....but yea its ur alternator

 

lol i had no time to search, my buddy told me what it meant after 5 minutes of posting, if you notice this is the first ("please help me") thread i have had and most likely ever will.

But yes it was great to have some good input for once, its something the org is lacking lately.

 

So if the brake and battery lights are on, and the battery is brand new, and all connections are tight, all fuses are good, etc. Could it be anything other than the alternator? I'm only asking because I put in a brand new alternator (well rebuilt) last week after the POS Can Am one went out on me for the 4th time.

I replaced the battery at the same time and when I cranked it, the battery and brake lights come on dimly after the car warms up. I checked and at idle, there are only 11.9V at the battery terminals which tells me the alternator isn't charging. I thought it was the Alt S fuse at first which has blown before, but that's fine. Then I noticed that if I rev it up, the light goes away.

I emailed the shop I bought the alternator from and they swear that it has something to do with a "relay" that is known to blow on Maximas and the alternator is not switching on. I'm trying to tell them that if the light goes away as rpm's go up, then the alternator is switching on, but it's not putting out enough current. Of course this mostly stems from them not wanting to honor a warranty.

So is there such a relay? I thought I knew the electrical system pretty well on the Maxima since I've had to remove and reinstall that Can Am so many times. I thought the Alt S fuse was basically signal to switch the alternator on. I've pulled up dozens of searches now, and everyone points to the alternator. I just want 100% confirmation that it can't be anything else wiring or relay related.

 

Man. I got the voltage and brake light on about 3 weeks ago. AFTER installing a NEW(remanfactured) Alternator! I replaced the alternator 2X's and battery 1X. And the lights are still on, along with a meter reading low voltage. I took the car to nissan. THey are now telling me my alt has too high of a voltage. (can 2 alt in a row have high voltage?) Their charging me $500 so Im taking my maxima back. f!ck that. Problem is I know theres a problem but i cant find it. GOnna take it somewhere else in time.

The original problem was my car went bezerk a bout an hour after failing to jumpstart a cousin's jacked up car(teir starter was f*ked. Basically, my car ended up needing a jump an hour later after leaving the scene.

I use the battery booster pack/jumper and the second I took off the jumper cables , my Max would die. I jumped it about 5Xs till i finally drove the car slowly home with the booster/jumper attached to the battery underneath the hood.

My car died a few days after, and I then bought the 1st alternator.

Good luck. The barke light goes off wit your voltage light from what nissan said.