engine/battery/electrical problem

[Porkys81]

I was driving last night and everything was fine and then all of a sudden my E brake and battery lights come on and i get to my destination and by now, my lights are dim, my dashboard is lighting up like there's no tomorrow and my car dies. i try and turn the ignition but nothing happens. i figure its dead. i get jumper cables and jump it, starts up fine but i start to drive and i cant go anywhere. my engine putts and spatters around and the lights flash all over the dash again and i pull it back into the space and shut it off. im going to get it towed tomorrow to a mechanic. any thoughts?

[MinisterofDOOM]

Sounds like a bad alternator.

If you have a voltmeter or multimeter you can check it yourself (should be about 14 v at the battery terminals with the car running).

Welcome to NICO!

[maximaman]

i had a problem with this too it seems to be common among maximas. first thing i did was buy a new battery with the most cranking amps possible. i was running a 1100 watt system and it was draining power faster than it could recharge and i ended up getting bad negative battery connection because of it and acid build up nuked my gold terminal. i switched the terminal out and pulled out my system and sold it. now it runs a hell of alot better. are you running anything out of the ordinary like sounds or lighting or running your a/c constantly. all this can overwhelm your alt and drain power or cook it completely.

1100 watt sonyrockford fosgate ampdigi cap

[Beancooker]

Alternator. Easy to fix. Replaced mine, and Minister of Doom is a pro at it now.

[Porkys81]

yeah i went to a shop and they replaced both the battery and alternator. kinda steep but now its running better than before. Im running an amp/sub combo which could be the problem but i dont think so. Im not running high enough amps off those to cause problems, at least i dont think so. ive had it for like 3 years and no problems since i first installed it. i had to replace the alternator then too. any thoughts?

[NutriaforBreakfast]

I like to top off my battery at least every two weekswith a charge from my battery charger. Watch the cellson the ends of the batteries as those seem to need distilledwater the most.

Keep the terminals clean.

Wear eye protection and wash your hands after messingwith batteries-I know 2 people who have had themexplode on them ableit a "rare" occurence.

I think the charge keeps the alternator from working as hardand keeps electrical switches opening completely (rather thanpartially)