Hi Everybody,
My Maxima has 69,000km on it and it is very healthy and clean car and I have never any problem with it.
Three days ago I was driving in highway and air condition was on. Suddenly battery light turned on and after few minutes air condition shut down. I thought alternator voltage is not enough and drive for 1 hours more. Next day car stopped on the middle of driving. I recharge the battery and brought the car home.Now when I disconnect the battery (engine is working) engine shut down immediately. Seems there is no voltage or current at all.
I think alternator needs to be changed. Is there any thing else I should think about or any other test procedure?
Local dealer asked for $447 for alternator and $225 for labor (Canadian Dollars).
I found rebuild alternator for $99 in eBay. Also I can change it myself.Any advise and help would be highly appreciated.
ThanksAllen
Maxima 2003 Alternator Please help.
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MinisterofDOOM
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Re: Maxima 2003 Alternator Please help. (kmail1979)
It's not a big deal to change it, so I'd save the labor cost and do it yourself. Just don't forget to disconnect the battery (pull the negative cable and you're set) or you might get an unpleasant surprise working down there.
As far as the remanufactured alternator...that's a big gamble. Sometimes they're complete crap, sometimes they're not. No gamble with the new one but the price difference is huge. If you go with the reman, make sure it comes with a lifetime warranty. Having to get back under the car in a year or two if the reman unit failed is frustrating, but may be worth the savings...that's all up to you.
It's easy to test (theoretically):Get a voltmeter and test the voltage at the battery terminals with the car running. Should read about 14 volts. If it's lower than 14 your alternator is bad. Or you can take the car to an auto parts shop and have them load-test the alternator...some shops won't do it with the alternator on the car which makes it a pain in the rear. The reason I say "theoretically" above is that faulty alternators can be hard to "catch" in the act. Sometimes they test fine but when you get them back on the car they still don't do the job.
As far as the remanufactured alternator...that's a big gamble. Sometimes they're complete crap, sometimes they're not. No gamble with the new one but the price difference is huge. If you go with the reman, make sure it comes with a lifetime warranty. Having to get back under the car in a year or two if the reman unit failed is frustrating, but may be worth the savings...that's all up to you.
It's easy to test (theoretically):Get a voltmeter and test the voltage at the battery terminals with the car running. Should read about 14 volts. If it's lower than 14 your alternator is bad. Or you can take the car to an auto parts shop and have them load-test the alternator...some shops won't do it with the alternator on the car which makes it a pain in the rear. The reason I say "theoretically" above is that faulty alternators can be hard to "catch" in the act. Sometimes they test fine but when you get them back on the car they still don't do the job.
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loystock
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Re: Maxima 2003 Alternator Please help. (MinisterofDOOM)
The suggestions from MinisterOfDoom are very good. You can gamble with that reman from eBay or buy OEM. You can buy from IoS (Infiniti of Scottsdale, a.k.a EverythingNissan.com) for @ $264. They also have a 5% discount until 15Jan09 so the price is @ $250.
If you drive long distance, I suggest you buy OEM. A few years ago, in my haste to get the alternator replaced in my daughter's car (her daily commute), I bought one from Kragen. It has lifetime warranty. But man, the 1st one died in less than a week. The 2nd died in 2 weeks time. The 3rd one finally worked. Although the replacements were free, it's no fun doing it over and over.
Regardless which alternator you buy, make sure you adjust the belt tensioner correctly. Too tight will cause the idler pulley to fail.
Rod
If you drive long distance, I suggest you buy OEM. A few years ago, in my haste to get the alternator replaced in my daughter's car (her daily commute), I bought one from Kragen. It has lifetime warranty. But man, the 1st one died in less than a week. The 2nd died in 2 weeks time. The 3rd one finally worked. Although the replacements were free, it's no fun doing it over and over.
Regardless which alternator you buy, make sure you adjust the belt tensioner correctly. Too tight will cause the idler pulley to fail.
Rod