Maxima alternator problem

[shoeguru58]

My alternator went out on my 1997 Maxima GXE and was replaced by a rebulid. Replaced batery at the same time. Now the battery/alternator light and the brake light will not come on at start up, and after the car set in my garage for 7 days it would not start because the battery was completely drained. My mechanichas checked it all out and he does not know what is going on. Any help would be appreciated.shoeguru58

[maxhopper]

Sounds like you have a bad alternator...it's been known to happen. You should be able to take the alternator to a parts store (Autozone) and have it tested for free.

[maxhopper]

Welcome to NICO shoeguru58!

Myself and the other members/moderators here will do our best to offer you the best information available for your vehicle.

[Red coupe]

In responce to the question I belive you original post made it sound more like the car died after sitting for 7 days undriven, while this one sounds like it died then sat for a week....

If the car died after being driven with the replacement alternater I would agree with ax, it just sounds like you got abad replacement. Who ever got the part for you should be able to test it and take care of you on that one..

If the car's battery somehow discharged white it was sitting it may be another problem. The alternator isn't going to do anything to keep the battery charged when the car isn't running, so something would have to be draining the battery, or the battery would have to be bad.

[shoeguru58]

The car had sat in my garage for 7 days and would not start. The new 85 month interstate battery was completely drained to the point that the door locks would not even work. I do not think I left anything on, like the dome light etc. The car is now back in the garage for a few days to see if the same thing happens. Meanwhile, why would the battery light and the brake light not come on at start up. I'm pretty sure they did before the alternator was replaced. I know that the brake light at least is not burned out because it comes on when I engage the emergency brake. Thanks for you help.shoeguru58

[Red coupe]

Sorry man Im horrible with electronics and have no experiance with Maxima's....

But yeah doesn't sound like an alternator thing then...Alternator isn't doing much when the car is just sitting..Ive been racking my brain trying to come up with what could discharge a battery like that and the only thing I can come up with is that I dont understand electronics

Just to trow some more stuff out there since there doesn't seem to be much else going on in this thread...

Was the car fine before all this started? It ran fine on the way home from the shop? why was it parked again after it came home from the shop?

Perhaps the mechanic could have either given you and old(but still new) batter/or simply a bad battery....Or perhaps something could have been hooked up incorrectly that caused damage/drainage to the battery?

Sorry I can't really offer more help man.

[shoeguru58]

The car was great before all this took place, just normal maintenence stuff.We had the car in the garage because we took our van on vacation and left the maxima at home...I know what a bummer. Still waiting a few more days to see if the battery drains again. Shoeguru58

[maxhopper]

The possibilities are pretty much limited to either a bad battery or a short to ground. How much was the car driven after the battery and alternator were replaced prior to storage?

[shoeguru58]

The car was driven from Silverthorne, Colorado to Kirksville, Missouri about900 miles. Is there anyway that a defective alternator could be causing the short to ground? and yet still charge the battery??shoeguru58

[maxhopper]

I don't think it could short internally. The possibility is present that the alternator is defective and giving off a weak charge. This charge would be great enough to keep the vehicle running, but not enough to fully charge the battery.

If your battery discharges again, your best option is to go to Autozone and have the battery and alternator checked for free. Here is the address for one in your town. 1404 N Baltimore StreetKirksville, MO 63501(660) 627-5499

[shoeguru58]

Thanks for your help. Will let you all know what I find out.shoeguru58

[coolhand]

Have you check for draw on your battery? Try this: Get a circuit test light.

charge your battery.

turn off and remove key from the ignition.

disconnect the battery ground and make sure the ground connector is away for the ground terminal.

connect the alligator clip to the ground connector.

stick the circuit tester probe in to the ground terminal (give a little force and it will stay in)

if the light is bright, you may have to hold the plunger under the hood.

if the light is still bright you have a component that is drawing power.

remove fuses one by one until the light out or very dim. (keep track of the fuses and there function because one of them could be your problem component)

if it does not solve you problem at least you know that it is a draw on the battery.

Hope this helps.

[shoeguru58]

Thanks coolhand, but my mechanic did this already and said he found nothing wrong. The test light was very dim (I witnessed this) and he said it was probably the security system/computer or something else normal.Any other suggestions???shoeguru58

[shoeguru58]

Well, after dealing with this problem since July 24th, I finally have my problem with my alternator fixed. It turns out that the shop that replaced the alternator in Colorado reversed the field voltage wires, (the pair of small wires that plug into the top of the alternator). This was figured out by a tec at Perry Nissan in Columbia MO. He finally, after spending a lot of time and a call to Nissan Tec, got another 1997 Maxima and compared them side by side and discovered the solution. They tell me the reversal caused the dash warning light, the abs, and the airbags to be disabled. Also, it caused intermittant charging by the alternator since the second wire only carried about 9 volts instead of the 12 volts the alternator needs to start charging. What a mess. Anyway I thought you all would like to know about this in case it ever happens to one of you.

[maxhopper]

Wow, talk about an obscure problem. Glad you finally got it taken care of.