Rich1

Anyone have some insight on replacing an alternator on a 2000 Max? Any how-tos? Any thoughts on the problem?

I suspect mine is gone at 96,000kms. Freaky incident today on the highway - ABS, TCS off sensors, Airbag SRS (blicking) all came on at 110km/hr then the instrument panel gauges all shut down with fading lights...car still ran so I could get it to a safe place.

Got it to start again but then the instrument panel faded again... eventually after starting the car a couple of times and shutting it down the car wouldn't start again...

irish44j

iTrader: (38)

that doesn't really sound like an alternator necessarily......I can't think of what would cause what happened to you, but bad alternator i don't think would cause that...bad alternator just means your battery would eventually go dead....

EHaul

I had the EXACT same situation about a week ago. The car died about 200yds from home. The alt runs everything while the engine is running (including charging the battery) and if it dies everything will freak out. As the sensors that tell you computer things are operating correctly (airbag, TCS, ABS, etc.) begin to return low voltages b/c your battery is dying, the computer tells the dash lights to come on - it thinks that they have been activated. Unfortunately, in my case the battery light NEVER came on, sounds like yours was the same. The best part of this is that mine died at 42months (that's right, 6months out of warranty) and 32k. The mechanic who did the work called it "baffling."

Doc Hawk

Wow... what timing! This just happened to me yesterday afternoon! 2001 SE with 58,900 miles on it. Interesting that this hit Rich's car and my car at roughly the same mileage.

What was your repair cost, EHaul? I am thinking about doing the work myself.

Thanks,
Doc Hawk
David Chong
Central Coast, CA

EHaul

I had my MAX fixed by the dealer here in Atlanta b/c I’m shooting for a “goodwill” warranty repair (only 32k miles but beyond the 36months) and I didn’t have the time to mess with it. If I had done it myself or had anyone else do it, my chances at the goodwill would have been nil. The fact that you two and a few others on the site are all frying alternators at fairly low mileage is making me think that what the mechanic said about the MAX alternator is possibly true, it’s undersized for all the electronics. He went onto to call the 2000+ MAXs “electrical nightmares”. It’s a pity really b/c I love the car.

The dealer raped me for $470 ($260 alternator, $210 labor). They tried to sell me on the $70 battery w/ the $50 install, but I could do that work for way less than half the money and about 20 minutes. In addition, I didn’t need it. The car cranks fine now that the battery is charging (alternator is working) and that’s all the battery is for anyway, starting the car.

About the install, there’s another link somewhere on the site about replacing an alternator. I can’t remember if it was a question or a response. Look around and you might find a procedure. It looks messy (radiator hose, no space, stuff under, belt, etc.), and I didn’t even investigate it b/c of the possibility that I might get it covered. If not, at least I didn’t have to waste the time doing it. My wife and kids probably appreciate that.

Side note: To verify it’s the alternator just check the battery voltage at the terminals before and after starting the car. You should get a higher result after starting the car b/c the alternator is running and charging the battery. If it’s not around 13volts, you probably have a bad alternator. Also check the fusible link (basically a fuse) on the positive terminal of the battery. If it’s blown you likely have a bigger problem b/c something went really wrong to fry it, but at least there’s the possibility that your alternator is ok. If you get someone else to do the work DON’T waste a dime towing the car. Just charge it overnight and then drive it in. The battery can handle a short trip on a full charge.

Good luck!

geenowalker

Dont know if this will help, but I had a Dodge interpid (company car) that had a similar problem. What was happening was the battery terminal wire connector actually was coming loose and when it moved, it broke the connection the car stalled. AFter five years of working the metal connector somehow expanded. I wound up building up the size of the terminal with tin foil until I got to Kmart to buy a $3 replacement. Try tightening the battery terminals as tight as you can get the screws and then "jiggle" it to see it its loose.

Shot in the dark, but free.

g

Norm Peterson

Thanks for the fusible link tip.


So I guess the alternator is a dead player if I get 12.5 volts with the engine off (very little electrical load), 12.15 with it started (same load), 11.85 (running, with headlights), and 11.55 (running, added A/C & rear window defog)?

Maybe an inductive ammeter could detect an alternator power cable that's carrying little or no amps?

TIA for any additional hints/troubleshooting.

Norm

NYPD-Arnold

iTrader: (8)

Your coils blew. Pretty common. The symptom of blown coils is a lit up dashboard. Your alt is more than fine.

Lontar1

iTrader: (5)

If it is your Alt and you end changing it yourself, follow this link......good luck


http://www.motorvate.ca/mvp.php/500

Norm Peterson

NYPD - I'm not following "blown coils" very well. Which coil(s)? It seems to run OK although it seems to take an extra cranking revolution or so to "catch".

It's intermittent. Only the charge warning light and the brake warning light are involved. Right now I'm getting 12.6/12.7 with the engine running and headlights on, and with the headlights off and the engine running I'm reading 8 - 11 amps through the alternator's output cable.

Norm

killer924007

i replaced my alternator 1 month ago in a car shop cost $300..if ur alternator won't recharge,ur dash battery light should come on,that's the bookmanual says it also....( recharge system problem)

Y2k2maxse

iTrader: (1)

no offense to the guy that said charge it overnight and drive it in with the battery....please dont.. i tried this with my volvo and a bad alternator a while back and it turned out bad... put it this way...thats why i have the maxima now and dont have the volvo anymore...

handsofstone

when my altinator died. my brake warning light and my seatbelt light both came on. same thing happened to a friend with an ae. i changed my altinator myself. took a little while. we were drinking and barbequing while doing this.

GaMax97GLE

iTrader: (3)

Same thing happened to me on a trip from Atlanta to Nashville...only made it to Chattanooga. Bought a refurbished ALT from a Nissan tech buddy on the D-LO and installed it myself using the www.motorvate.ca website as a reference. All went well, though I did loose a 10mm socket somewhere...

Norm Peterson

Just as FYI, it's quite easy once you can drop the compressor and push it off toward the center of the car to fish the alternator down toward the RF wheelwell. It's a little safer for the radiator fins as well. This does assume that you've got the front wheels up on ramps . . .

Norm

KL99SEA

iTrader: (1)

If you just remove the radiator you have twice the room and don't risk damaging it. I just did my 03 and the AC compessor would not move enough. (It may be different) I took the extra 10 minutes to remove and re-install/fill the radiator instead of risking damaging it. You are right against it to get the alt out. With the radiator out of the way you have a bunch of room.

Norm Peterson

That differences may exist can explain why some tricks work better on some cars than others. In my case, there was plenty of "wiggle room" for the compressor, and it was worth it to me to only have to drain a pint or so of coolant out the top hose/water neck when I broke that connection so the shroud could be lifted pretty much straight out. If I replace the coolant slowly with the car at a slight angle (side to side), I shouldn't be trapping any big air pockets.

Norm

Weimar Ben

iTrader: (5)

What happened with your car is consistant with a blown alternator. I don't see how charging the battery and then driving it around would hurt anything. When the voltage drops down low enough, things may start acting funky, but I don't see how low voltage could damage anything.

Bad coils will cause pinging/misfires, but will absolutely not cause the behavior you described.

My 1st car was a POS 95 Chevy Corsica. The Alternator would go out on it every 3-5k miles. I replaced the damn thing about 10 times. I ended up having a backup alternator in the trunk. Thank god for autozone's lifetime warranty. I got to be so good at changing out the alternator in that car that I could do it in 5min.

Norm Peterson

Just as an update, the first reman alternator was bad right out of the box, and I had to go through the R & R again. Alternator #2 now supplies ~20 amps at idle right after startup and 14.58/14.59V against a 14.6V regulator setpoint as tested by the reman outfit.

FWIW, the "L" terminal is identified as the indicator Lamp circuit, and the "S" terminal is the voltage Sense (sensor?).

It's always nice when the replacement parts work better than the ones being replaced . . .

Norm