02 Nissan Maxima Brake and battery light on Alternator fine, low voltage reading, help!

Asked by samantha121212 Jun 07, 2016 at 11:58 AM about the 2002 Nissan Maxima SE

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have an 02 Nissan Maxima 3.5 liter. The other day i was driving, and out of nowhere the break light and the battery light both came on, of course i called my dad, and he told me it was probably the alternator, hurry and get home before my car dies on me. Well i managed to make it the 40 minutes home, the car didn't even act a little different, headlights a/c and radio were on the whole time (found out later i should have turned them off). So we went and got the alternator tested, and it tested just fine, which i would assume since it it fairly new. However when they did a voltatge reading it read at only 11.2! where they said the normal should be around 14.5 this leaving me my dad and the guys at autzone clueless on whats wrong, ive been driving my care for 2 weeks now, still running just fine, but no idea how or why the battery and break light are still on?

2 Answers
190

Mike answered 7 years ago

I've had voltage problems like this. If your alt was bad it would have went out after a few days. Make sure your battery is good check the terminals for currosion and check your negative battery ground. If it's really dirty that could be where your 2 volts are going. And auto zone is a joke. They are far from professionals. I recommend O'Reillys. Service is a lot better and they know what they're talking about. And get your battery tested to. Could have a dead cell that was my problem. Good luck

2 people found this helpful.
Mark helpful

McCheez answered 4 years ago

Both AutoZone and oriellys are equally stupid and not at all qualified to give any advice. AutoZone alternator are junk right out of the box. There lame tester says it's ok but it's not. I have a shop and won't use either ones parts because they just don't work or if they do, not for long. If it's your daily, don't be cheap unless you like exploring the side of the road

Mark helpful

Your Answer:

Related Questions

Own this car?

Share your experience with others.

2002 Nissan Maxima

Write a car review

Review another car

Shortcuts

Search Nissan Maxima Questions

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Jorge Vazquez
    Reputation
    3,620
  • #2
    rtriel
    Reputation
    1,370
  • #3
    tahiti
    Reputation
    1,050
View All

Know more, shop wisely

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Nissan Altima
1,291 Great Deals out of 37,227 listings starting at $800
Used Honda Accord
1,487 Great Deals out of 29,326 listings starting at $500
Used Toyota Camry
1,955 Great Deals out of 34,773 listings starting at $500
Used Honda Civic
1,264 Great Deals out of 28,800 listings starting at $800
Used Nissan Sentra
776 Great Deals out of 41,802 listings starting at $750
Used Chevrolet Malibu
959 Great Deals out of 19,676 listings starting at $100
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
2,561 Great Deals out of 50,017 listings starting at $750
Used Hyundai Sonata
793 Great Deals out of 17,766 listings starting at $450
Used Toyota Avalon
187 Great Deals out of 2,074 listings starting at $950
Used Chevrolet Impala
277 Great Deals out of 4,061 listings starting at $500

Used Cars for Sale

2023 Nissan Maxima For Sale
23 Great Deals out of 546 listings starting at $22,998
2022 Nissan Maxima For Sale
14 Great Deals out of 207 listings starting at $16,995
2021 Nissan Maxima For Sale
25 Great Deals out of 495 listings starting at $15,995
2020 Nissan Maxima For Sale
31 Great Deals out of 317 listings starting at $11,471
2019 Nissan Maxima For Sale
15 Great Deals out of 218 listings starting at $12,750

Content submitted by Users is not endorsed by CarGurus, does not express the opinions of CarGurus, and should not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by CarGurus. Please refer to CarGurus Terms of Use. Content will be removed if CarGurus becomes aware that it violates our policies.