I have plenty of brake fluid. The car is also making a whiny sound that didn't happen before these lights came on. Any suggestions?
Feb 21, 2007 at 4:04 PM
Battery and brake light turned on at the same time
1999 NISSAN ALTIMA
BROW7561
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I would normally agree but it is a fairly new alternator with less than 20,000 miles on it. Could it be anything else or did I just get a bum alternator?
Feb 22, 2007 at 5:13 AM
Just had the same problem. Either the belt is slipping or the re-manufactured alternator is bad (fairly common).
Feb 25, 2007 at 5:25 PM
The most common cause of this issue is the alternator. However, as it was mentioned, there can be alternators that are "new" that are not charging properly. The only way to know is to perform a test on it.
Here is a guide that walks through this:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator
However, the real cause of these lights coming on is the vehicle's electrical system needs a minimum voltage to operate. The battery is there to stabilize the voltage that is produced by the alternator while the engine is running. When the engine is running the alternator can surge and under produce voltage at times so the battery smooths this out.
The battery will supply about 12.5 volts and the alternator will be around 14 volts. As mentioned if the belt is slipping, then the alternator will under produce voltage and the battery will slowly drain. Once this happens the vehicle will start load shedding items to try and keep the voltage up and it will turn these two lights on.
Please post questions if you are needing more info. Thanks
Here is a guide that walks through this:
https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator
However, the real cause of these lights coming on is the vehicle's electrical system needs a minimum voltage to operate. The battery is there to stabilize the voltage that is produced by the alternator while the engine is running. When the engine is running the alternator can surge and under produce voltage at times so the battery smooths this out.
The battery will supply about 12.5 volts and the alternator will be around 14 volts. As mentioned if the belt is slipping, then the alternator will under produce voltage and the battery will slowly drain. Once this happens the vehicle will start load shedding items to try and keep the voltage up and it will turn these two lights on.
Please post questions if you are needing more info. Thanks
Mar 25, 2020 at 6:46 PM
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