Brake and battery light on, and battery keeps draining on my Nissan Xterra

Asked by NotAMechanicAtAll081... Mar 26, 2019 at 04:43 PM about the 2001 Nissan Xterra

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have an 01 Nissan Xterra. My brake and battery light have
been on for some time (used to come on then go off, now it
just stays on). My battery keeps draining as well. I have
bought BRAND NEW batteries, and they last about a week.
My dad checked my alternator by removing the battery
cables while the car was running, and having me turn on
various electrical things. The car still ran, so he says my
alternator is ok. But I'm thinking maybe it is over charging?
Cause I'll buy a new battery, it'll work for a week, go dead,
won't charge, and the store I bought it from will tell me it's
bad. And I've bought then from different places, and bought
different brands, so it's not a bad batch of batteries. My
vehicle is killing them, and I don't know why! The alternator
was bought brand new in 2017.

2 Answers

40,005

you need a multi tester to see if the alternator is good , make sure batt. is charged if you replace it , don't make a new alt. charge a dead batt.

3 people found this helpful.
20

Please explain how the 'remove' battery Neg cable doesn't shine a light on the usefulness of an Alternator. It stands to reason if the Alternator still puts out enough Voltage and Amperage to run the lights - it is in fairly good shape. YES, to do a FULL test you need better testing but the test this man speaks of is very reliable.

1 people found this helpful.

Your Answer:

CarGurus Experts

  • #1
    Ryan Scott
    Reputation
    730
  • #2
    GuruX2HW8
    Reputation
    630
  • #3
    T_S_T
    Reputation
    480
View All

Find great deals from top-rated dealers

Search

Related Models For Sale

Used Nissan Frontier
24 Great Deals out of 891 listings starting at $5,998
Used Toyota 4Runner
10 Great Deals out of 319 listings starting at $9,900
Used Nissan Pathfinder
39 Great Deals out of 1,387 listings starting at $3,995
Used Toyota Tacoma
55 Great Deals out of 1,037 listings starting at $8,708
Used Jeep Wrangler
136 Great Deals out of 5,079 listings starting at $5,450
Used Ford F-150
327 Great Deals out of 15,257 listings starting at $3,295
Used Toyota RAV4
88 Great Deals out of 2,086 listings starting at $3,888
Used Ford Ranger
16 Great Deals out of 1,488 listings starting at $2,888
Used Toyota Tundra
41 Great Deals out of 1,168 listings starting at $9,395
Used Jeep Grand Cherokee
135 Great Deals out of 3,222 listings starting at $4,995
Used Toyota Highlander
27 Great Deals out of 737 listings starting at $6,495

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.