wukalar

hello all
i have a 1997 nissan altima,the brake & battery flicker off and on all the time,i heard it might be my alternater going bad and had advance auto check it and they said the voltage was good.im woundering since they are flickering if this would make my dash lights and head lights get bright and then go dim.
if any one has any sugestions, let me know please
thanks

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NissTech659

It is the alternator going bad. It could have an intermitant problem and it just might have been working when they checked it or they didn't check it correctly. The brake and battery light coming on is the sign of a bad alternator even if it's just flickering.

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klfutrelle

Mine did that when the battery was going dead even though the battery was reading just about two volts shy.

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2005 Altima 2.5s

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TinKicker

A bad battery can make a good alternator look bad, and vice versa...guilt by association! HA!
Computerized vehicle alternators do good to keep a battery topped off, what with all the high energy coils and computers and power windows and other crap they have to power. In the old days an alternator could actually charge up a battery, but no more. The old test of pulling a battery cable off to see if the alternator is charging usually makes the alt. look bad because at idle it's not make enough juice to keep the car running. The only thing you'll accomplish is possibly burning out the alternator due to voltage backing up in the open circuit.
You didn't mention if you have a monster system in the car or not. I've seen setups where the stereo drew so much current that lights would dim in time with the beat.
Best advice is to go to EVERY store in your area that tests batteries and alternators...not just one. The quality of test equipment varies widely, but you should get a good "average" diagnosis by going to many places.
Don't know what part of the country you're in, but here in Alabama it's really hot right now (98 degrees this coming Monday) and it's killer on batteries. I usually have to top mine off mid-summer and mid-winter here, even though my vehicles are in good shape. Good luck and I hope it's something simple.

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TinKicker

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JoseM97Altima

bad battery, bad alternator or drivebelt is slipping.

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1997 Altima GXE
A/T 128k Miles

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tomthomas001

If there is problem in your light and it start giving problem after some time i suggest you to change the entire kit of your light because it is very important part of the vehicle and you should not take any other chance.

Nissan Performance Chips
Nissan Headlights

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ztech

The internal diode is going bad in the alternator. this diode keeps the alternator from back feeding amperage. some testers will not show this as a problem, but it will eventually get you stranded. I would replace the alternator.

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xwizkidx

test it with a multimeter at idle with headlights full heat blower on and rear defroster. the volts still should be in the upper 14 range unlike mine... which will be replaced.

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