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Dashboard lights Brake and Battery


PamPoovey
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Over a month ago, the battery and brake light remained on the dashboard after the other lights go off after the start. After a few minutes of driving, the lights would go off.  I was working at AutoZone at the time, and their tester told me the alternator is fine.  It that that no more than 3 times that week, same thing, would go off after a few minutes of driving. 

 

It did it again today, again, after a few minutes of driving, the lights go off. I made my destination, and when it was time to leave, it started with no warning lights. I did notice yesterday and today, everything starts up just fine, that the engine ran quieter and shifted up to it's normal sound. 

 

I don't know if this plays into it, but a co-worker who claimed he could replace the timing valve cover gaskets, well, he did a sloppy af job. When the lights originally started taunting me that first time, I ended up finding a screw driver that wasn't mine, "resting" against the power steering pump. The lights stopped coming on after that...until now. 

 

If it is the alternator, any tips on replacing it? I know it's at the bottom -I had just replaced the starter last week, and whew hoo that was fun! ?

 

Thanks in advance!!!! You guys rock!!!!

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I replaced my alternator at least 3 times, one overcharging excursion due to carboned oily brushes, one voltage regulator failure, and once due to the ScanGauge I was diagnosing it with having a voltage sensing circuit failure. 

 

Anyway your symptoms sounds like what I experienced. Here is one of mine

 

And here is where I documented the replacement. I hated doing it each time. But honestly if you've done a starter replacement on a VQ, I wouldn't worry about the alternator. Just budget appropriate time. The starter replacement was one of two projects on the car I didn't do myself. I bought the starter, got under the car, and gave up before I got a single nut off. It looked entirely impossible for me to get my arms far enough up in there to do it, or even jigsaw it out and back in if I did get it disconnected, without removing the CV axle at a minimum. Supposedly the shop I took it to managed to do it with some "tricks". I think their "tricks" were child labor. 

 

 

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That's code for alternator going out. Probably the voltage regulator or whatever. It's a hit and miss with remanufactured alternators. 
I cannot offer any tips or advice since I've never worked on an 02 model other than unplugging the battery first lol.

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Thank you bot! I did learn a lot?

 

but, so far, what I've found is my USB car charger/ volt meter -the phallic like connector part, was pushed inside the shell, and upon correction of that, I don't receive the brake / battery dashboard message. Weird, huh? I didn't think much of it back in Feb when it did that, until I found the same challenge recently -for the numbers would not always register or the USB charger work. So um weird?

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I guess it's possible that the dongle was making some kind of interference, though I don't know how that would make idiot lights come on. If it was shorting out, I would've expected that to blow a fuse. Sometimes electronics cross-talk in weird ways. Hopefully that's all it is. I'd run it a while without the dongle (or with a better one) and see if the issue pops up again.

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  • 1 month later...

I wanted to provide an update, and hopefully, I don't jinx myself....

 

I got a new USB charger, still had the code.

I bought an alternator on 4/21, but then hurt my hand at work, so I decided to put off replacing the alternator for when my hand is usable -and I haven't had the code since. 

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Hey,

I recently experienced exactly the same symptoms, but probably due to a whole different cause. Leaving this here jic someone encounters it too. I was aware that my Terrano had a very very slow coolant leak somewhere, as the reservoir emptied in 3 months of filling it up. Until yesterday, I noticed the front belt rollers were wet and saw the liquid was dripping from the fan shaft/water pump. It made the alternator belt slip, when starting the car, the battery and handbrake light were illuminated together. After couple minutes the lights went off - coolant had evaporated due to friction and all was okay.

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