Signs of Alternator failing
 

So the past 2 weeks I've been getting a "Brake & Battery" light on my dashboard. Volt gauge is running at 12V when the car is on. A couple of days ago my Volt gauge was fluctuating from 10-14 Volts and finally my car died. Tried restarting but car fails again within a couple of minutes. I thought it was time to replaced the battery so I recently installed a brand new optima battery, however, "BRAKE & BATTERY" light comes on again, volt gauge is running at 12V NOT 14V as usual.

Iv had the car since day one, 107K miles. Im thinking its my alternator not charging the battery. Is there any aftermarket alternators that I can use? or should i stick to OEM?

You can use a DMM and switch it to DC volts and put the test leads on the appropriate battery terminal when the vehicle is running to check the status of the alternator.

I would just stick with an OEM alternator. I've seen customers come in with aftermarket ones and they don't last as long as OEM.

Yeap, sounds like the alternator is dead. I would stick with Nissan parts, especially electrical parts.

you can also have it checked at places like autozone....

as other stated, it is probably the alternator. I'm surprise it goes bad so quickly.

Definitely test the alternator before replacing.

And definitely stick with an OEM part (even if off a wreck) as barncobob recommended!

Also, make sure p/n is correct for your specific model -- not sure if there are some differences for vehicles with navigation vs. without.

OEM on electrics

As everyone has said, it's probably the alternator ... but you need to have it checked before you start replacing parts (it's possible that it's just a wiring problem).