Nissan Repair: 2001 Nissan Maxima Discharge Problem, nissan maxima, altenator

Question
This morning, I get in my car and I notice the battery light and the brake light stayed on. I managed to get to work and I turned my vehicle off. When I tried to turn it back on, I got the "click, click, click" of a dead battery. My husband put another battery in the car and the lights went away. The car sat in the parking lot for a little over 8 hours.  When I went to leave work, the lights were back on.  I let the car idle for about 7 minutes and the lights still stayed on. When I finally took off down the road, the lights went away and stayed away. When I got home, I turned the car off, turned it back on with no problem.

Is my altenator causing this discharge problem? Or could it be something else. I sat in the car when I got home "listening" to see if something was still running, but I heard nothing. We are supposed to take the car on a 1000 mile trip on Friday, so I'd love to have some advice on what to do.

Thanks
Rose

Answer
Rose,

Yes, it sounds like the alternator is going out.  Now, before you go to replace it take it to Autozone or Checker and they will perform a charge circuit test for no charge and verify this is the problem.  I can give you general advise on-line but it makes sense to get the system checked before you spend the money.  And, the best part is it is a free test.