Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice » Alternator Generator

Nissan Alternator and Charging Problems

Rick — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 01:39:26 +0000

Shops report that charging problem with Nissan vehicles can sometimes be traced to an intermittent in the plug that goes into the voltage regulator in the alternator. The factory harness is short (less than 1 foot) and can fray the wires in the terminals. Nissan techs report that they replace this item quite frequently.

Also, quality complaint abound on rebuilt alternators. Shop increasingly refuse to even install them due to the high failure rate. If you’re set on buying rebuilt, my advice is to buy Denso or Hitachi, not Bosch (That’s just my opinion however). But before you plunk down real money on any rebuilt, check out the online prices for new alternators (they cost much less than you think).

For more information on this repair or any others for your vehicle, buy an online subscription to either Alldatadiy.com or eautorepair.net. Click on this link to compare the two services: Compare Alldata and Eautorepair.

If you just need information for a single repair and want to save money,eautorepair offers a lower price 1-week subscription for only $11.99. Or, if you’ll be working on this vehicle in the future, you can buy a 1-year subscription (Alldatadiy.com for $26.99, or eautorepair.net $29.99)

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Lights dim, warning lights flash, car stalls

Rick — Sat, 20 Aug 2011 16:44:32 +0000

Happened to you? That’s the sign of a dead battery. Normal battery voltage should be between 12.25 and 12.75 volts. You need that much to start a vehicle. But if the alternator isn’t working and the battery starts to drain, voltage falls. Once it goes below 10-volts, strange electrical behavior starts. In fact, the computer will shut off completely at 9.6-volts.

So before you start looking for shorts or bad ground wires, charge the battery and then check the alternator. Click here to see how to do that.

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Alternator testing

Rick — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 22:09:17 +0000

Cardone, a major re builder of alternators has issued a service bulletin regarding the right and wrong ways to test an alternator.

THE WRONG WAY

Disconnecting the battery cables while the vehicle is running can generate a voltage spike as high as 150 volts! That’s enough to fry every computer in your vehicle, along with your stereo, fuses, remote door locks, etc. Reconnecting battery cables generates a second spike.

THE RIGHT WAY

The battery must be fully charged and a volt meter must read at least 12.6 volts with the engine off and no loads (headlights off, etc). Next, start the vehicle and apply the voltmeter. It should read between 13 and 15 volts. Be aware that newer vehicles DO NOT CHARGE the battery unless it needs charging!!

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Voltmeter fluctuates on GM Trucks

Rick — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 05:31:38 +0000

GM has issued a technical service bulletin #07-06-03-009 advising dealers that fluctuating voltage on the vehicle’s voltmeter is NORMAL and is not a reason to replace any parts. The TSB applies to 2005-08 Cadillac Escalade, 2005-08 avlanche, Silverado, Silverado Classic, Suburban, Tahoe, 2005-08 GMC Sierra, Sierra Classic, and Yukon.

The charging systems in these vehicles do not use an alternator decoupler to increase gas mileage. Instead they incorporate a Regulated Voltage Control (RVC) system. The RVC is controlled by the PCM and adjusts the amount of “field” to the generator. The purpose of the RVC system is to eliminate charging when it is not needed in order to improve fuel economy.

The targeted voltage in these system ranges from 12.6-13.1 volts when the system is in “Fuel Economy Mode.” As soon as the PCM detects that the system needs additional power generation, it exist this mode and moves into “Charge Mode” at normal charging rates. So the vehicle owner may notice a fluctuation in the voltage meter from 12 to 14 volts. This is NORMAL. Do NOT replace any charging system components.

Some of these vehicles have a “tow/haul feature.” When this feature is enabled, the charging system bypasses the economy mode and the generator output should be in the 13.9 to 15.5 volts range, depending on the stat of charge of the battery and the battery temperature.

You can force the system into Charge Mode by switch into the tow/haul mode, OR
simply turn on the vehicle’s headlights. That will increase the generator’s output to 13.9 to 15.5 volts.

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Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Starter problems with Nippondenso starter—Toyota/Chrysler/Mitsubishi DIY fix

Rick — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:40:00 +0000

You don’t need a new starter, you need new contacts and a new plunger.

When you energize the starter a solenoid (electro-magnet) pulls the plunger in. The plunger has a round copper disk at its edge and as it pulls in, the copper disk touches two copper contacts. This setup acts as a heavy duty relay to supply battery current to the starter motor. But like all relays, the contacts get pitted because of electrical arcing.

You can buy replacement contacts ($10/set) and a replacement plunger ($16.95) at www.nationsautoelectric.com. Go onto their site and look up the starter model for your vehicle, then order the contacts and plunger from them.

To install the parts, start by disconnecting the negative battery cable. Then jack up the car and put it on jack stands. Depending on which engine you have, you may or may not have enough room to do the replacement with the starter still attached to the engine. The solenoid sits on top of the starter and has a removable cover plate. Remove the screws to the cover plate and pry it off gently. There’s a rubber gasket on the plate and that sometimes holds it in place. If the gasket gets damaged, you can use RTV silicone to repair it, BUT make sure the RTV is electrically compatible! Do NOT use household silicone caulk—that stuff is corrosive to copper.

As you remove the cover, the plunger will want to pop out—so be prepared to catch it. Once the plunger is removed, you’ll see the pitted contacts. Replace them with the new parts. Do NOT fool yourself into thinking that you can get by with simply filing them. It won’t last. Then, install the spring on the new plunger and insert it back into the solenoid. Replace the cover and screws. You’re done—and you just save about $300.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Battery Light On – Windstar

Rick — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 01:17:00 +0000

Alternator rebuilders report a problem with ’98 Ford Windstars with battery light on. Do not automatically replace the alternator. First check for a corroded wire located below the brake vacuum booster. The wire can rub through against the heater hose. If you find a frayed or corroded wire, repair it first and then recheck the charging system.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Testing an Alternator Without Blowing it Sky High

Rick — Sun, 11 Nov 2007 02:19:00 +0000

Nothing makes me crazier than reading advice that tells readers to disconnect a battery cable while a car is running to see if the alternator is any good. It’s not only bad advice, but could cost you big time in fried computers.

Here’s why: To generate power, you pass a coil of wire across a magnet. It’s basic physics #101. In an alternator, they turn things around. They rotate a magnet past a stationary coil of wire. The key here is that the magnet is an ELECTO magnetic. That’s right folks, you need a good battery to provide the power to make the electro magnet work in the first place. An alternator cannot make power if your battery is dead. This is why you cannot charge a dead battery with the car’s alternator. No 12 volts in=No 13.5 volts out. Back to the story. So when you start your car, the voltage regulator takes a look at battery voltage. If it’s at 12.7 volts, the regulator determines that the battery is in good shape and doesn’t need charging. But once you turn on headlights, a defroster grid, or a blower motor, you begin sucking power out of the battery. The regulator sees that battery drain and sends battery voltage into the “rotor” of the alternator. The rotor is the rotating electro-magnet. The “stator” is a coil of wire that’s stationary and is where the electricity is produced.

If you disconnect a battery cable while the car is running, the regulator sees total battery drain and immediately commands the alternator to run at maximum output. In effect, the alternator is now running wild. In this state, it can put out upwards of 40 volts. That’s enough voltage to fry your powertrain computer, your ABS computer, your radio, and every other computer in your car. It’s also enough to fry the guts of the alternator itself.

Are you getting the idea here? That it’s not a good idea to send the alternator into ‘full tilt?”

So, how DO you test an alternator? Simple. Get a volt meter and attach it to the battery. Make sure you have at least 12.2 volts before you start the test. If the battery reads less than 12 volts, you will never be able to test the alternator. If the battery voltage checks out, start the vehicle and rev it up to about 2,000 RPM and turn on the headlights. You should see voltage go to at least 13 volts. If you vary the RPMs, you should see the voltage fluctuate between 13 and 14.5. That’s the sign of a good alternator—volts wise.

As for an amperage output test, that’s a little more difficult. You need special equipment for that. That’s where an auto parts store comes in handy. They usually test alternators for free.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Battery Insulator – Put it back after replacing battery

Rick — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:07:00 +0000

If you think cold weather is hard on your battery, think again. Heat kills more far more batteries than any Arctic freeze. It doesn’t get any hotter than under the hood of an engine compartment packed with a V-6 and all the accessories. With little room for air to circulate, car makers have been forced to add battery insulating jackets around the battery to help it keep its cool. Your battery is especially vulnerable AFTER you’ve shut the engine off. That’s when all the heat rises to the top of the hood. The hood is insulated to cut down on noise. The downside to all that insulation is that it keeps the heat in and bakes your battery. If you’ve changed your battery and tossed the battery insulator, get on down to the auto parts store for a new one before your battery is toast

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Diagnose squeaks, creaks, and squeals

Rick — Thu, 19 Jul 2007 21:19:00 +0000

If you want to be seen as a Car Doctor, you have to look like one. Owning (and wearing) an automotive stethoscope is just the right way to do that. It’s also the perfect accessory for your Car Doctor toolbox. A stethoscope is the first tool a pro uses to narrow down the source of humming, grinding, buzzing, squealing, or a screaming bearing. Old-timers use an old garden hose. But a professional stethoscope is so inexpensive and can do so much more, that you’re really wasting your time with a hose.

Start by attaching the amplifier attachment on this Lisle automotive stethoscope. It has a bell shaped end that picks up and amplifies sound waves. Pop the hood of your car and move it around until the suspect sound gets louder. The amplifier will pinpoint exactly where the sound is coming from.

Squeaking belts are usually the sign of a worn belt, a worn idler bearing, a worn pulley, or a mis-aligned pulley. Use the stethoscope to rule each one of the possibilities in or out. However, DO NOT EVER use belt dressing to solve the problem. Belt dressing is an aerosol spray that coats the belt with a sticky substance. The noise will go away almost instantly. But don’t fool yourself into thinking you’ve solved the problem. That sticky stuff will attract all the road grit, sand, salt, and dust that gets kicked up from under your car. It will stick to the belt and pulley and act like sandpaper, grinding away at all the components.

Before you know it, that “new” belt you just installed will be ready for the garbage can. The idler rollers and pulleys will be so polished from the grit that you’ll be able to see your smiling face in the shine. But when you discover that you’ll have to replace all those components, your smile will quickly disappear.

If you have a metallic screeching sound, switch to the metal probe attachment. Touch it to the NON-ROTATING part of idler rollers, power steering pump, alternator, A/C compressor, etc. You’ll definitely be able to detect which bearing is going bad by comparing the bearing noises from one component to another. Got an engine noise that’s driving you crazy? Use the probe for that too. The probe can pinpoint a bad rocker arm simply by moving it along the valve cover. You’ll look like a Doctor and you’ll diagnose like a Doctor. Now, if only your W-2 matched that of that Doctor down the street who drives a Lexus.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use

Engine flush

Firing order, cylinder layout, finding #1 cylinder

MAF or MAP sensor

Oxygen sensors, How they work, How to change, How to test

PassLock or Passkey

Thermostat issues

Transmission flush

Serpentine belt diagrams

Window issues, power window motor, replace window regulator, glass adhesive

Honda Dead Battery—Here’s the fix

Rick — Mon, 16 Jul 2007 22:59:00 +0000

Honda reports a problem with an A/C relay that can stick and drain your battery. If you drive a 2006-07 Accord Hybrid or 2003 Civic Hybrid and have a problem with your battery going dead, check the relay before condemning any other component. Find the A/C relay and remove it by pulling it out. If the printing on the relay shows that it was made by a company OTHER THAN Mitsuba, replace it. Mitsuba relays are designed to prevent the sticking problem. The part number is for the Mitsuba relay is. #39794-S04-003.

Alldatadiy.com

eautorepair.net

Both Alldata and Eautorepair offer professional grade shop manuals at a price you can afford. Check them out!.

Hover your mouse over the REPAIR ARTICLES tab at the top of the page. The click on DIAGNOSTICS to search by SYMPTOM, TROUBLE CODE, or read TECH TIPS on how to diagnose a problem

Click on MAKE an MODEL to see all the articles I’ve written for your vehicle
Click on REPAIR TOPICS to read individual articles written for specific automotive systems

If you’ve had your car scanned and know the trouble code go to TROUBLE CODES

Here are some quick links to speed up your research

Click on the link below for speedy navigation:

ABS issues, how to bleed ABS brakes

Airbag issues or SRS light on

Alternator issues or how to test

Belt diagram or serpentine belt issues

Blower motor

Blower motor resistor

Brakes, brake issues, what kind of brake parts to buy, ABS issues

Car Alarms or Antitheft systems

Cooling system, Water pump, What type of coolant to use