Not an FSJ ? but need help

[McBain]

Sorry, question is on the beater car a 94 Sentra. I tried a Nissan Forum but no one replied. The car died a couple of days ago on the wife and wouldn’t start. When I got home from work I found that the battery was dead and jumped started it. I left it on for a while and checked the battery terminals and they read 12.33V with the car running. This was to low so I checked it again after turning the lights on and found the voltage at the battery terminals to be 7.60V. The dash didn’t show any indicators that there was a charging problem so I figured the bulb was out. I replaced the alternator with another Hitachi unit and also the battery since it was the original. I started the car and the voltage at the terminals is once again 12.33V. When I turn on the lights it drops to 11V. So I turned the car off and checked the fusible links (seem fine), checked the two terminals off of the main battery terminal (no corrosion), checked the inside fuse panel for blown fuses (fine), then checked the alternator terminals and find battery voltage at the main terminal and sense line and on the field line when I turn the key to the ON position. This alls seems normal to me. I am not sure why the alternator is not charging. I guess it is possible to get a bad brand new alternator with the same exact problem but I doubt it. I would believe it more if it was from an off brand alternator but this is an OEM Hitachi alternator. Am I overlooking something? Any suggestions? :confused:

[oke-ja]

isn't charging voltage supposed to be measured at the alt and ground... not at the battery terminals ???

maybe I am wrong... ???

Did you check the main ground terminal ...the one from the batt that goes to engine block ? Maybe a bad connection.

an 8+ year old battery in a temperate zone ?? woW :cool: I've never had one last that long.

You could have the alt checked at a repair shop... to find of output is correct.

[Dan]

I would agree with oke-ja and have the alt checked out just to make sure. I once went through 3 alternators before I got one that actually worked. Those weren't brand new, but remanufactured.

[jeepguzzi]

Originally posted by McBain:
The car died a couple of days ago on the wife and...
Am I overlooking something? Any suggestions? :confused: I'm not very much good at electrical stuff,,,but I do know that you should get a jack and get that car off of your wife ASAP!! :eek: :eek:

They tend not to like that sort of thing. ;)

[Da Big Blue]

LMFAO

[Stolen76]

engine running you should have at least 13.2 volts. Re-check your ground wires and connections, and check your connections at the starter.

[andy d]

the battery may have an internal short. swap in a known good and fully charged battery. is the belt tight enough?

[BigChief]

The battery could have a dead cell, also what about starting, see if the starter is drawing to much load, sometimes when a starter is going out it will hav a continuous draw on the battery.Or if it's full of oil

[bonjohnny]

one quick an dirty check for the alternator is start the car and pull one cable off the battery. if the car dies alt is shot, if it stays running youve got other problems. i have been told this is not a good test to do on newer cars however, can cause problems with the electronics.

[tomd]

Also, those types of Sentras are known for the ground wires to corrode pretty badly. (I have one also). I would check voltage at battery, at alt, when starting, also check for voltage drops. I know my friends van had a fusible link that caused a problem of not charging.