MY 1996 Nissan Maxima's alternator refuses to charge the battery. Both the battery and alternator are new. What could be the problem? One mechanic suspects the alternator harness but another mechanic said it was an electrical problem below and would charge me alot.
Just because they're new doesn't mean that they work. I would find an auto parts store that does free electrical system checks before spending a dime elsewhere. I've gone through 4 batteries in 3 years because of bad products. And have most recently had to replace a brand new alternator because it, too, was defective.
SOURCE: car lights flicker and radio dies, then car dies....
you have a bad ground wire connection find where your ground wires go into the frame and clean the connections on them the same thing happened to my 93 buik regal and i had it checked and thats all it was.
SOURCE: nissan serena alternator
You must test first if your alternator produces output voltage (usually about 13.5V)
A test light is a simple but extrememly useful tool.
If you are trying to diagnose and troubleshoot an electrical problem, sometimes a test light can help you rule out possible causes much more quickly and easily than a DMM (Digital Multi Meter)
SOURCE: 4 alternator replacements in 4 years 1996 maxima
Has anyone looked at the connectors to the alternator? I remember these types of stories from work, alternator after alternator, found 2 things to be the problem, one is the connector to the alternator was defective, makes a poor connection and destroys the new alternator, the other is very poor quality rebuilds from Kragen, Auto Zone and the like, use a factory rebuild, they cost more but they are just as good as a new one.
SOURCE: How do I replace the alternator on a 1996 Nissan
This alternator has two mounting bolts, one on top (adjuster) and one at bottom (main bolt) You need to untight the top one but not completely, take the poly belt of. Than take the bottom bolt out and remove top one when holding the alternator. Put the new one in place but this time use the bottom bolt first, do not tight it completely, than put the belt on the pulley and use the top bolt. You will need to tight the bottom bolt, than pull the alternator with some bar but gentle to get the belt tight, hold it and than tight the top bolt.
SOURCE: nissan terrano 1996 td27 charging issue.
Did you hear the one about the Terrano with a charging problem?
Just fix it by replacing the thermostat!
Seriously - check your temperature gauge does it take ages for the needle to barely get off cold? (and is the heater useless?)
The needle should get to just below half way in 2 or 3 minutes.
If the thermostat is stuck open, then the engine does not get up to temperature.
The glow plug control senses the engine temperature is cold, so the glow plugs stay on for an extended period of time (sometimes 10 to 15 minutes) - short trips particularly in winter, with more headlight driving - the alternator can't keep up with the current being drawn off and from time to time you will end up with a flat battery!
A thermostat is cheap, and easy to replace (three bolts and about a half litre of coolant - I pumped the coolant from the top of the radiator, and didn't spill a drop when the thermostat housing was removed).
Sure enough, as the engine temperature reached about 50C, the glow plugs turned off.
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