sanford7575 Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Good Afternoon All, For the last few days my '91 Pathfinders SE with 108,000 has been starting normally, but a few minutes after driving, the lights for my dash indicators (Brake, AT Tranny, Oil, and Battery) have been flickering on and off briefly. It doens't feel like the car will stall out or shut off, but I am a bit worried about it because I don't want to get stranded anywhere. I think it may be the battery about to go because it looks really old (it's one of the old fill w/ water kind). Battery voltage is reading a shade less than 10 Volts. Anyone else have any sugeestions before I replace the battery? Could it be the alternator, I've seen guages flicker when they are about to go? Could it be a short in the ground or Wire Harness problem? Anyone had a problem like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Double check your battery connections........ Other than that, could be the alternator, or battery....but if it's only reading 10volts RUNNING, i'd say probably alternator.... Someone here will correct me if I'm wrong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 i'd check all the connections...+ and - battery connections and connectors to make sure theres no corrosion as well as connections at the alternator and starter...did u check the battery with a multimeter with the truck off and on? b/c if the trucks on u should have somewhere along the lines of 14V if its less than 12 while running i'd replace the alternator Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 6, 2006 Share Posted February 6, 2006 Along the line of what they're saying: If it reads 10 volts when running, it is a charging system problem. If 13.3V+ when running and 10V when off, then a battery problem. Basically, the battery is used only to start the vehicle. Once it's started, the vehicle draws the electrical power it needs from the alternator. The only exception is if you need more watts than the alternator can put out (like at low rpm), at which point the battery supplements the alternator output. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
94extreme Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 alt. or V. regulator but most likely a ground issue. what they ^^^ said about the battery. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unccpathfinder Posted February 7, 2006 Share Posted February 7, 2006 i did have a votlage regulator go bad...and my dashlights/headlights and what not would get brighter with acceleration...this is bad and im pretty sure on all of our trucks the VR is built into the alt. so changing the alt will fix that...on a side note advance autoparts alt's suck really bad and i went thru 4 in a matter of 6 months and took it back told them it was a POS and went to napa and havent bought a part from advance since except my warn hubs... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford7575 Posted February 14, 2006 Author Share Posted February 14, 2006 Good Morning All, I replaced the battery in my '91 Pathfinder SE and I am still getting the same symptoms as before. When turning the key to the start position without cranking, the new battery reads low, like only 8-10 Volts. After starting and while under load, the battery reads around 13 Volts, but shortly thereafter 3 inutes or so, the dash indicator lights start flickering and flashing and the Voltage drops to somehwere between 6-10 Volts. Then after a minute or so under load the voltage spikes back up to 13 Volts. Usually it stays up around 13 Volts for the rest of my 35 minute commute. I changed the battery, so does this sound like a bad alternator, or a bad cable somewhere? Also, would a bad cable cause the fluctuations that I am getting. I don't want to go out and replace the alternator just to find out that a bad cable is causing the trouble. Also, when replacing the battery, I looked at the cables and they seemed fine. Is there a usual spot on the cable that goes bad that I should check? Thanks in advance for all of your help Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simon Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 It does sound like the alternator. Just double check the belt tension to ensure it's not slipping, but if it's tight, I'd say your alternator is going. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 do a 'poor mans' charge test....i've done it many a time on the side of the road beofre smacking my alt. with a hammer to get me home. Start the truck. While it's running, disconnect the positive lead on the battery, be careful not to touch it to metal. If the truck dies, the alternator isn't charging. If it stays running, you are good to go. Good luck. post results. I'm on Alternator number 2.5 right now, so i feel your charging pain. You can clean out the alternator too, i do this every time i change my oil. Take the alternator off, carefully take it apart, clean everything out, rinse with tons of water, regrease the bearings and brushes. Every since i started doing this, i have had no charging issues (as opposed to smacking my brand new alternators with said hammer many times on the side of the road, always goes over well while you're on a date, lol) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 14, 2006 Share Posted February 14, 2006 sanford - Where are those battery voltage readings being taken? Are you using a hand held meter right at the battery terminals, or using a gauge somewhere? I was assuming right at the battery, but now I'm not so sure.... Yes, this is significant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford7575 Posted February 27, 2006 Author Share Posted February 27, 2006 Well, I'm back again. This is becoming quite the saga. I just replaced my Alternator on Saturday with a new/used unit from a wrecker off of Ebay. Only paid $50.00 including the shipping, so I figured may as well go ahead. Now I have a new Alternator and a new Battery. On Saturday, everything was well after the change over and there was no sign of anything wrong. Sunday went by and everything was fine. I went out and started the Pathy this morning and all of the warning lights stayed on for like a minute after start up. In addition to the warning lights, the voltage dash guage on the read like 8 volts while the engine was idling. After about a minute of letting the engine idle I put her in drive and pulled off and then the warning lights went off and the voltage guage jumped to 13 volts and everything ran normally. Any suggestions? Should I chalk up this morning as a fluke? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted February 27, 2006 Share Posted February 27, 2006 OK, don't give up hope (yet). First thing is let's eliminate a whole bunch of wiring as the issue. You really really need to get your hands on a hand held voltmeter and test the voltage at the battery itself. Directly to the terminals. There are a bunch of wires and connections between the battery and the dash mounted voltmeter - and if any of them are loose or compromised, the gauge will read something other than reality. You can get a decent multimeter for under $20 these days. Even the $3.95 versions at Harbor Freight will do you for this diagnosis. Grab one and keep it with you. If the dash meter is reading 8 volts, pop the hood and test the voltage across the battery terminals. I suspect you will find 13+ volts there and we have a loose connection issue! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88pathoffroad Posted February 28, 2006 Share Posted February 28, 2006 Rev the engine a little when you start it and see if it comes on. My Quest alternator wouldn't kick on until the engine went higher than 1800 RPM's at startup because the plug on the back wasn't plugged in, which kicks it on automatically. Make sure the plug in the back of the alternator is pushed all the way in and is tight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford7575 Posted April 3, 2006 Author Share Posted April 3, 2006 I am going absolutely crazy!!! I cannot seem to put this issue to rest! After a month and a week of trouble free driving, here we go again! I started my '91 Pathfinder on Saturday night and the dash warning light indicators (Brake, Battery, and A/T Oil lights) stayed on the whole ride home. The dash voltage guage read 10 Volts instead of the 13 Volts it normally reads while under load. Thought it may be a fluke, but drove the Pathy yesterday and today, and the same thing happened. The dash lights stayed on the whole entire ride into work. Does this mean that the "new"/"used" Alternator that I got off of ebay is bad? Why would it work for a month, and then quit? I checked the belt and the connections and everything seems fine. Has anyone else had a problem like this? Could these dash lights signify that something else may be wrong? How much does a place charge to check the charging system on a vehicle? Any suggestions before I take the Alternator out and replace it again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madhatter_xe Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 (edited) Sounds like the alternator is hooped. Before going out and replacing it you could get it tested, it might just be a bad diode, or stator, or regulator or something. Might be cheaper to rebuild it. Edited April 3, 2006 by madhatter_xe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mws Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Again, what is the voltage at the battery? Without knowing that, it's pretty much shooting in the dark. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mookie Posted April 3, 2006 Share Posted April 3, 2006 Have you picked up a multimeter yet? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanford7575 Posted April 6, 2006 Author Share Posted April 6, 2006 After a hellacious day yesterday, everything is now back to normal. My Pathy's battery died on the way to work yesterday and I was able to push it into a Firestone who confirmed my bad Alternator and wanted $398.14 to replace it. I quickly paid them the $26.49 cents for the electrical test and had Triple A tow my Pathy for $47.00 to my father In law's auto body shop where I ordered an alternator from a local parts dealer for $155.00 and installed it all afternoon. Total paid out (47+26.49+155) = $228.49 I guess I'm happy that I saved $169.65, although I had to take 1/2 a vacation day from work. Hopefully this Alternator lasts longer than the month that the other one lasted. Shouts out to Tom's Foreign Auto Parts on EBAY that refunded my money for the Alternator that blew in 30 days (it was only $50, I had to take a shot!). I also want to yell at Nissan for the location of the Pathy's Alternator. It's only 3 bolts, but getting to them stinks! It's like working blind in there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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