Weird Alt/Battery Help!!!

SON240sx Automotive
1

SORRY ITS LONG BUT I NEED TO BE DESCRIPTIVE.

As most of the people who went to Shannonville know, my alternator died that night.

Replaced it with a KNOWN working alternator from Martino.

Works fine, put my sub back in, works fine, today I notice my cluster lights are dim but my headlights and horn aren’t cutting out and the highbeams work perfectly.

Car isn’t bogging, running perfectly otherwise.

I get to my apartment, I have the security key on my car keys so I take out my keys from the ignition, place the security key on the pad to open the UG door, and low and behold when I go to start the car it doesn’t start. Cranks, but no turnover. Just as I figured.

So I push it to the hill, bumpstart it, it starts asap, no problem (lol its a bumpstart…) and get to my parking spot. Again, nothing out of the ordinary except the no-starting and dim cluster lights.

Stop the car, turn it off, check the battery terminals (mine have been known to come off) but they’re snug as hell.

I look at my amp fuse, disconnect it, and go to start my car again.

It starts. But it struggles. And I mean like… a crank, sounds like its going to die off, then turns over like its nobody’s business. Stays on, again lights are fine, I flicker the highbeams a few times, and turn it off.

I did this twice. Once immediately after I turn it off, and once a little bit later to make sure it’s not just cause it had a slight charge left.

Both times it struggles the EXACT same way, in terms of how long it takes and how it sounds, but it turns over, unlike when I had my amp fuse connected.

This leads me to believe that it was the amp, no surprise, but the fact that it’s still struggling to turn over means theres something else.

I have a job interview tomorrow and don’t feel like bussing it.

Is my intuition correct? Any other ideas?

Thanks for reading my novel.

2

Josh, its your starter.

3

But the cluster lights were quite dim, meaning they weren’t getting sufficient power… then as soon as I removed a power-hungry object, it started pretty much fine, but with a delay i’d say is because it was draining the battery…

how can it be the starter?

4

If its struggling to start but does start, than that means your starters going (most likely).

And if it doesn’t start try taping the started with a blunt object such as a tire iron (like I did to kenny’s car that night at 403) and it should start.

If its not your starter…well…its a 240! Lmao no, you know i hate that answer.

But yea, if its not your starter, im out of suggestions dudeeeee.

EDIT: Maybe bad ground? Try making another ground (add another one)

5

Well before I removed the fuse if I kept the key turned all the way to ignition, all lights would go out completely… usually signifying a power problem? im stuck and bleh

6

So today I went down, and it started like normal. No struggling, nothing, like it normally would.

So I take it out down the street and come back. Again, during driving I noticed NOTHING out of the ordinary.

I come back to the underground door and stop, turn off my car, and it won’t start again!!!

I get to my parking spot, start trying to turn it over, it just clicks. Once for when I turn the key to ignition and once when I stop turning the key to ignition. The tach also jumps when I stop turning the key. No crank, nothing.

So I wait about 5 minutes, and try again. It cranks, and almost starts, but doesn’t start.

Seems to me that it runs FINE with all power options going, radio (sub is still out) etc… but then when you turn it off it shows its problems…

But when you wait, it seems to want to start again.

ALSO: When I rev it to about 2.5 or 3 grand the lights flicker. They go bright, then back to what they were beforehand.

IM SO LOST!

7

I still think its a bad ground

8

but what kind of ground? engine? alternator?

btw today it started bogging, but when i hit 2.5k rpm, its like a surge happens and everything is fine again. i accidentally stalled it at the lights (trying to throw the e-brake on, clutch in, rev, rev, rev, to keep it from dying) and it then wouldnt start at all. no starter solenoid clicking, four ways would engage, the lights would flicker on the cluster, but the lights on the actual car wouldn’t work.

the battery is obv. dead… but why?

9

So, after the car finally dying and having to do about an hours work in a plaza parking lot, I found out that the bolt that threads into the alternator from the tensioner had come out completely and obviously the vibrations moved the belt a little, so the alternator wasn’t even spinning.

Can I get these bolts from Nissan? Just the bolts? or am I screwed.

10

you should be able to get the bolts, everyone makes bolts haha, well at least you found hte source for this demon

11

k well it started charging, everything was fine, then it just randomly died again. the battery is reading 10v when the car is OFF, so i’m guessing thats why it died and the battery is toast… but when the car is on shouldn’t the alternator be holding the car on basically?

im so confused and im tired of trying things that don’t really solve the problem…

12

12.x V is good when the car’s off
14.2 or .4 V iirc is a healthy alternator

my bet’s on the alternator, whether it’s mechanical (like your bolt for ex), or a ground.

  • try to get a known good alternator that reads 14.x while the car’s on and swap that into your car and double check all ground wires and connections and make sure you torque down all the bolts this time and give the belt a proper tension.
  • disconnect any fuses for any other electrical components you have in your car that didn’t come stock and baseline your condition this way and post your results.

it looks like you did all of what i said at one point or another, but in a mixed order i think. what’s your current voltage readings at the battery when the car’s on and off (this is with martino’s alternator right)?

13

When the alternator was on my car it was reading 14 off load, and 13.4 on load.

He won’t be able to tighten the alternator well enough seeing as how the threads on the actual alternator where the tensioner bolt goes in, are stripped.

Josh, try getting a new battery, yours is probably toast now from running on only it.

get another alternator…i gave you mine for free, but for that exact reason lol.

14

it say starter or hey how about your battery

15

everything is fine, what it is is a short out somewhere on the circuit all my lights are on.

when you press the brake or turn on the car lights, it IMMEDIATELY puts a SEVERE drain on the electrical stuff. Even when the car is off. Something seems to be shorting out - therefore cutting the alternator circuit off, therefore preventing the alternator from doing its job - then the car starts going to the next power source - my battery. Drains my battery, car dies.

I took it into C-Tire who did a complete test and verified the battery and alt are still good, but theres a short.

I have to take it to the electrical guy today.

Stupid shit.

16

mmkay so i boost the car, give it some gas for my alt to kick in, take off the ground, car holds nice and steady, not even a stutter.

i put on the lights, immediately everything dims, same thing happens with no lights + press brake and when i put the heat on.

so either the alternator can’t hold load (though my radio is fine) or theres a short thats draining the crap out of something…

i need help. I can’t even get this out of my underground parking cause it won’t make it without dying. I can’t tow it cause im broke and i cant afford to tow + pay for someone to look at it… just one or the other.

and before people say CAA, I’ve already used my plus crap…

anyone? anyone that will come to look at it that knows their shit? i’ll pay you for gas + labour.

thanks ahead of time, I really need to know if its something easy to fix or something i should just let go of the car over.

17

I had very very similar issues with a blazer a few years ago and everything pointed to everything else but the starter. Turned out to be the starter, I spent months changing batteries getting boosts got my alternator rebuilt. In the end I couldn’t even get that starter rebuilt I had to buy a new one!

18

the starter would cause electrical issues once the car is started and if you turn on the lights/heat?

19

josh… the car wants an SR… now

20

make sure the connecters to your battery is clean i had the same problem and this is what fixed it. if it doesnt start its either the battery or starter go with the simpliest thing first