I just finished working on my car tonight. I did a bunch of stuff to it but, replacing the alternator was the only electrical thing done it. I took it for a test drive and everything was great for a little while. I first noticed that my light looked a little brighter than usual then the battery light, abs light, and brake light started going off intermittenly. They would turn off and the dash lights would become more dim if I kept the rpm's way down. The higher the rpm,s, the brighter the dash lights became. I think the problem is the voltage regulator but I'm not too sure. Do you guys have any suggestions? What's the problem? How much does it cost? How hard is it to fix?

Thanks

 

- there is a way to quantify the voltage: go spend 6$ for a dmm
- req costs 15$
- easy to swap; only problem in some altenators is: u have to 'explode' alt before u can swap requlator. On some is just two screws [not in maxima, I suppose]
- Highest voltage should be 14.5V at battery. Otherwise alternator is bad; demand replacement.

Drive without correcting and it will ruin a lot of thing$...

 

Had this same prob when i replaced mine. All it was is the plug on the back wasent pushed all the way in and got loose. Just make sure the plug on the back of the alt is pushed allll the way in.

 

I thought it was an internal regulator.

It is a reman unit so maybe thats why its screwed up.

I have a multimeter but it's all messed up. I'm sure the voltage was AT LEAST 15 volt when I was driving it back home. I had to do my best to keep the car very close to idle when I was driving because I was afraid of something exploding. The lights were so bright that they looked like that they were going to explode. I wonder how long it would take for things to actually start blowing up. That would be pretty crazy.

I hope it is something fairly simple and cheap because I've been without a car for quite some time now. It friggen sucks.

Anyways thanks for the advise.

 

I'll have to try that...

I don't think that's the problem because I remember pushing very hard to get it in all the way. I hope that's the problem though.

 

my car is running higher than 14.5v 99% of the time. at cold starts it sits at 15.0-15.1v all the time.
i normally would agree with your point but my car seems to be handling it quite well. i test my battery for cca and reserve once a month and it always reads fine. i have no electrical problems at all.

 

That cooks battery, no way out of it.

My voltage now is 14.7-14.8V Jumped from 14.2 after my connectors cleaning project. That IS too high, but I agree with u - the fact remains, battery...

This high voltage means all secondary devices driven by ECU TCU etc get around 11Volts, which is good for peripherals like tranny solenoids: no slipping. I suppose (dunno) that electronics start to fry at 18 or like that... so not yet problem there. Lamps will die faster: 5% more voltage and u halve their lifetime, that does not matter...

Batteries are cheap, not to worry!

 

I pushed the plug in very hard while wiggling it and it went in a little further. I had to push it in until the clip went down and then back up. That plug sure is a decieving little sucker. I can't beleive that problem was so simple to fix. I really thought the plug was in all the way to begin with. Now it's 14 volts at idle and when you rev the motor, it jumps up to 14.5.

Thanks guys

 

no prob man, i knew that was the issue

 

Dude I had the same issue, cleaned the connector with carb cleaner etc voltage jumped to 14.7-14.9 when driving! Is this normal? Are the lamps getting more voltage? I have a '97 4th Gen btw.

 

WTH!!
is the 4th gen forum that bad that they're coming in here for advice?

 

now now..... be kind we are all one big happy family!!!