I just put a new alternator in my 2000 i30. The battery light and brake light are now off and the car drives well. The only problem I have is when I shut the engine off all of the dash warning lights come on and stay on even after I take the key out. I have to disconnect the battery to shut them off. Has anyone had this problem or have any ideas on what could be going on?

 

You may have a bad voltage regulator in the alternator. Next time the lights are on, unplug the 2-wire connector from the alternator and see if the lights go off.

 

I had the new alternator tested at the parts store prior to installation, would a bad voltage regulator shown up at that time?

 

i have the same problem no fixes yet

 

I had noticed that problem last night after a short test drive after installing the alternator. Now today having driven it more I find I can't get the engine above 2500 rpms. I have had a bad front motor mount and now I think the rear went out as well, coming off idle if I give it more than just a little gas jerks front to back. But if I get into it slow it if fine up to 2500 then it starts banging around again. It seems like maybe the fuel is shutting down or surging. I don't have any check engine lights or warning lights on the dash when running, only when off. How should I take the positive plug off the alternator? I had a hard time getting it off when changing it, I was worried it would break.. and I have had a problem with my idle dropping. The first time it happened the car just cut off when I got to a red light, I started it again and it cut right back off. I was able to drive it holding my foot lightly on the gas so when I got home I tightened the throttle cables and it worked fine for a month or two. Now recently it has dropped two more times in the last couple of weeks but I doubt this is a permanent fix. Its not like the throttle cables are getting loose I'm just having to tighten them further and further down. Any thoughts would be appreciated.

 

Im not sure about the alternator issue. But the 2500 rpm max issues are usually the MAF.

 

Depends on what's wrong with it. Parts stores just test for output voltage and if your lucky, current output. A thorough test - no way. Unplug that wire and see. It's not that hard to do.

 

Best way to take off the positive lead to the alternator with long needle nose pliers? Use them to push down tab, hold plug and yank?

What is the difference, output voltage and current output? Oh and the issue with the studdering at 2.5K seems to be calming down. But still wondering about the issue with the idle and hoping that what ever was going on with my acceleration doesn't come back. And in addition to my dash warning lights coming on and staying on when I turn the car off my headlights also stay on. They use to go out even if I left the switch in the on position.

 

It's been a while since I've unplugged that connector, I'll have to go look at my car when daylight gets here.

Voltage is the force pushing the electrons/electricity through the wire. Amperage is the amount of electricity (current) flowing through the wire. You can have voltage without any current flowing, for example if a fuse blows you can still measure voltage on the one side of the fuse but no current is flowing through it.

I think the reverse is possible, no voltage but having current flow, but that would be like a short circuit situation. Maybe someone can clarify that for me.

 

That actually makes since to me. Thanks for that explanation

 

I have driven it some more over the weekend and noticed that if I am light on the throttle up to 2k when cold or 3k or more when warm and then put my foot down it will bog down and rev up and down 500 rpm. What should I start checking? I have motor mounts on the way. (Right now I can't accelerate hard or more than gently from a stop or my engine thumps back and forth) maybe once I get the mounts in I can give more symptoms but for now it is the bogging and that my idle keeps falling off. I will set it around 800 then, at firstafter a month, now almost the next time I start it, it will want to shut off. I keep tightening the throttle cables trying to raise the idle but I believe there is something else that I need to replace or at least check that is causing this problem

 

Take the car to an auto parts store and have the codes read. Adjusting the throttle cable to adjust idle is not the way you do it! The IACV may have a problem.

 

I don't have any codes when the engine is running, only when I turn the key off. I believe this means that the code reader will not pick up anything

 

I found the problem with the car bogging down. I was looking at the engine and noticed there was a crack in the elbow going from the mass air meter to the throttle body. I patched it with tale for the time being and the car drives better even when the engine is cold. I am still waiting on new motor mounts to come it which will help a lot but I am still am having a problem with the dash warning lights coming on. Before you ask no I haven't gotten around to taking the clip off of the alt to check the voltage regulator. Am planning to try that soon but are there any other thoughts about this?

 

If the dash lights are not being caused by the alternator, it's going to take a lot of head scratching to figure this out. The ignition switch could possibly do it if it somehow kept the connection that it has when the key is in the ON position.

 

IIRC, you adjust the idle via the black plastic screw on the top of the IACV. Obviously, one way makes the idle higher while the opposite lowers it.

 

In that case should I loosen the throttle cables back to where they were and then use the screw to adjust the idle? How tight should the cables be? I have yet to check the alternator to see if that is the problem. I have been been busy and when I had time to work on the car I replaced the front and rear motor mounts with a set that was non electric. Made a huge difference in how the car drives. The front one has been shot since I bought the car and the rear went out when I was having the bogging problem. Hopefully I can check out the although today and see if it is the problem. It is a pain to disconnect the battery every time I park it for a while.

 

Back your cables off so that they have some play in them and so that it's like you never tried to adjust the idle from there. Basically, loosen them til the idle goes back to where it was, then take the slack out of them without raising the idle and adjust accordingly via the iacv.

 

Thank you. I will do that right away. Now as to my problem with the dash lights. I have pretty much ruled out anything to do with the new alternator. So now I'm thinking what DennisMik said about the ignition switch being the problem sounds like a good possibility. Anyone have some ideas on how I should go about testing components having to do with the ignition? Symptoms being dash warning lights come on and stay on when car is shut off and headlights stay on. I use to always leave my headlight switch in the on position in my i30 so that when the car was running they would be on, but now when I turn the car off they stay on as well.

 

OK I am having trouble finding the screw on the iacv. One thread I read said there isn't one and I would have to replace the idle air control valve. Another said to do an idle.relearn, a couple more said there is a screw to adjust the idle. I drive a 2000 Infiniti i30t. Which way an I suppose to do this?

 

I am going to make an assumption about the headlights. You said "I use to always leave my headlight switch in the on position". My assumption is that you mean the "AUTO" position that is one click from the OFF position.

My thinking on the ignition switch is that it somehow maintains an internal connection that is the "ON" position. I will tell anyone listening that I view this idea as not too likely. But now the headlights add into this theory if the headlight switch is in the auto position.

A quick check with a voltmeter or a test light will prove or eliminate this theory. And if you don't have one and you really intend to work on cars, it's time to get one of each. In this case, a test light is a little easier to work with.

At the ignition switch connector into the wire harness, check the wires for power as follows:

ignition switch off - 12 volts on pin 1, green wire. All other wires should be zero. This is the power from the battery and fuse C (IGN SW) under the hood. Since this wire is from the battery and has power all the time, I am not going to keep saying that there should be power at pin 1.

ignition switch in ACC - pin 2, white/blue stripe wire, now has 12 volts, the others are still zero.

ignition switch in ON - Pin 3, black/red stripe wire and pin 4, red wire, now have 12 volts. Pin 2 still has 12 volts. So now pins 1 through 4 have power, but pins 5 and 6 are still zero.

Pins 5 and 6 will have power when the ignition switch is in the START position. I don't think it is necessary to crank the engine over to check these. But if you want to, fell free.

A note about the wire colors regarding the ignition switch. The wires that are attached to the ignition switch, known as a pig tail, are different colors than what I stated. Nissan does not make the ignition switch and evidently does not think it is important enough to specify the colors of the pig tail wires. So for colors, you will have to look at the wire harness connector that the ignition switch plugs into.

 

Actually I use to keep the headlights turned to the fourth position. And they would turn off with the car. Now even with then in the auto position they stay on. I am going to test the things suggested in the above post. I also was able to get my cat scanned for codes which I thought had to be done with t;he car running. It came up with codes p0403 and I believe the other was p1131 but would have to double check to make sure that is what it was

 

That's a difference between the Infiniti and the Maxima. If you have the headlight switch in the 4th position and turn off the ignition, the Maxima headlights will stay on and run the battery down.

I don't have a listing for a P1131 code. The P0403 code is the EGR Control Circuit. This could be the EGR valve itself or bad wiring to it.

See page 378, section EC, of the Infinity FSM.

http://boredmder.com/FSMs/Infiniti/I30/2000/EC.pdf

 

HELP!!!! I never got around to doing any of that testing and now I am stranded on the way to work. This has happened a couple times over the last few days. I go to start the car and all I hear is a click. Sometimes I will try a time or two and it will work, sometimes I will try moving the automatic gear selector through the gears and turn the steering wheel back and forth and then it will work, but sometimes I just have to unhook the barreryand wait. When I come back it will start but I've been stuck in this parking lot for a while and nothing is working. Any ideas?

 

I interpret this as the engine does not crank over. The click, if loud, would probably be the starter solenoid engaging but the starter motor doesn't spin. Maybe you have a battery problem where it cannot supply enough electrical current to the starter. Or it could be a battery cable where the wire has corroded where it goes into the battery clamp. Or the starter.

If the click is a faint/soft click, it is one of the relays under the dash such as the fuel pump relay or the ignition relay. Normally you don't hear these because the engine cranking over drowns it out. This would be if the starter isn't trying to work at all. Could be the ignition switch or the park/neutral switch on the shift lever or the starter.

But the part where you wait a while and then the car starts doesn't really fit any of my above scenarios. Regardless, I would be interested to know what the battery voltage reading is when the ignition key is off and again while you are trying to start the car but it is not working.

 

Well I am stuçk again right now actually. The click is deffinantly the starter solenoid, it is loud and I can hear it coming from the starter when I have someone else crank it. The battery is a sealed Optima and I have replaced the clamps so there is no corrosion. I'm not sure what the waiting does but when I have been stuck I will keep trying to start it every once in a while and every time it has eventually started for me. I've got my fingers crossed now hoping I can get out of this parking lot. I should have left it running while I put air in my. Tires

 

And now it starts all of a sudden!!!

 

As I think about this, I'm beginning to think the starter is kaput. Since you hear the starter solenoid clicking and the starter motor doesn't spin, the motor is the problem. It may be the brushes in the motor are hanging up when everything is hot and expanded.

When the car doesn't start, try banging on the starter motor with something. The vibrations may free up the brushes.

 

Great I am going to try that next time I am stuck! I did replace it not long ago but put in a used one from a salvage yard. Looks like I might have three problems total... first the dash warning lights staying on when I take the key out which I believe might be the ignition switch, second the car bogging at 2500 rpms which just happens sometimws (I can put it neutral while driving, cut the engine, restart it and it runs great) but I believe has to do with the egr system and finally third it not starting occasionally which is starting to sound like could be a starter problem but could also be tied into the ignition switch

 

If the starter solenoid is clicking, which means the solenoid is getting power and energizing, I kinda doubt that the ignition switch is causing the problem with the starter.

 

I have the starting problem figured out (knock on wood) you guys were right I had a bad connection to the battery. I had the negative cable too lose from taking it on and off so much due to the dash lights staying on. Tightening it did not always use to work but now seems that problem is solved. I still have not had time to solve the other problems but will get to it. Thank you all for your help.