1997 Toyota Nissian- No one can't find the problem. Can You?

Question

We have replaced the alternator 3 times and the batterry 2 times. I can not run any electrical devises or it will drain them again. Every 4 days I have to recharge the batterry. I now have a dead alternator again. I was told yesterday that maybe it could be the fuseible line. Any other suggestions would be very helpful. Thanks!

Answer 1

bad wiring is comom with nissians... so start at the battery and have a good look at the wiring i bet you find a bad wire running to the alternator from the battery... look where the wires split off the battery or where they go on the back of alternator i bet they are right... ive had 6 nissians most everyone had a bad wire battery to alternator battery to starter and to the switch most was at the battery or with in reach of it

Answer 2

Not sure what kind of car you have because as far as I know there is no such thing as a Toyota Nissian.  And Toyota and Nissan are two different companies.

Anyway here goes....   Sounds like a bad regulator if your regulator is external to the alternator.  An external regulator can be taken and tested to see if its OK.  I think AutoZone will do that for you.  Sounds like your car is not charging the battery properly.  The battery is used to start (drains a little power each time), then once it's running the engine is being powered by the alternator and not the battery.  The battery is being drained by starting and the electronics (radio etc).

If the regulator is good then:    Disconnect the cable to the positive side of the battery, connect a meter (amp) to the disconnected cable and the positive post of the battery, and check if you're drawing any power with the key off.  You may draw a little from the alarm and clock and may need to pull the fuses from these if you do.  If you're still drawing power, pull fuses until it goes away, then, at least you'll have a starting point.

I had a fusible link go, and nothing worked at that point.   The fusible link was blown due to a bad alternator resistor.

Answer 3

You have a short in the system someplace,,,,, You can check by useing a test light,,,, Remove one battery cable,, put lead of the test light to the battery post and the other end of the test light to the battery cable,  briefly touch the cable to the battery post (this resets any capasitors and timer relays that are still engaged)  remove the cable from the battery,(make sure that the test light stays connected during the reset processes)  If your test light glows then you have a short..  Start removing the fuses one at a time until the test light goes out ( keep in mind that when you open your door it activates the interior lights which will also make the test light show as a short so remove this fuse first BEFORE you attach the test light to the battery)

when you pull out a fuse and the test light goes out you have found the  circuit where the short is located  

   Other things to look for  check the body and engine grounds then check the primary power wire to the alternator from the battery,,, Another check,, turn on your key but do not start the car,, If your alternator light does not come on  but it does come on when your start the car  check the alternator light circuit,, if this circuit is open it will not let the alternator activate and will not charge the battery        I hope this helps     I can help more if needed contact me via my profile and make sure you give me return contact info,, the last person did not give me their info so I was not able to help them      Andy

Answer 4

Check to see if some of the relays under the hood are stuck ON.  If they are, they're sending power to parts of the car that aren't being used, whether the ignition is on or not.  Also check to be sure the ignition switch is turning everything off the way it should.

Lastly, does your car have an external voltage regulator?  Some cars have it built into the alternator, others have a separate unit mounted away from the alternator but with a wire running to it.  If the VR is fritzed, it may tell the alternator to deliver full power at all times, which really most of the time it simply doesn't do.