My J30 keeps dying 5 alternators in 2 months!

[cbtegner]

I have been having problems with my 93 j30 involving electrical. I have sent it to 2 shops and have spent over $2,000 at this time. Everytime i get it back it drives for about 50 miles before the ABS light comes on then the alt light then it completely shuts down while i am driving. The battery is secured absolutely, there is no aftermarket system currently installed, and the alternators are alwys new when they are put in and the battery is new as of august. I would hate to junk my car but i don't know what to do. Anyone here of this happening or have any ideas let me know.

chris

[cbtegner]

anyone have any ideas

[95-J30tt]

check the ABS relay....., that is the first time i hear of such a case on a J30, but alternator going bad over and over means that there is something that is over draining the battery/alternator when the engine is on.

the ABS relay is a common problem with the J30, and it does drain the battery, but that would happen even if the engine is turned off

a bad connection to the alternator is also an option, if it is shorted at any point, or if it is not connected loosely then it could cause the alternator to fail, but 5 times??, again i doubt that this is the problem, but check it anyway, a good sign would be if the lights flicker when the engine is on, also dimming of lights while driving

the headlight relay could cause a battery over drain when the engine is on (if it is a bad relay), so check that also

a very slight chance, but it could happen, is that the starter stays on for a while when the engine is turned on, which can really damage the alternator, i've seen it happen but not with the Js

i dont have much experiance with electrical, but that is what i can think of, run an ECU diagnostic, and tell us what you get, keep us posted

[elan]

One thing that comes into my mind is that the module that manage the battery charge is bad. I do not know how it's called exactly in English. But logically it can happen when "the charging is always on" because of this thing. I do not know if I pt it clear.

[driverdriver]

Welcome to NICO cbtegner!

Is the alternators an OEM Nissan unit? either new or rebuilt.

If not all bets are off.

Aftermarket alternators are known for creating all sorts of lectrical and driving nightmares for the J. Just search this forum.

They hardly last either.

[cbtegner]

somehow it started today, im gonna drive it a short distance to the shop and have them look at it. something made it die out and it was alt related.

[DominickJ30]

You either had a discarched batter or a loose connection on the alternator it sounds like.

[sizertl]

Any luck with diagnosing your alternator problem?

Terry

[cbtegner]

im still awaiting word. This is about the 10th time ive had it towed to a shop since november. I let it sit in a driveway for a year and a half and have replaced everything i could think of on it but i think the wireing may be compromised so i might have to sell it and get a junker till i get enough money to get a newer j30. I hope it doesnt come to that. When i find out whats wrong ill let you all know.

[Q45tech]

Sounds like the extremely common use of aftermarket rebuilt alternators instead of Nissan units from dealers.

You said new but new from whom?

We have seen dozens fail as you describe, we have seen dozens of customers over the years who cheaped out over and over again.

We refuse to use any but oem [alternators, starters, AC compressors, any rotating component].

[candaloosa]

I don't know if you have gotten this problem fixed yet or not because it has been a couple months since you have posted this... but I felt compelled to leave you a message because I went through this last year to the point where my step dad, the nearest advance auto parts, and I began to think we were crazy. I went through 4 alternators, and 2 batterys from 7/06 - 11/06 in my 93 Infiniti J30.. I took it to a mechanic who specialized in electrical issues because that was the only thing we could think of to be the problem since it was common for Nissan cars.... turned out.. after my car stalling several times in really bad places with me and my 2 year old daughter left kind of helpless positions ...that the problem was the belts... not just one.. we tried that..but all of them... they were the original belts and at 180,000 miles they were certainly due to be changed... but we did not start to think that may be the issue... so if your belts are relativley old ...and this seems to be the last place you would check... get them replaced... my car has ran like new since the replacement of them.... I wish that i could have found someone who had previously been through this to tell me what was going on... so I hope that this is helpful information.... if your problem has already been fixed.. GREAT! But I felt like I should at least respond just incase.... by the way if you know anyone who is relativley good at doing car labor... the belts are about 30-40 dollars.. and its certainly not as hard as everything else to replace in the car...its pretty common knowledge to someone very familiar with cars..

Good luck,Candice

[jregan]

Mine used to do this, turns out the part where the alternator connects to the frame for a ground, was extremely dirty. Tried to clean it but did not work.

Try running a 8 gauge gasoline resistant wire from alternator ground the negative terminal of battery . This has stopped my alternator from making pesty shortouts, nissan or not. ( I personally have a duralast, with no probs now that Ive done that)

Also I have installed an Optima yellow top battery, so if the alternator does crap out again, the battery can discharge without harm, and seems to add to the reliability of the electrical system (also I have a system)