As you can see, by the fact that I am still driving Mom's car, I am a new user. I am not fortunate enuff to own a Q, but I was able to afford a '96 G20 with only 42k a couple of months back. She is very clean with a sunroof and tan leather interior. In forest green, she is almost like new.

My Infiniti love affair started wonderfully, but I am now living in a nightmare. I have an intermitent problem that no one is able to diagnose, so I hope someone with experience can help me out.

A couple of months after I bought the car, she started to have issues. Once and awhile, when putting her in reverse, she started to jump. I figured it was an injector issue, so I pumped her full of good gas and injector cleaner for about 3 weeks. That didn't seem to work. The jumping stopped, so I figured it was jst some Nissan issue.

Now the car is jumping in drive while stopped at a stop sign. When I say jump, I mean that it revs the engine all on its own. The tach jumps up and down, as well as the car. this has happened 3 times. It also died in the drive once. I had to pump the gas just to get it started.

On top of that issue, whenever I hit the brakes or turn signal, the lights dim. On top of that, the lights behind the ac / heat control come on and off at random, and there is a buzzing whenever I accelerate the car.

All the mechaniocs have suggested that it was an alternator problem, but I am not sure I believe it. I just got it changed today. If you have any input, please let me know.

BTW, does anyone know how I can give this car more nuts? The power doesn't kick in until around 25 -30 mph, and the car has a seriously sluggish response when trying to weave in and out of traffic. This damn thing is gonna kill me if it keeps hesitating like this.

thanks for your help

i agree with your mechanic that the electrical problems are related to a bad altenator.

I am hopeful that you are correct.

Any ideas how I can squeeze a little more power out of her? My only solutions thus far are a chip upgrade, intake, and catback exhaust. I am guessing those upgrades will only give me around 30+ more horsepower.

Your car has an SR20DE in it.Responds very well to turbocharging...

Fred...

palmerwmd wrote:Your car has an SR20DE in it.Responds very well to turbocharging...

Fred...

Fred's right.Unfortunately we need to figure out this jumping problem first before you start upgrading. Maintenance before upgrade. Your car only has 42,000 miles on it? I wish mine was that young.

Just got the car back, from getting the alternator replaced....

Lights are still dimming... Idle still wierd... Dropped to about 500 and sounded like it was gonna die again. Lights in ac / heater still messed up. Must be loose bulbs or short in unit. I don't think it has anything to do with the jumping or low idleing issues. I am quite distraught.

Got the car 5 months ago with 42K and now it has 52K. Still young, and still looks great... Now I just want it to run well too.

I am absolutley baffled.

The techs you are taking it too..Are they Infiniti techs?

Fred...

They should be able to load test it to determine if the new alternator is working correctly. Maybe a corroded battery cable? Aftermarket rebuilds are typically bad news - hope you went with a factory unit.

Alternator failure at 53K is awefully early on a Nissan - even with marginal battery maintenence. Usually 80-90K minimum. You might also check with the Sentra guys on this forum since your cars are mechanical brothers.

Was your car ever wrecked before you bought it? I'd be very concerned about the quality of the repairs if it was...

Heath

Was the condition of the alternator confirmed, or was this just a wild guess? If it was indeed bad, you should also replace your battery.

If it was not confirmed defective, I would have to wonder about the competency of the mechanic.

Very much agreed. A bad alternator can cause some strange things to happen, but it should still be checked before being replaced. You'll pay labor either way, but maybe you won't have to pay for the part. You can take a bare alternator to pretty much any large automotive chain to have it tested for free.

A bad battery will cause those symptoms and drag the alternator down with it.

Wow, a lot of questions to answer...

No, I did not take it to Infiniti techs yet. I was a bit frightened at how much it may cost me. I believe that is my next choice. I actually took it to a shop in the area that is known for quality work. They did a charging system test on the car and the battery had the proper juice, but the alternator was just under spec for the amperage it was supposed to be putting out. The technician said that I did not have to change the alternator if I did not want to, but that I probably should since it was out of spec. When I have explained this issue to other mechanics, they all agreed that the proper route to take was to replace it. I took it back to Car Max, and they installed the new part for me @ half cost because I hadn't had the car very long. It was a good faith gesture. I believe they only use oem parts, but I can ask them.

If it is not the alternator... What else could it be? With my luck, I am having some serious electric problems that are going to cost me thousands.

Just to be sure that I wasn't being a concerned parent, I took out a friend in the car last night to view all the issues, and he confirmed that I wasn't crazy. There seems to be a large load being put on the car whenever you mess with anything electrical.

Symptoms again...

Braking - Interior and exterior lights dim.

Window - When pressing up on the electrical window switch, same problems.

Turn signals - same problem

Radio - Whinning when I accelerate

Car bucking - Hasn't happened again since last Wednesday. Intermittant and confusing.

Ac / Heat control unit - Believe it is unrelated, and that there are loose bulbs, or possibly a short. However, maybe they are related. Could a short somwhere in the wires behind the dash cause other electrical issues???

maybe there's a bad ground somewhere.

My really lame suggestion is to test the voltage regulator; first in the car system, then out to confirm operation within specification.

It may have an intermittent fault. Once out of the car, current load is easier to determine.

Mayhem has it, I lean very heavily towards the Bad Earth to the Accessories. Check all wires to the body under the dash & undo the screws & clean up the surfaces between the earth wire & the chassis, & while you have the wires disconnected, pull gently on them & make sure the wire inside isn't broken. (If the wire stretches easily, then the wire is broken)

If there is a Non standard radio fitted, check to make sure the earth hasn't been disconnected or cut through.

Good Luck.

Thanks guys... I will check the wiring next week while I am on vacation. I appreciate all the help, and I will keep you all informed on the progress.

Chris