F***'ed Up... Alternator?

Started by Peacock · Apr 25, 2008 · 6postsInvision 2005–09

PeacockApr 25, 2008, 7:29 am · #1

Car isn't charging battery. Meter's only reading 9 coming out of the alternator and battery was tested good. However... car died at a law school visit (i newbed myself and left my cooling fan on) and the campus security jumped my battery. They said they knew what they were doing and did it all the time, so I hopped in and tried to start the car. They hooked the neg to the battery instead of grounding it and smoke came up from the area around the little black box next to the battery (I'm 99.9% sure its one of the fuse boxes). Could it be something else besides the alternator? The circuit is complete for all of the fuses while the car is running (on a charged battery) as I tested them with one of those screwdriver looking devices that detect current and light up a light bulb.

The final piece of the puzzle is that with the battery plugged in and fully charged, no electricity gets to the interior parts until the engine is running. No lights, no headlights, no fan, nothing, which leads me to believe that it might not be the alternator, but something else altogether.

David BApr 25, 2008, 12:28 pm · #2

well, if you have a stock alternator, its like 21 years old.

you might as well get a new one. local shop around here did mine for 150 beans part and labor

jeffwins24Apr 25, 2008, 12:45 pm · #3

David B @ Apr 25 2008, 08:28 AM
well, if you have a stock alternator, its like 21 years old.

you might as well get a new one. local shop around here did mine for 150 beans part and labor

it's a CA18DET 91 - 94 less then 21

prolly a relay or something. do you have the complete wiring for the 18det?

i doubt it's the alternator. he said all the lights come on when the engine finaly cranks and starts. they should come on even if he's not cranking. check your fuses, relays and fusable links it could be any of those. i was recently working on a MAZDA which had something similer the lights and all that wouldn't come on unless the car was on. we pulled up the wiring and found out it had a fuse missing because nothing worked no lights or anything until it was cranked and even while it was on some things still weren't working like the radio, inside lights and door locks.

silvia loveApr 25, 2008, 3:21 pm · #4

check the fusible links, could've melted down. hopefully he didnt put positive to neg and neg to pos, thats bad news.

PeacockMay 8, 2008, 10:01 pm · #5

Yup... f'd up fusible link.

Anyone know where in the fuck I can find a new 80v black fusible link? Neither Kragen nor Napa had them for sale nor could they order them.

PeacockMay 8, 2008, 11:25 pm · #6

NM... just paid nissan way too much goddamn money but it was worth it... ahhhhhhh!!!!!!! i love turbos