Hey guys I just got through a long arduous electrical problem and I noticed something. My lights are dim when I first start my car but after a blip of the accelerator to about 2800 RPM they brighten up and stay that way. I installed a voltage gauge and confirmed that upon starting the car I am running at 12.2 Volts. After I blip the throttle I am at a solid 14.0 Volts and it stays that way.
I asked my friend who has an RB26 swapped s13 and he has the same exact problem (since forever) and thinks it normal.
Poll Question: Are your lights dim when you first start your car then brighten when you blip the gas or start driving?
* My battery and alternator are good and have been recently changed.
* I'm not sure if I had this problem before all of the issues I just had and failed to notice. Maybe I'm just extra paranoid lately?
Thanks Guys!
*ANYONE WITH A 240SX CAN VOTE ON THIS QUESTION REGARDLESS OF YOUR GENERATION OR MOTOR SETUP*
Cheapest thing to do is to buy a couple cans of electrical contact cleaner (from anywhere) and start unplugging stuff one by one, and spraying connectors.
You can also look in the fsm for the wiring diagrams and start measuring resistance of some connectors to see if there is a short anywhere
I was able to find my answer elsewhere. Here it is:
Quote:
Originally Posted by FormulaDz92 View Post
Just checked, when I turn the car on (but don't start it) the first 3 lights illuminate; but battery light (the 4th one) does not stay on. It flickers as I move the key from Accessory I position to Accessory II position but does not stay consistently on.
This is your problem, right here. Your charge indicator circuit is faulty.
The charge light MUST come on and remained illuminated until the engine/alternator is spinning fast enough to create electrical power.
When you turn the key on, the ignition switch must send power to the charge indicator bulb. The bulb will illuminate because the other terminal of the bulb is wired to the field coil connection terminal of the alternator. The alternator ground cable and alternator field coil effectively ground the charge bulb. When the alternator is at operational speed (and working correctly) the field coil will be at 12.7+ volts. The charge light bulb will then extinguish because both - and + sides of the charge bulb will be 12.7+ volts. Current will not flow when voltage is equal hence the charge bulb won't stay on.
You must diagnose the charge indicator circuit fault. Either you're losing voltage to the bulb through the ignition switch, or you're losing ground through the alternator side. I'd recommend testing the following components:
Fuse powering the acc portions of the ignition switch, ignition switch, charge indicator bulb, alternator ground, and any wiring between these components.
Please don't replace any parts until the issue has actually been diagnosed. Any proficient automotive technician (not some Pepboys smoe) could have it diagnosed in 5 minutes. You could've easily paid for that with what you've spent on three alternators.
Some important things to remember:
If the vehicle voltage is ever under 12.65volts, the alternator is not functioning. The battery is handling all the current draw.
Alternator output is regulated by controlling the amount of current through the field coil. Hence, a high current is used to maintain 12.7+ volts at idle, and low current to maintain 12.7+ volts at high alternator rotor speed. When idiots underdrive the alternator pulley, the alternator rotor speed can drop low enough to produce 0volts. I'll spare you my rant on that subject.
Thank you for your reply anyway. Before I could fix this however I managed to ruin something else; A car came into oncoming traffic and almost struck the car in front of my causing me to slam on my brakes hard. At this point my right rear brake line burst. Luckily everything turned out ok and I was able to limp my car 2 blocks home with very limited braking ability. But now that's on the list.
Where did it burst? Was it the rubber line (after the T-split fitting) or was it from the hardline (that comes from the front of the car up) until the T fitting? I may have some pieces leftover that I can send over for very cheap since I upgraded.
I actually have not had a chance to get under there and see. I'm really hoping it's the rubber line. If that is the case I'm looking to upgrade to stainless steel braided lines at all four corners. I have heard people argue that SS lines don't do squat but then there are people who swear by them so I guess I'll have to do more research.
I was able to duck under there last night while the wife pumped the brakes. The hard line section that sits between the rubber line leading from the caliper and the splitter block is where it blew. The section is only about 1 foot long with only a few bends. I wish I snapped some pictures. I guess I'll be learning how to bend brake line in the next week so that's pretty cool.
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