Hi all, My zed is currently off the road as it's in need of a new alternator, although we are yet to test this..but it sounds like an alternator problem. So, of course I've jumped on COZ to see what I can get..and there are 3 options: Does anyone know which one is most appropriate? I have a 1990 NA 300zx. 1. Circuit Sports 300ZX 90 Amp Alternator 90-96 Z32 = US$195 http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=9566&Car_Type=300&UID=20130807185331118.209.24.9 2. Denso 300ZX Rebuilt Alternator - 90-93 Z32 NA = US$299.95 http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=8949&Car_Type=300&UID=20130807185331118.209.24.9 3. Nissan OEM 300ZX Alternator 90-96 Z32 = US$334.09 http://www.conceptzperformance.com/Cart/description.php?II=941&Car_Type=NIS300&UID=20130807185331118.209.24.9 Just thought I would ask here and see what answers I get..before asking COZ. :zlove:
If the alternator is faulty you'd probably do well getting it rebuilt locally OR paying top dollar for the oem one
i like OEM alternators as i always find they last longer... look at yours for example.. done almost 25 years and only just failed... yes they are expensive.. but having the piece of mind having an alternator that wont fail on your for another 20+ years is worth that extra bit. saying that.. if a alternator isnt installed correct you could kill the bearing on it etc. so make sure its set up correctly. and knowing how picky you are with your car.. your PS pump would not be leaking so it would be general wear and tear. my 2c
Check for power steering leaks first, they are a common cause of a faulty alternator on our cars and will reduce the lifespan of the new one if not fixed.
It's often that the bridge across the Z32 alternator which fails with age/wear. This component is actually easy to remove/replace, and a rebuild is not a complicated task. However the bridge part is not sold seperatly by nissan. The Denso rebuilds visually seem pretty good and cleaned up nice - though I've only held one in hand (purchased by a club mate)
Thanks guys..anyone ever used a non-OEM alternator? I'm well aware of the power steering fluid issue killing alternators..am yet to check if I have a split in a hose or a leak..but I don't think I do.. The story was that I had intermittant issues with the headunit turning off on itself and the battery light coming on briefly (we actually found that the connectors were all corroded - so Craig replaced them all and heat-shrinked them)...we actually thought this was the problem... ...until I drove to work the other day (after Craig had done the re-wiring), and suddenly my headunit turned off again and then the dash lights dimmed and the headlights went off (not so fun at 0640hrs in foggy weather in a black zed), literally just pulled up in a park and turned the zed off before it literally stalled on me..was thinking there was no hope in hell of it starting after I finished work, but luckily it did and I managed to get it home (only flashed the battery light a couple of times)...
check the connectors again.. might not be conducting properly.. i would check the alternator is charging with a multimeter (check for 14+ volts over the battery) if you get no charging power over the battery then check off the alternator. if it is charging then it may just be connectors. worth giving that a go before forking out for a rebuild or a new alternator
Renee, I bought an OEM one from Coz for my old NA. It was pricey, but it installed without issue and ran fine for the time I had the car
I've had a non-OEM alternator, worked ok once I drilled out the mounting hole to suit the standard bolt and worked out how to plug the cable in as it's moved from the back to the engine side of the alt. Was worth the $$ saving for me at the time.
Precisely what ^ HE said. Altho its unlikely a battery. A failing alternator will not result in mysterious head unit switchoffs and sudden loss of electrical power/blackouts and miraculously coming to life later on sudently with enough power to start and tun the car. They tend to charge, partially charge or they dont charge at all and the battery will gracefully go flat over a couple of days. Just start it, run everything electrical on flat out and place a multimeter across the battery terminals. Anything above 13v is fine. Id say you have a problem with your major electrical power feeds or grounds. So before unloading great wads of cash on imported stuff, Id be finding what is cutting your electrical power. E
That's what he's there for :rofl: crack the whip girl ..... GOR is coming ..... last w/end in November
Yes. Twice in fact, due to the first one shitting itself after 2 hours operation.., I would pay the extra for oem -or if you are running thermo fans and amp and need the extra current go for a mechman at around $500USD. Your symptoms are consistent with failed alternator, but definitely check it first. If you can get some leads on the back of the alternator (positive to the b terminal, negative to the body of the alternator) and check voltage with lights on high beam and aircon running, engine at 1500rpm, that will be the most accurate.
Thanks guys...just getting a quote from COZ at the moment, Craig's job is to check that the alternator is actually dead first..at least its easy to check, and we will make sure the connectors are fine.. Kingy - We wont be able to make the GOR cruise this year..as we will be cruising in the South Pacific instead lol.. :zlove:
Renee ive been running a 180amp alternator which i believe is an oem one that has been upgraded. Its the same one that Rob held a group buy on a while back. Ive had it in my zed for over 3+ years now & never had an issue & i have also gotten a new one for my TT build Abraham
Hey Guys, Just done a quick test, bit inconclusive though seeing I haven't any experience with alternators as of yet apart from knowing I should be reading 14+ volts at the battery. Below are a couple of observations from about a 10 minute run while sitting in the garage with just the car running (no lights or other accessories running): 1. Car initially fired up reading 14.5, after 10-20 seconds when it dropped the idle to normal warm idle the reading dropped back to around 12.2 and stayed there till I gave the car a quick rev of about an extra 1000rpm over idle which it then came back to 14+ and stayed there for another minute or so till dropping back to 12.3ish. Is this normal, like part of an idle state? I just left it like that for a while and watched it steadily decrease in .01 increments every 5 seconds or so till it was around 11.7ish - so obviously running of the battery and draining it in the process. I revved the car again to no effect, so I revved a second time a bit quicker and higher and this brought it back to 14+ again and stayed there for minutes after returning to normal idle. So far to me this is indicating an intermittent faulty alternator or a loose connection on the alternator (to check after tomorrows test) 2. Readings from various places: - battery pos and neg = 14+V - battery pos and body ground = 14+V - battery pos and engine ground = 12ish - is this abnormal? I am planning to securely connect the multimeter connections, run it into the cabin and take the Z for a drive tomorrow with the lights on, stereo blaring, aircon running, etc. and see what happens, especially when things start going haywire again. Cheers, Craig
Sounds like the alternator is on the way out -but if you want to be 100% you really need to check from the back of the alternator and make sure you are getting the same readings there as you are at the battery. FWIW though it really is sounding like shagged alternator. Did you test it with loads on as suggested?
