I have had a problem with my battery. It is only a year old and it has already started to crap itself. this morning driving to work the lights would dim every time the car was idling but everything would be fine when i was driving. my understanding is that the alternator should be charging even on idle. is my alternator having a bad day or is my battery just crap. the battery is a $120 heavy duty thing from RACV. i think its time for me to get a sealed one though as i am planning to hook a few more things to it.
sounds to me like you alternator... when your not using your lights i bet its all fine and dandy.... on my old 300 my alternator dropped out partly and i noticed while i was driving in the day it was charging but at night with my lights on or stopped at the traffic lights i noticed my volts would drop to below what it should be... cost me 180 to get it pulled out and reconditioned/fixed and i didnt have ne probs with it after. best to do something about it before it dies completly and then you could be stuck somewhere at the worst time.
Could be PTU or it may just be that the belt needs tightening, dont go spending a fortune until you know what it is as it may not be needed straight away
i have a brand new series 2 ptu so i really hope its not that. i'm assuming it is the alternator because the lights dim when it sits at idle but everything is fine when i'm at around 2000rpm. i'll check the belts tonight. one problem is that i only drive when its dark because i start at 8am and finish at 6:30 so its always dark at those times in the winter.
No way it can be the PTU. There is nothing to suggest that the PTU can cause a problem such as dimming the lights. The PTU triggers the Coil Packs to fire the plugs. Almost certain to be the Voltage Regulator/Alternator.
Sounds like alternator is undercharging at idle -if you have an RACV battery it should be under warranty (I work for the NSW equivelent) so call them out they will do a test of battery AND charging system and replace if needed.
Unless you have a friend who's good with electrics, just take it to get diagnosed by an auto-sparkie. Should only cost $15-$20 and they will let you know whats causing your problem. Just ask around the forum for a good guy in your area.
I got the RACV guys to come out last night because my car decided it didn't want to go anywhere. He said the alternator is buggered. Got it towed home. must say the tow truck driver was very careful but still upset because it was so low. Put it on the truck backwards just to make sure he didn't scratch anything. It's good to know people out there take their jobs seriously like that. The battery is fine its just not getting enough charge.
180$ for a altenator removal+recon+reinstall is a pretty nice price... i remember for my mates civic he was lookin at 120$ just for the recon! so we buy a new one just to have it not fit!!! gah. but yer man goodluck, sounded like your alternator from the get go.
prices so far, i'll put most expensive first. Nissan: $856.56 (Brand New) autlec: $295 (getting barnd new bosch and modified to fit) CAE: $160-$250 (pending price of parts)
