A 91 nissan sentra, replaced alt, battery, car starts runs 30 min. then dies, anybody know why?

Question

THe car is a winter beater, 4 speed, ran ok until one week ago. started fine, i noticed the seat belt light and prk brake light no longer coming on, along rear defrost and temp gauge not working, speedo and lights work. driving to work, wipers slowed down, then car stopped, checked wires, battery ground, replaced alt, but still will not hold a charge, or something (any ideas) is preventing the system from working. No radio in place although wires are there, any ideas?car is basic, no air, 2 door coupe. engine runs fine when running as well. gear box, clutch ok also, any help ideas would be great, and no I can't burn/throw it off nearest cliff!

Answer 1

Greetings!

Since the wipers slowed down, (at first I thought it was a fuel problem) there is something drawing enough energy that eventually drains the battery.
You can try to do some detective work by doing the following.
Remove fuses for , heater blower, wipers, accessories. Any other fuses you have that won't have an effect on brake lights.
Also pull the plugs on the headlights.
Try then to make it happen again. If it does you have a dead ground somewhere. It should be severe enough to leave a burn mark somewhere.
Look for the engine ground strap, and around the battery posts.
Once I saw a hood loose and when a bump was hit it would short out the alt, and kill the engine.

Good Luck

Answer 2

You might want to check the power box under the hood, and inspect the MAXI fuse for the charging system, and possibly the MASTER. If you have a volt meter, check the charging output with the engine running. The voltage should be well over 13V running. If not, check to be certain that the Alternator is getting power to the "F" terminal. It is the terminal that "turns on" the alternator. If it is dead, look for the cause.

Good Luck

Answer 3

loglog84, have you ever presently had something put in, like a stereo or another digital gadget, does the vehicle crank slowly once you initiate it with a very charged battery, have you ever checked to confirm if there's a breaker or fuse it rather is marked for the charging gadget contained in the fuse field lower than the hood of your vehicle, have you ever looked as if it would see if the altenator belt is on and tight? i comprehend all of those ought to appear like stupid questions, yet as a mechanic, they are all correct to the problem. 30 years in the past, autos I worked on had charging complications, yet were in many situations clinically determined as another issue than the altenator. something stressed backwards on a radio operating example, or the starter ought to nicely be going undesirable, causing the battery to be drained swifter by way of further load of the starter dragging. lots of todays autos have a breaker or fuse it rather is special for the charging gadget, if this is probable a breaker, replace the breaker from easily one of the different positions to confirm if it ought to help your charging issue, in spite of the indisputable fact that, be careful of the only you take advantage of, you do not favor to apply the only on your wipers, and then run right into a rain typhoon. yet earlier you do something else, first verify the belts on the engine and with a tug on them confirm they are on and proper tighted. you're suprised what number of people ignore this consumer-pleasant ingredient (inclusive of myself). If all else fails, take the altenator to a aspects homestead to have it examined. sturdy success, and characteristic a tremendous day!!

Answer 4

you may have a bad computer