# Electrical Problem, 94 Sentra



## Guest (Jan 5, 2003)

Hello, I am new to your forum and was hoping that someone may be able to help me with a problem. The car is a 94 Sentra with a 1.6L gas engine. It died a couple of days ago on the wife and wouldn’t start. When I got home from work I found that the battery was dead and jumped started it. I left it on for a while and checked the battery terminals and they read 12.33V with the car running. This was to low so I checked it again after turning the lights on and found the voltage at the battery terminals to be 7.60V. The dash didn’t show any indicators that there was a charging problem so I figured the bulb was out. I replaced the alternator with another Hitachi unit and also the battery since it was the original. I started the car and the voltage at the terminals is once again 12.33V. When I turn on the lights it drops to 11V. So I turned the car off and checked the fusible links (seem fine), checked the two terminals off of the main battery terminal (seem fine), checked the inside fuse panel for blown fuses (fine), then checked the alternator terminals and find battery voltage at the main terminal and sense line and on the field line when I turn the key to the ON position. This alls seems normal to me. I turned the key to the on position and found that the charge indicator bulb is the only light that does not turn on. I am not sure why the alternator is not charging. I guess it is possible to get a bad brand new alternator with the same exact problem but I doubt it. Does anyone know if the bulb in the indicator prevents the charging circuit from working? Has anyone run into this problem before? TIA


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*some other things you might want to check*

Make sure your battery cables have good connections to the engine, (ground) and solenoid, (positive cable). Use a multimeter on resistance, and check in ohms, the value of the length of each cable, disconnected from the battery, should not be more than .5 ohms ( by doing this, your checking to see if your cables are good, and if theres hidden corrosion in them) 
Also take your new alternater ( and old one in, if you hav'nt already turned it in for core exchange yet ) and have them tested at a parts store to see if they are putting out, its not uncommon to get a bad one, even if its new. Where I live I can take it to Murrays and they test them right as you watch, autozone might be another one. If not, call around until you find a place, most big parts chains will test stuff.
My car running, the voltage varies between 13.5 to 14.7 volts


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## M.J. (Aug 29, 2002)

*sorry I can't help you with the bulb business*

I'm not driving mine right now, its parked for a few weeks


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