dirty_dyer

Anyone here purchased their Skylines from USA owners, private party? I'm curious, share your stories.

@Slap Hmm possibly. From testing and research I've been doing, that definitely indicates a somewhat weak ground. Not sure though, I've heard some say you don't want anything above .02 volts. I've read other sites saying anything up to .3 is okay. But that makes sense to me, if you get a voltage reading on the ground side, it means their is a resistance. My thoughts are adding another ground wont hurt. And o yeah V=IR. I guess high school physics wasn't totally pointless ?

Hey all long time no post, (been very busy lol) but I'm fairly certain I have found my issue. So I'm not sure how it is on the R-Chassis but on the S-Chassis, at least the s14, the main charging cable goes into the fuse-box via ring terminal with the bolt. That goes through the 100 amp fusible link, back to the battery. I'll attach a screenshot from the FSM for a visual. So I did some poking around. Low and behold, the connector for the fuse box charge cable was melted. Intrigued by this I redid my voltage drop test. Hooking up my multi meter, one lead on the power output of the alt and the other to the ring terminal, I got a reading of about 4.3 volts, which was fairly steady. I haven't fixed it up yet because I'm exploring my options on replacing that connector, although I'm most likely just going to splice a piece of wire in its place. Bottom line things are looking good. Also seems like the engine is grounded pretty well, but i noticed i didn't have a dedicated engine to body ground. I got a voltage reading of .02 volts between the cylinder head and my strut tower bolt. If you guys have recommendations on best grounding wires and locations, let me know. There's a few threaded holes on the bottom of the block that look pretty good. In response to @Slap, on the S14 the charge light circuit is critical as it is a voltage sense and commands the voltage regulator. If that circuit is open in any way, the alternator will not produce any power. @Dose Pipe Sutututu I'm not exactly sure what you mean there. What is +ve? Excuse my ignorance. Cheers, Johnny

@Slap So I bought the car swapped at the end of November when I was at uni. I maybe had it running for a week, when I noticed the car start to run poorly. Had a long weekend coming up, so I decided to just bring it home. It was then the car died an hour from home which I then determined to be a charging issue. I bought this car fully knowing that the wiring was an absolute hack job and planned to re-do it when I had the time and money. Since i got it cheap, I figured the overall investment was pretty good, minus all the headaches of dealing with the previous owners "work" ?. I'm not sure what you are referencing when you mention the amp gauge. However I haven't cleaned the battery ground to the engine yet, it was in a very tight spot between the sub-frame. I was suspicious of that. Also, I need locate the ground strap for engine to body. I remember seeing it on the exhaust side on the engine, but now I don't see it, maybe it fell off, who knows haha. Here is my new suspicion. I know that the lower trans harness is from Wiring Specialties, it looks good but as @Duncanmentioned, it's possible the alternator is not properly connected. In fact, I don't believe that the P/O bought the right trans harness. There is difference in the harness between cars that had a factory automatic or were factory 5 speed cars. I am contacting Wiring Specialties for diagrams to confirm this. This should allow me to determine if its A) The alternator is improperly connected. B) The wrong harness C) Both. In the mean time, I am going to start doing more thorough detective work. Also, I'm planning on getting a full pro harness from Wiring Specialties, just because the old harness is in complete disrepair and will cause more long term cost and headache if it is not replaced. This concludes my TED talk. Johnny

UPDATE: I hooked up alligator leads to my multi-meter to get the voltage of the posts of the alternator. I connected the leads to their respective power and ground posts. Here's what I got: Voltage at battery before start-up: 12.76v Voltage from the alternator posts before start-up: 6v-7v ... Thought this should be battery voltage.. Odd. Engine running battery voltage: 12.4v no accessories Engine Running alternator voltage: 16.2v drops to 15.7 with increased rpm and climbs back up to 16.2 when the engine returns to idle. Sounds like the regulator is shot? Also, please my excuse electrical ignorance, I'm real bad with this stuff but I'm learning . Let me know if i did something wrong. Cheers

Not entirely sure in your case, but I'm fairly certain that RB20/25/26 starters should be interchangeable.

Okay I will do that. How will i go about testing the circuit for the dash light as well?

Hello all, Having an issue with the charging system in my car. I cant seem to figure out why its not charging. Here's some details on the car, and the trouble shooting I've done thus far... Car:1998 UDSM 240sx S14 (Factory Automatic) - RB20DET/5 speed swapped *Lower harness is brand new, I believe it is from Wiring Specialties. Therefore, everything relating to the battery/starter/alternator and fuse box interface is likely not suspected I have found and cleaned the following grounds and connections for the lower harness: *One tying the battery ground to the battery tray from the lower harness, *Ground that bolts to the top of the fuse box under the cover *Alternator grounds: both the lead and the mounting bracket *The alternator has battery voltage coming from the power post * 75 amp fuse is good *Battery is two months old *Key off voltage is 12.8 *Engine running with no accessories 12.55v W/accessories 12.43v * No change in voltage with increased rpm Here's is why I am a bit lost so far. I took off my alternator and got it tested at two different auto parts stores. I went to Autozone and they said is was no good. I went to Oreillys for a second opinion and they said it was functioning well. One thing I am suspecting is the circuit going to the dash. Its a bit odd, because with the key in the on position and the engine off, the battery light in the dash is on and goes off as soon as i start the engine, as it should if the system were functioning correctly. Looking for some guidance and more areas to check before I buy a new alternator. Cheers- Johnny

Nice to meet you silverhks. Hopefully it will be running again soon. Good luck!

What a beautiful GTR. I like the attention to detail. Nice Work

Yes, here are a few. Most are on my old phone. My goal for summer is for it to be a reliable daily (and hopefully a/c)

Hey all, My name is Johnny. I am a student at the University of Arizona majoring in journalism. I own a 1998 240sx that has been RB20DET swapped. Its painted in Starfire Blue Pearl (at least whats left of it). Its sitting at my parents house, currently not running atm, (I suspect a charging issue). I don't know a whole lot about Nissans (I've previously owned three Hondas) but I am pretty mechanically sound. I joined to become on expert on RB engines and learn everything performance Nissan related, as well as helping those in need. I look forward to talking to all of you . Cheers - Johnny