Hi i haven't been on here for a while, but I need some advice from some people who aren't trying to sell me something.

My car is ####ed. Its a 1200 coupe and it broke down a couple of weeks ago and got a new alternator, regulator, and battery, then last week it broke down again, with the alternator being the problem according to one mechanic and the regulator being the problem for the other, they fixed it for free becasue the parts were under warranty. But now well it drives ok but my CD player is dead. It works when my car is in idle, but give it revs it just dies. No music or lights on the head unti nothing. I'm thinking of taking it back to ultra tune and telling them they need to fix it or else. Or maybe an auto electrician.

I don't know its really got me at wits end, i feel like just leaving it unlocked at night so someone can steal it. But thats just crazy talk.

Any input would be highly appreciated

I can't help with your problem
but if it's an electrical problem ask an auto electrician not a mechanic,
it's more direct
alot of mechanics get sparkies in to do electric jobs anyway
a lady friend payed a mechanic for an new alt. + a new batt. only for it to go flat the next day , I put a new bolt in the engine earth lead tightened it up and no problem. he's a good mechanic but limited electrical knowledge.

sounds like your CD player is hooked up to the "trickle idle" circuit of your alternator - not your ign. switch.

when idling, the alternator goes into a mode that supplies *just* enough juice for everything to work. as revs increase, the regulator increases the voltage (amperage?) to compensate to give a stronger spark.

that's the only thing i can think it would be. is it a new alternator or an older (external reg.) unit?

Quote:

That might be true if he was running on no battery. But we know that's not true.

What is the voltage across the battery terminals when:
1. The engine is switched off
2. When engine is running

Normal results:
1. about 12V
2. about 14.4V

Most 12V devices will operate from 9v to 15v. For you CD Player to be "blanking out", you're most likely not getting enough volts (at the given current consumption).

This is from crap battery, crap regulator, crap wiring and/or dirty (high resistance) connectors.

Could be that the CD player unit has a problem, and drawing too big a current for the wiring to handle.

Chris

ps. Most likely a crappy "scotchlock" that's almost sheared off the 12V power wire to the CD player. Damn lazy car radio installers!

Yeah all the parts are new, and I don't think the Cd player itself has a problem because before my car died a couple of weeks ago it was fine.

I'm thinking of taking it to and auto elec. The mechanic at ultra tune did say it was shorting out somewhere but they didn't seem to care to much about it.

Anyone got any jobs going because I'm only thinking of taking it to an auto electrician, I can't actually do it because I have no funds.

Thanks for the input.

Pro_240c that alternator sounds pretty hi-tech for a Datsun.
I am inclined to think along the lines of Dattodude with the bodgy connection.
I am also thinking along the lines of a mechanic seeing an easy target but not having the brains to pull it off.
Ok so we got a 1200 which broke down.
Mechanic changed; alternator, regulator and battery.
A week later same problem.
They fix it again and now stereo plays up.
Mechanic also mentioned a short.

My bet: Main power fuzable link blew.
Mechanic replaced it. Had a look around and saw nothing, so came to the conclusion of Alt or Reg. So he changed them both, battery was flat so put a new one too, costomer came to mechanic for help, so if the mechanic says needs a battery customer will simply agree.
A week later same problem, mechanic has another look, cant see anything, everything else is new, probly put a bigger amp fuze and tells customer what he wants to hear.( Faulty Alt but we changed it free of charge)

Now your stereo is ok at idle but not when reving.
I would look at the wires around the accelerator pedal and accelerator cable. Chances are the radio power wire is shorting out on the pedal or its being pulled on by the pedal and shorting out on some metal.
It could also be that there was a short somewhere else and while the mechanic looked for it he has moved wires and now the accelerator pedal moves the radio power wire and breaks its connection.

I could also be completely wrong, but from your info, this is what I would look at first.

Quote:

yeah but that's why i asked if it was a new internal reg alternator or the std ext. reg. unit.

people often get a prob when they use a later model alternator that the "alt" light on the dash is missed in the changeover and creates all kind of havoc. trust me, i had a similar thing when the revs increased on my 180B (S3 bluebird alt). the lights would cut out because the power was being drained by the igniton system. without the "alt" light hooked up, the alternator wasn't producing charge until 6000rpm!!!! (tested by the sparky). he hooked up a cheapo light under the dash for the alternator and instantly i had charge at idle and my lights didn't drop out when revving it.

i thought maybe the CD was dropping out because the ignition system was taking up all the charge - esp. if he'd swapped in a new-er alternator.

that little bit of knowledge cost me $66

Yeah dude I saw that you said what kind of Alt was fitted. Still sounds Hi-tech to me, for someone to fit to a Datsun. I hope that $66 wasnt for the knowledge of this "trickle idle hogwash"
It sounds like something NASA would use to conserve fuel on a space shuttle to keep enough supply for backwards thrust on re-entry.
I will send you a PM about your Alt experience so the old women out there dont have something to whinge about just to increase their post counts.