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vetdr2be
Jul 16, 2008, 04:42 PM
I have a 92 Nissan Sunny. 3 months ago I had to replace the alternator. The car has been working fine until yesterday. I drove the car to school to study and came out about 3 hours later and the car would not start (no, I didn't leave any lights on or doors open). I had the car jumped and immediately headed home. Five minutes later the lights started dimming and the car stopped running. I had the car jumped a 2nd time, waited about 10 minutes to charge the car before heading home which was about a 5-8 minute drive. My initial thought was the alternator had gone bad again. But when I woke up this morning the car turned over 3 different times and never hesitated. I put it off to the fact that I must have left the door open the time before and didn't realize it. Well, I drove the car to school and 3 house later I came out and it was dead again. I turned the ignition and all I heard was clicking, it never once tried to start.

So, I quess my question(s) is does this sound like and alternator problem? If so, why was the battery able to charge itself in the short drive home last night and start right up this morning? If not, do you think I'm dealing with a bad wire or battery cable connection?
I’m a student with limited funds and I need to make sure I kind of know what's going on with my car when I go to get it fixed so that way I'm not paying for something I don't need.

Any help and advice would be very much appreciated.

TxGreaseMonkey
Jul 16, 2008, 04:59 PM
Sounds like the battery is bad and it's time to replace it.

vetdr2be
Jul 16, 2008, 05:04 PM
Well, I replaced the battery when I replaced the altenator.

TxGreaseMonkey
Jul 16, 2008, 05:21 PM
Definitely clean the battery and cable connections. The link below may help:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-trucks/faq-how-troubleshoot-repair-maintain-hondas-46563-3.html#post235560

Since the battery is new, the problem must reside with the alternator. The starter relay (solenoid) clicking is likely an indication the battery is not being fully charged. Many auto parts stores will charge batteries for free. If the battery is deeply discharged, when they attach the charger, it's likely indicating the alternator is bad.

vetdr2be
Jul 16, 2008, 05:29 PM
Ok, I will see if that solves my problem. Thanks so much for helping me.

TxGreaseMonkey
Jul 16, 2008, 05:34 PM
Most auto parts stores will also test alternators for free.