Jump to content
SAU Community

Weird Occurance.... Some Electronic Minded People Wanted

GTRAAH

By GTRAAH,
in General Maintenance

 Share

Recommended Posts

GTRAAH Experienced

GTRAAH

Posted
Posted

Hi,

You will have to read the whole post if you want to get the whole story... I know some people tend to read the 1st paragraph and assume what its about :P... SOrry its so long I just want to make sure you get all the facts ...

I started a thread a few years back about the R32 GTR Digital clock anyhow I ended up buying a new one of someone that bought it but never ended up installing it, It came in the box it looked new no scratches anyhow, I installed it and all is good.

Anyway since the car is not a daily driver, I actually never noticed the issue until one day battery drained and I had to jump start it, so when I did this is when I noticed the clock not showing, after driving to where I wanted to go and the alternator has had a run Id switch the car off and after 1 hour of being parked I turn the car on and the clock is back on as normal, so I started to see a pattern , when the car battery would drain and I needed to jump it or not even if the battery was very drained but it would JUST kick over by a thread well the clock wont be on or it will appear on for a second then disappear again, Id drive the car for awhile then park, next time I start it its on. Battery was failing by the way, anyway this time I went home and did not turn my car on for 3 months I know "Silly"

OH YEH---- During that time above I did replace the alternator to a larger more powerful one.... And the clock thing still happened--- Next thing I would replace is the battery read below---

Next time I un-covered the car, I didn't bother trying to start it I new the battery was gone as it was on its way out before.. I purchased a new battery plugged it all it and started it, well to my surprise clock is not on, I left car on for 25 min to get the insides lubricated again then shut it off , to my curiosity I tried to start it again to see if the clock would work but Nope, so I started tapping the surrounding of the front face directly underneath the clock and I saw the clock come on, Perfect brightness looked very healthy, anyway 10 seconds later turned off again then I saw it come on by it self for a few seconds and then back off I started to think was it even my tapping that turned it on or was it just coincidence. so I quickly pulled the surrounding and unplugged the clock to see if it was a dirty plug , nope they looked good to me although I aint no electrician, plugged it all back , ignition on and clock came on again 20 seconds later, it turned off.. It was getting late and I am frustrated so I packed up and went in side .. the only thing I did different to the other time this happened is drive and use the alternator properly, as in idle mode I don't think the alternator is properly used, now that I am thinking about it I have a feeling this is somehow connected, as I said above it will only show after the battery was drained and after I have driven for a bit, and when the battery was full and I never let it drain the clock will come on the next day or next 2 days what ever, as I said it only happened when it drained, almost like the clock drains and then runs of the alternator - but then why would the headlights turn on and all the rest.. I dont get it.

Sorry for the life story but I really want this thing to work, since i bought a new clock a couple years ago and I have not even done 15000kms in the last 3 years, I don't get it... I have a New BIG alternator. & Brand new battery.. Why do you think this happens--- My car is under a few covers I cannot be bothered unwrapping it all over again, but I definitely will this weekend, I am betting the clock will start again after I have driven the car for about 15 minutes, but my question is why...

GTRPSI Mentor

GTRPSI

Posted
Posted

I remember reading somewhere about dry solder joints inside.

Could explain why it goes on when tapped.

I have not had time to open my one up and go around with a solder iron yet, im pretty sure thats all it probably is, pain in the butt not having everything working.....

Mick Mentor

Mick

Posted
Posted

well you mentioned that this is a new clock so i assume the old one had the same problem??

Anyways if this is correct i would be looking at the wires going into the plug cos i know from experience that it is a tight plug to push in and even harder to pull out and cos of that most people usually grab on the wires to get a better grip when unplugging it and that could easily lead to a bad connection into the plug, you could test this easily with a multimeter as it is a simple 12v type of device so just check the power wire in the plug

GTRAAH Experienced

GTRAAH

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

I am not sure if you read the whole post or not, But i mentioned that I am pretty sure it had nothing to do with the tap because it comes on and off even with out the tap, 5% on 95% OFF so it very rarely turns on... I just thought the tap did it but was just a coincidence. Also did you read the part when I said that when I drive and the alternator runs, the clock then works fine the next time I turn the car on? LOL thats why my first sentence said ---You need to read the life story so you know about whats happening :P

And No the old clock NEVER came on, it was totally dead. So its totally different symptoms as to what I see now, I am definitely going to take it to the auto-lec but I just wanted to see if anyone knew why the alternator seems to be connected to it in a way.

Ok I try repeat what I said in a brief short way, here we go:...

So.......

When Battery drains OR when it JUST kicks over by a thread meaning the battery is almost dead the clock doesn't show. BUT and I mean a BIG BUT!! When I drive the car and get the alternator spinning and the battery gets some charge as well as warming up the alternator it seems :\ yup the clock WILL appear the NEXT time I turn the car on after I do that.

So again, if I drive it for 30 min and then park it , when I start it up again the clock is back on as normal it wont be back to normal if I just start the car without running the alternator... Its almost like the clock needs charging..

Here comes the weird parts ......So 1st I replaced the alternator as I have always wanted a new BIG POWERFUL one.. But I left the battery , I knew it was failing but I didn't want to buy a new one yet as I dont drive it often....well I'll just add, even after the new alternator was installed the same thing happened with the clock , if I left the car off for 1week+ and I start the car and its DEAD or it BARELY starts well the clock does not show until I drive it around abit and run the alternator abit, well the clock goes back to normal when the battery has been charged up with the alternator... Reason I say Alternator is because I left the car off for 3 months but this time I didn't jump start it Instead i bought a brand new battery and plugged it in as this was dew, now.............shouldn't the clock come straight on as I have a fully charged new battery? NOPE soon as I drive it for 10 min and run the alternator THEN turn the car off and back on, YUP clock is back on and stays on... even if I leave the car off for days upon days.. AS LONG as I dont let the battery die as this would mean, I not only have to jump start it but I have to run the alternator for abit and then the clock will appear the next time I start the car.

Tell me that is not weird huh?

Edited by GTRAAH

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Latest Posts

    • Dose Pipe Sutututu
      Duncan's V37.......race car?

      By Dose Pipe Sutututu · Posted

      Fark what are the changes of that snapping like that, clean. Nek minnit, custom radiator goes in, with built in oil cooler like those discontinued PWR ones from yesterdeacades ago
    • Duncan
      7 Speed Auto transmission fluid change (Skyline, Q50, Q60, Fuga, Q70, A62 Titan and probably heaps of others including Navara...)

      By Duncan · Posted

      I thought I'd do a write up on an auto transmission fluid change for a the nissan 7 speed Automatic. At some stage the genius engineers decided that the fluid in the trans was "for the life of the transmission", (which seems kind of self supporting to me) and removed the dip stick and fill tube (funnily enough there is still a casting for it). Anyway, for this job you do need 2 specialist tools in addition to regular hand tools, jack and good chassis stands. You need a way to pump fluid up to the transmission; I got one of these but there are plenty of other options: https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/364584087070 Don't trust the generic listing though, it does not come with the required adapter for the Nissan 7 Speed. You need one of these, can't do the job without it: https://navarapart.com.au/product/genuine-nissan-patrol-y62-d23-np300-navara-re7-dipstick-fill-connector1 You need a heap of compatible transmission oil. Could be Nissan, could be anything else rated for Nissan Matic S. You need at least 10 litres, I had 15 to give it a better flush... Also, you need some biiig oil catch trays, at least one of these, or bigger if possible (volume was fine, size was very marginal): https://autobarn.com.au/ab/Autobarn-Category/Tools-%26-Garage/Specialty-Tools/Oil-Service/Garage-Tough-Oil-Drain-Pan-Black-16L---GT1068/p/TO03191 Finally, a measuring jug is very useful if your pump does not have volumes marked on it, I got a 6l one: https://www.repco.com.au/oils-fluids/fluid-accessories/measuring-jugs/penrite-measuring-jug-6l-pmj006/p/A5322648 Oh, and gloves.....this stuff is horrible (not as bad as diff oil, but getting there) ....First, jack up your car.....
    • Duncan
      Duncan's V37.......race car?

      By Duncan · Posted

      So I mentioned the apprentice, @LachyK helped take the bonnet off. We just undid the nuts on the hinges and unclipped the gas struts, then pulled the bonnet back a little as the front was catching on the front bar.  I had a good look at everything today and have removed the rams, repaired/reset the hinges and bolted it back together like it never happened. I'll do a separate write up on the repair, and I also removed the poppers from the Fuga today too to save grief down the road.....as said above it is at least $5k to repair retail. I'm also happier about my ability to prepare a race car, and less happy about Nis-nault's engineering (I can hear @GTSBoy sAfrican Americaning) because the top hose of the radiator didn't slip off.......it snapped clean off. By practice I put the hose clamp hard up against the flare on a neck to make it least likely to ever move (thanks @Neil!). I guess that puts a little more pressure on the end of the pipe as it is further away from the rad, but still, that is pretty shit. I've put it back on for now as there was a fair bit of neck still there, but obviously there is no lip on the neck any more so I don't think I'll track it again until I have a new rad. Speaking of which....more research required. It looks like Koyo makes a standard size radiator in ally which I'll grab in the meantime, but I really want something thicker so might have to go custom in the medium term (ouch) Coolant still needs a refill and I have the pressure tester on it over night, but other than a wash down of the engine bay it seems alright. And @MBS206 noted something noisy on the front of the engine and I think I agree....time for a new accessory belt and tensioners I think.
    • Duncan
      Duncan's V37.......race car?

      By Duncan · Posted

      our good friends at nismo make a diff for it, I have one (and a spare housing to put the centre in) on the way. https://www.nismo.co.jp/products/web_catalogue/lsd/mechanical_lsd_v37.html AMS also make a helical one, but I prefer mechanical for track use in 2wd (I do run a quaife in the front, but not rear of the R32)
    • GTSBoy
      R33 persistent issues. P/steering and lag/misfire

      By GTSBoy · Posted

      What are we supposed to be seeing in the photo of the steering angle sensor? The outer housing doesn't turn, right? All the action is on the inside. The real test here is whether or not your car has had the steering put back together by a butcher. When the steering is centred (and we're not caring about the wheel too much here, we're talking about the front wheels, parallel, facing front) then you should have an absolutely even number of turns from centre to left lock and centre to right lock. If there is any difference at all then perhaps the thing has been put back together wrongly, either the steering wheel put on one spline (or more!) off, and the alignment bodged to straighteb the wheel, or the opposite where something silly was done underneath and the wheel put back on crooked to compensate. Nut there isn't actually much evidence that you have such a problem anyway. It is something you can easily measure and test for to find out though. My money is still on the HICAS CU not driving the PS solenoid with the proper PWM signal required to lighten the load at lower speed. If it were me, I would be putting either a multimeter or oscilloscope onto the solenoid terminals and taking it for a drive, looking for the voltage to change. The PWM signal is 0v, 12V, 0V, 12v with ...obviously...modulated pulse width. You should see that as an average voltage somewhere between 0V and 12V, and it should vary with speed. An handheld oscilloscope would be the better tool for this, because they are definitely good enough but there's no telling if any cheap shit multimeter that people have lying around are good enough. You can also directly interfere with the solenoid. If you wire up a little voltage divider with variable resistor on it, and hook the PS solenoid direct to 12V through that, you can manually adjust the voltage to the solenoid and you should be able to make it go ligheter and heavier. If you cannot, then the problem is either the solenoid itself dead, or your description of the steering being "tight" (which I have just been assuming you mean "heavy") could be that you have a mechanical problem in the steering and there is heaps of resistance to movement.
×
×
  • Create New...