Jump to content
SAU Community

Recommended Posts

Help Question to the R32 GTR Gurus 

Lights flickering and voltage jumping around. Had the alternator reconditioned about 6 years ago. I noticed last year before putting the car away that the voltage on the USB charging adapter was fluctuating 14.2- 14.6 roughly when the car was idling in the garage. 

Since then I have moved the battery to the boot, fitted 
0gauge to the front of the car for 12v 
4guage from battery to chassis in the boot 
Grounding kit in the engine bay cleaned up the points in the bay with a wire brush and in the boot where it’s connected. 

Changed the dash lights to LED due to a number failing so now it’s more readable at night 

However still got the voltage fluctuating and lights flickering

Anyone got any further tips to try before replacing the alternator and possibly fitting a PDM to replace all fuses and relays (wire tuck at the same time)
 

took car out today and watched the voltage meter that was fitted with the USB out on it and on cranking it drops to 8.x Volts before starting so could be battery related but the battery was checked 2years ago and has lived on a Ctek battery charger / conditioner whilst stored

 

can anyone offer any pearls of wisdom 

Link to comment
https://www.sau.com.au/forums/topic/485402-slow-cranking-and-low-voltage/
Share on other sites

Start by load testing the battery. If the internal resistance is too high and the energy capacity too low it won't provide the amps needed to crank. From there start measuring voltage at the battery terminals vs at the engine bay where the power goes in. If the voltage drop is substantial especially when cranking you relocated it wrong somehow.

  • Like 1

Ok so just been out to check everything and have cleaned up the boot connection to the chassis and the starting seems a little less “laboured” but still pulls the voltage down to about 9v 

 

however when it’s connected and running now after cleaning everything up it’s sitting at 15.5v on the in built Chinese usb charger with voltage display. The in car one is also jumping around 

 

my voltmeter is with my work tools buried in the back of the pickup so will dig that out tomorrow and check it at the battery when cranking and running for more accurate readings but I think the alternator might be in its way out but that doesn’t answer the slow ish starting but if it’s been overcharging at 15v+ it has possibly fried part of the battery 

5 hours ago, niZmO_Man said:

Do you notice any other noises in the car? I was going to suggest unplugging the small plug from your HICAS controller under the rear parcel shelf (if you still have it, that thing does weird shit to my car).

No other noises apart from the usual knocking noises where I need to refurb shocks and bushes lol

The only thing I did notice was that my Hicas light on the dadhboard is on all the time now since swapping to LED warning lights as well 

 

probably not connected and need to get the hicas serviced or locked out 

9 hours ago, Rabster The Outlaw said:

probably not connected and need to get the hicas serviced or locked out

Good luck finding anybody, especially in the US, who can "service" HICAS. Just do as Niz advised and pull the smaller of the 2 plugs form the HICAS CU. Will disable HICAS without any other negative effects, and will kill the light on the dash at the same time.

On 4/5/2024 at 12:17 PM, Rabster The Outlaw said:

Ok so just been out to check everything and have cleaned up the boot connection to the chassis and the starting seems a little less “laboured” but still pulls the voltage down to about 9v 

 

however when it’s connected and running now after cleaning everything up it’s sitting at 15.5v on the in built Chinese usb charger with voltage display. The in car one is also jumping around 

 

my voltmeter is with my work tools buried in the back of the pickup so will dig that out tomorrow and check it at the battery when cranking and running for more accurate readings but I think the alternator might be in its way out but that doesn’t answer the slow ish starting but if it’s been overcharging at 15v+ it has possibly fried part of the battery 

Confirm voltage on your battery directly with a multimeter. If you are in fact at 15.5VDC+ then your voltage regulator on your alternator is shot, which also explain the voltage flicker. Charging your battery at those voltages will also lead to eventual damage. 

Edited by TurboTapin

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


  • Similar Content

  • Latest Posts

    • I can see between the water jacket and cyl 3 there wasn't a hard line of combustion gas. It certainly appears that the issue is coming from there. Yes, checked the tension. All at 100ft lbs where I set them 5 years ago. These blocks can crack but generally when they have been over bored. Mine is only 0.5mm oversize at 89.5mm. They break between cylinders around the 91mm mark. No sign of that with mine. My gut feeling is the head gasket lifted a while back when the studs stretched and i bandaided it by retorquing the studs. It's finally let go.
    • My Nismo 1.5 churps a bit on reverse turns when cold, but besides that feels like a stock diff.
    • Yes, but, I paid cash and I'm pretty sure the receipt was in the bin 10 minutes after I got home Note to self, keep all receipts
    • Bunnings would have just handed you your money back on that one!
    • So, version 4 intake is on its way I was looking at these a while ago but at around $200 or more it was a little pricey for something that might not work, but, I had it in my watch list, but, I got a message saying it was on special, and I had a code thingie to use, it eventually came in at $120 delivered, so BAM, BUY NOW.....LOL I'll need to have a look when it arrives but I feel it will "look" better than what I currently have, as it comes with a PCV fitting, so I will be able to get rid of the alloy pipe that goes to the throttle body with the PCV fitting  Well, that's what the voices in my head are telling me  Oh, and this happened today Yeap, it was a Trojan, and it was cheap, so I headed back to the hardware store and actually spent a little bit more on a heavy duty,  one that was actually recommended by a plumber mate, a Cyclone one with a fibreglass handle that is actually rated for clay The broken shovel will eventually be "modified" into a short handle shovel
×
×
  • Create New...