hello guys I don’t get a chance to hear you show all the time I am a truck driver on the road all the time me and my wife owen a Nissan Quest we bought it in 2006 it has been a real good van for us. the thing we are having trouble with is that for the last 5 years we have been replacing the alternater every year around the same time if it wasn’t for the life time warnty that we got after the second one we put in it would have hurt are pocket money. there is no warning lights going off until its goes bad. when the lights do go off I ask my wife that while it is running to unhock the battery if the car shuts off there is something wrong with the alternator. after we have the shop replace it the van does good until the next year.
For one thing the show has been reruns for several years . Some may not agree but I don’t think removing a battery cable while vehicle is running is a good idea. Might be time to get a different brand of alternator.
@VOLVO_V70 is correct.
unhooking the battery while the engine is running can send voltage spikes to the Computer and do major damage in the hundreds of dollars.
This was a common test years ago, but with today’s fragil computers it is not wise.
asd far as the life of the alternators…have you added anything electrical other than the standard things everyone has in their cars?
No microwave, Refrig, etc., etc…
Yosemite
Make sure that the battery is in good shape by having it tested. Also check the charging current while the battery is charged up and things working normally. Make sure the alternator isn’t over charging the battery due to a problem with the battery sense lead to the alternator. A bad connection there will make the alternator work harder than it should by producing more current than is really needed to keep the battery charged up.
Make sure the alternators you are buying are GOOD rebuilt alternators and not the cheap-o “drug store” units that are sold at places like Pep Boys to get a car running so it can be sold. Given the problems you’ve had, I’d order a NEW alternator from Nissan. Check the internet, you might find a Nissan dealer selling at a discount.
Either that, probably very pricey, or go to an auto electric shop and see what they can do with the one you have, or what they have that they can sell you. Otherwise try an OEM one from an auto recycler and take it to an auto electric shop for testing and possible repairs before installing it. Or install it and if there is ever a problem, take it to an auto electric shop. Don’t turn it in to a parts house and buy their new or rebuilt unit.