Just about to have a bloody bonfire!!!

[mudnut]

Possible the aux battery will remain charged because that is what the dual battery system is designed for. An alternator isn't a real Hi-tech piece of equipment. The patrol manuals I have downloaded do have procedures on how to check Diodes. Before you take the alternator apart, scratch or paint some aligning marks on the body and stator.

[mudnut]

No mention of the magic smoke. Once the magic smoke gets out all h*ll breaks loose!

Damn , I was hoping no-one else worked out that electricity is a myth and that smoke drives everything.

[GQPorkroll]

Don't rule the bonfire out just yet,

New alternator today. Fitted it up and connected everything, turned the key on (wasn't attempting to start it as I don't have the belts to fit) and then back off, volt gauge and red lights remained on.

Not sure where to turn now, the alternator is physically the same as the other one, looks the same, wiring is the same, red goes to batt, black goes to ground on alternator, plug goes in the top, that's it. Everything is tight, all terminals are tight and now sprayed with the special spray after being cleaned.

I haven't disturbed anything else that I can see while changing the alternator, but this never happened prior to me changing the alternator.

I'm just hoping now that as the second alternator wasn't charging, the relay is sticking open and there isn't enough power to pull it shut. There's only around 9v in the start side battery. I can't confidently say when the reds staying on in the off position started, as I was tinkering under the bonnet and turning the car on and off from there, so it's possible it only started toward the end of the evening when the battery was quiet drained. I can't even say honestly if it did it when I had a jump pack or another battery connected, but I do know I only noticed it happening after chasing wiring and testing volts.

Am I just going nuts or is this a likely scenario? I won't have my belts until Wed and tomorrow my girls are in daycare so hopefully, weather and wife permitting, I will have a full day to devote to getting everything right. I can hear a click from the right hand front, near the headlight when I disconnect the battery. I also noticed I'm getting a spark when I disconnect the battery. I tried removing the wiring for the HID from the earth side but the click and the spark still exists. I'm not overly worried about the spark, as I know when I pulled the lead off, the door was open and I had 3 interior lights running, plus the memory for my stereo, so perhaps it was from that, as I don't recall it doing it yesterday when the door was shut.

My first thing to do will be to connect a charged jump pack and try turning the key on and off. If it still does it, I will disconnect the new alternator and fit the old one and see what happens. From there, I will take both to the auto electrician and just throw them both on his tester to make certain they're making volts and that the new one isn't wired differently however as there's no magic smoke, I can't see that being the case.

Failing all that, I will take 5 Valium with a long neck of VB and worry about it at a later date.

[GQPorkroll]

It might be worthwhile for me to say I am using a Jaylec 90amp unit.

[Yendor]

Your not having much luck are you..........

So with the ignition off and you disconnect the 2 pin plug at the alternator do the warning lights go off?

Measure the voltage in the White wire with a Red trace with the plug disconnected from the alternator and the ignition off?

Are you sure the red lights weren't on with your old alternator?

Do you know the part number for your new alternator?

[GQPorkroll]

Ok firstly, I connected the jump pack and turned the key off, same thing, volt gauge and 2 red lights stayed on. One was brake, plus the one next to it (too frazzled to remember what it was)

Ignition off, key out, if I pull the factory plug with 2 wires out, dash goes off.

Ignition off, key out, the thick white wire in the factory plug currently has 11v.

Never had this problem prior to changing alternator.

New alternator is a Jaylec 90amp 65-3141 12v 90amp for Nissan Patrol, sourced thru Cooldrive via their computer program at work

[GQPorkroll]

Whoaaaa. Just searched that part number and it's showing that alternator for the TD42. I phoned Cooldrive myself and told them it was a TB42 and I wanted a bigger unit as I would like more than 65 amps. Might be their stuff up as the rep recommended that unit, ill go thru their catalogue and see if it's listed for an option on the GQ TB for more amps

[Yendor]

What voltage does the white wire with a red trace have? and does the voltmeter stop reading when you disconnect the plug?

[GQPorkroll]

Yes as soon as plug is disconnected, the voltmeter stops reading. I've packed my kit away for now but will check tomorrow.

[First Nissan]

you could try plugging in the original alternator without mounting it to check if there is any change to the warning lights fault.