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Ground wire

16K views 39 replies 6 participants last post by  salimedwardo 
#1 ·
Had to replace alternator on my 2011 so I replaced battery at same time. Over this past weekend replaced battery fuse. I know the alternator is good and putting out a charge but for whatever reason my battery isn’t getting the charge I know my battery is good also. No indcater lights on except check engine. Code scanner wouldn’t read code. Could it be a bad ground wire somewhere please help.
 
#2 ·
Have you checked the voltage at the battery terminals with engine running and electrical accessory loads off and then on? If so, what were the measurements?

If you suspect a problem with the ground side of the charging circuit you can confirm this by doing a voltage drop test with your multimeter. With engine running, connect the multimeter leads to the alternator case and negative battery terminal--should not measure more than 0.1 volts.

The service manual for your car can be found on the nicoclub website (...charging system is the "chg.pdf" file): https://nicoclub.com/FSM/Murano/2011 Murano/

The check engine light may or may not be related, but a scanner should be able to read the code(s)--either upgrade your scanner or have an auto parts store scan the PCM for you.

On a side note--with the quality of aftermarket parts these days, one can no longer assume that because a particular part has been replaced that it can be safely excluded as the cause of the problem.

Let us know if you figure out what the problem is. Good luck!
 
#4 ·
One other thing I should have added since you believe you have a problem with the charging system is to check the condition of the drive belt and make sure the tension is within spec (see the "MA.pdf" file). A loose belt can negatively impact the functioning of the alternator. It should also go without saying that battery connections should be clean and tight....
 
#13 ·
Did you change the negative battery cable? I just tried to test for resistance and didn't have good results. I believe thats the problem, it was the problem on the gen before this one. And I think its still the problem
REPLACE BOTH POSITIVE AND NEGATIVE CABLES AS WELL AS THE LEADS TO STARTER THE FUSE BOX.
 
#21 ·
Yes guys I'm going to nissan today to buy the ground wire. First I'm taking mine off and tearing it apart to take pictures of visible corrosion. This guy I need coffee sounds like he knows the most. I'm just a rookie but I know a thing or two every now and then. If you check youtube. "Murano corrosion" or "murano negative cable" you'll see what I mean. Also Ericthecarguy is the automotive repair industry's version off Dr. House. Hes the shizzle. Always check his site out. He's great. Anyways. Ill post update in a few hours. I'm gonna try to make them give me the Damn cable since ive already had to replace the cvt at what 100k? Nissan is a nightmare.... My honda hybrid has been our lifesaver so many times. You can't kill that car....
 
#23 ·
Voltage drop test? Youtube. I'm telling you, subscribe to EricTheCarGuy on YouTube. He can give you step by step for anything
HERES WHAT I JUST FOUND. 177.6 OHMS RESISTANCE ON MY BATTERY CURRENT SENSOR .that's the black box with the plug on your negative cable. $90 at nissan special order. Headed there now
Hope this helps you.
 
#24 ·
Voltage drop test? Youtube. I'm telling you, subscribe to EricTheCarGuy on YouTube. He can give you step by step for anything
HERES WHAT I JUST FOUND. 177.6 OHMS RESISTANCE ON MY BATTERY CURRENT SENSOR .that's the black box with the plug on your negative cable. $90 at nissan special order. Headed there now
Hope this helps you.
177.6 between the two pins on the sensor. 1 and 3. Got 177.6
 
#29 ·
Those alternators from AZ and the like with lifetime warranty is like a crap shoot. If you are doing the repair yourself then its not too bad. But if you are paying someone, its better to get the reman of the oem or rebuild your old one or have someone rebuild it for you.- local alternator shop.

I had my share of failed alternator from Kragen back in the 90s for my civic and in the span of 2 years I replaced it 4 times. The last one was a good one with a different brand (they finally changed supplier then) but on the 2nd or 3rd alt, it shorted my signal stick. Got a used one off ebay.

I rebuilt the oem denso alternator of my 99 odyssey about 3-4 years back and its been running great. Changed the bearings, rectifier (one of the diodes was bad), the voltage regulator and the brushes. Fairly easy to do just need to find the correct parts for it. Cost me 80 bucks.

Anyway, its highly possible to get a bad batch of alternator from them. I would just pull that alt out and have them give you another one. Make sure they bench test the new one before you take it home. Or return it if you are still within that window and get a reman instead. Good luck.
 
#30 ·
No codes. We actually cut the blue wire in the PCM harness inside the fuse box. *Can provide pics.*to bypass the intelligent charge feature. Theres a YouTube video from a nissan Infiniti tech explaining how to do this and why you can... So far so.good. she's charging and running... Only cost me some baking soda and sweat ?.... Or you can replace that piece I guess. I didnt know what a normal reading should be... But I read that anything over .5 ohms is bad. Is this true? Highest acceptable level
 
#31 ·
Okay so I feel stupid because I checked the fuses under the hood and found the alternator fuse was bad so I bought a 35 cent fuse and everything is working perfectly alternator is put out 14.42 volts my indicator light went off so I think it fixed I’ve not drove it yet because I’m still scared but since the indicator light is off and it’s charging properly it should be okay. Thank y’all for all the advice.
 
#35 ·
That's the fuse for the S Terminal circuit--the voltage regulator in the alternator monitors battery voltage through that wire. I guess the open circuit caused the voltage regulator to throw a fit and it put out max voltage.

Glad to hear the charging system seems to be operating normally now.
 
#37 ·
So my car is still broke.. And I'm pretty sure someone stole my multimeter out of the car last night. Things worth like 5 bucks.... Hopefully I find it. Or ill just get another... I need coffee: do you know how to test that battery current sensor. What does a reading of 177.6<> mean? I was reading about conductivity and acceptable readings being .05.. I'm about to order a new cable. Its reading .03 end to end and seems fine but I dont know how to test that battery current sensor..
 
#38 ·
The PCM monitors the voltage coming from the battery current sensor and there are specific DTCs for a malfunctioning sensor so I would think the PCM would throw a code if something was wrong (...you never said anything about any codes). Nevertheless, if you look up the associated codes (P1550-P1554) on pages 380-391 of the service manual (link below) in the "EC.pdf" file there are some procedures to test the sensor and circuit. I only skimmed through those pages and they're mainly voltage and continuity tests (no test for any specific resistance measurement so it's not clear what your 177.6 ohms measurement means, if anything).

https://www.nicoclub.com/FSM/Murano/2011 Murano/

BTW...in a previous post you said you cut the signal wire from the PCM to the voltage regulator to bypass the intelligent charging system. If that's the case then I'm not sure the problem has anything to do with the battery current sensor anyway as the voltage regulator itself should be determining the charging voltage since there's no longer a command coming from the PCM.

It looks like you've been chasing this ghost for a while so perhaps you should take a step back and start from square 1. This thread was started by another poster and you gave some suggestions but didn't elaborate too much on your own symptoms so tell us what they are, how the problems all started and what you've done so far to find out what's going on.
 
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