My Alternator Won't Charge in My 1993 Nissan Sentra

The 1993 Nissan Sentra is available as either a four-door sedan or a two-door coupe. Each comes standard with power breaks, cloth seating, 13-inch wheels and tinted windows. Optional features include power windows, driver's side air bag and a custom paint job. With a fuel efficiency of 29 miles per gallon and a rating on Edmunds.com of over 8, the 93 Sentra is a solid, economical buy.

If you're having trouble with your Sentra's alternator providing a charge to the battery, test it for weak voltage output.

• 1

  Crank the engine and lift the hood of your Nissan. Listen to the alternator. If it's making noise, the inner components are likely malfunctioning. Such things as shorting diodes, a broken or misshapen pulley or machinery rubbing against itself cause noise while running. An alternator with these problems won't be able to supply proper charge to the battery.

• 2

  Check the battery cable connections. Loose or corroded connectors inhibit the flow of charge from the alternator to the battery, which causes the alternator to work too hard to deliver the charge. Clean dirty connections and tighten them if they are loose.

• 3

  Test the alternator's voltage output to make sure it's capable of charging the battery. Attach the test leads of a voltmeter to the positive and negative posts on the battery, in that order. The positives, for both the test leads and the battery, are red, and the negatives are black.

• 4

  Look at the voltage reading on the screen of the voltmeter while the engine is running. A reading of anywhere between 13.6 and 14.3 volts is normal for an alternator. A reading less than this is a sign the alternator is too weak to charge the battery. You may need to purchase a new alternator.