alternator that is not smart

[john ashton]

Hi all i am a new member so please excuse me if i dont get this right.
I am looking for info about the smart alternator on my NW 2013 GLXR. Diesel auto It is fitted with a N70zz battery which will not fully charge.I use a scangauge and have checked the accuracy but i can not get the battery over 12.4 after a full days drive usually its 12.2 or 3 when driving the scangauge shows constant variation from 11.9 to 14.2. I usually run the engel which is wired direct to the battery. The camper has a 12vDC to 12vDC and this has no problem charging the camper battery. I just cant get the car charged. Is it possible use the computer to turn off the alternator variation as in some fords and mazda or is there a way to load up the alternator so it will stay above 13.5 or so
Any help appreciated.
John Ashton.

[green troll]

Hi john. I'm not sure what ur issue is as I have a my14 NW and see a constant 14.2/3/4 when driving.

[john ashton]

alternator that is not smart

Hi Green Troll, i wish i could get 14.2/3/4 for a reasonable period of time then i would have a fully charged battery. i am lucky to have 12.3 after a 400 k trip which means come morning i am down to 11.9 or 12 v
cheers john.

[TC.Barky]

Headlights and/or keeping on the AC should stop the alternator from dropping the voltage according to other peoples experiences. Never seen mine drop and I have both on all the time.

[Tartrekka]

Hi John, my suggestion to you is to find a wiring diagram for your vehicle and disable the connection between the ECU and the alternator. I did it on my patrol and now get a constant 14.4 volts which drives all my charging and van fridge.No engine default lights are displayed either.All batteries are fully charged..120A AGM Van battery,55A Optima AGM aux and the start battery.There is also a plug in device you put into the circuit that will increase the voltage output,but I believe it to be only minimal.You could research along that line as some people have had success with the device. For expert advice I suggest you get in contact with DRIVESAFE who regularly contributes to this site.

[john ashton]

alternator that is not smart

Thanks for your input TC and Tartrekko I live in queensland and except for today (it's freezing here in Townsville)the air is on 90% of the time,tried adding the lights, tried the engel,still not enough volts, i have had a look for a alternator wiring diagram to see if i can brake the circuit somehow but so far have been unable to find a diagram, i will keep looking,
thanks for the help, cheers john

[drivesafe]

Hi John, for you to have such low voltages, sounds like you may have a problem.

It might be your alternator or your ECU control.

It also might just be that the Scangauge is not reading the correct voltages.

If you have not already done so, next time you are driving and you see low voltage readings on your Scangauge, pull up, leave your motor running and measure the voltage at your cranking battery terminals.

Even with variable voltage alternators, if they allow the voltage to drop below 12.7v, you are actually running on your battery, ( discharging it while you are driving, not charging it ).

[john ashton]

alternator that is not smart

Hi Drivesafe, I checked the scangauge to be sure it is accurate and it is, i agree i have a problem how ever it falls within Mitsubishi specs, it is charging just enough to hold 3/4 charge.
I think i will have to wait until something actually happens to the alternator or charging system so we actually identify it and fix it.
thanks again john

[spot01]

Thanks for your input TC and Tartrekko I live in queensland and except for today (it's freezing here in Townsville)the air is on 90% of the time,tried adding the lights, tried the engel,still not enough volts, i have had a look for a alternator wiring diagram to see if i can brake the circuit somehow but so far have been unable to find a diagram, i will keep looking,
thanks for the help, cheers john

Link to workshop manual (select correct year at top):

http://faq.out-club.ru/download/pajero_iv/maintenance/Service_Manual_2008_2013/2013/index_M1.htm

[spot01]

My NX doesn't charge enough for the indicator window in my (aftermarket) battery to go green, so I don't think these cars fully charge the batteries.

I wonder if this is why the OEM batteries don't last very long in recent models, perhaps combined with the puny OEMs they fit now?

[john ashton]

alternator that is not smart

Thanks for that Spot01 i will print it out and have a look, again many thanks.
One thing i have just noticed is after putting the battery on the cetek charger the alternator charges at 14.1 to 13.9 for an hour before starting to drop down again.very strange
cheers john

[spot01]

Thanks for that Spot01 i will print it out and have a look, again many thanks.
One thing i have just noticed is after putting the battery on the cetek charger the alternator charges at 14.1 to 13.9 for an hour before starting to drop down again.very strange
cheers john

That is what they appear to do, ie, they charge well when there is a decent load on them, either from the battery after a cold start or from a load like the lights or A/C. After a while they drop back, but well before the battery is fully charged. As others have mentioned, try running something to keep a load on it to see if that helps.

[john ashton]

alternator that is not smart

Hi All many thanks for your input i have now solved the problem, after visiting dealers ,20 or so auto electricians and numerous other helpful people a line in a REDARC info sheet reads
Cars with variable voltage alternators should not have any accessories wired to the negative side of the battery all accessories should be earthed to the body.
The reason for this is Pajero's have a current sensing meter it is the grey plug attatched to the earth terminal if you earth anything to the battery it will send incorrect info to the alternator.
I had an anderson plug, my engel lead,and a low voltage cutout connected, so i earthed them to the body and have now got my alternator working correctly at 14.1
Only taken 3 years.
thanks again for all your help.
john

[vladguan]

Hi All many thanks for your input i have now solved the problem, after visiting dealers ,20 or so auto electricians and numerous other helpful people a line in a REDARC info sheet reads
Cars with variable voltage alternators should not have any accessories wired to the negative side of the battery all accessories should be earthed to the body.
The reason for this is Pajero's have a current sensing meter it is the grey plug attatched to the earth terminal if you earth anything to the battery it will send incorrect info to the alternator.
I had an anderson plug, my engel lead,and a low voltage cutout connected, so i earthed them to the body and have now got my alternator working correctly at 14.1
Only taken 3 years.
thanks again for all your help.
john

Thanks for the heads up. I will ground the alarm horn to body when I have time. Not a big deal as it is not always on.

[TC.Barky]

must feel good to have it fixed!