How to save some dollars from a Nissan Titan alternator upgrade this New Year? You can save hundreds of bucks if you know how to upgrade your Nissan titan alternator. Because doing it your own won’t need to pay anything to a mechanic.
As a Nissan Titan owner, you might have experienced how troublesome the situation is when the alternator goes out of order. A faulty alternator makes the car battery useless as it’s responsible for charging and maintaining it.
A bad alternator can neither help charge the battery nor supply essential power to ignite. Thus, the battery becomes literally dead, and you can’t start your vehicle anyway.
The source of all issues is a damaged Nissan Titan alternator that makes your car stalled, and you can get stuck anywhere. Thus, it may be a severe problem while driving your car.
As a result, it’s extremely vital to learn how to upgrade Nissan Titan alternator. We’ve created this brief guide with the essential steps to replace it quickly. Also, we recommended some best Nissan Titan alternators.
Why Do You Need A Nissan Titan Alternator Upgrade?
Unlike a Nissan Rogue Front Bumper Replacement, an alternator upgrade/replacement must get the highest priority. When an alternator stops working, it can cause some severe driving problems.
For instance, the battery will not charge properly if the alternator becomes faulty. Driving a car with a limited charge is risky because it can stop moving anytime.
It can make the battery dead, and you may require dragging the car physically to a mechanic shop. This could be the worst situation ever for you’d be facing.
Indeed, a lousy alternator doesn’t stop your car suddenly. But you’ll get the car halted very soon. So, dealing with the possible warning signs is crucial to avoid further issues.
Symptoms To Know You Need A Nissan Titan Alternator Upgrade
We learned that an alternator helps a car battery to get charged ultimately. Also, other electrical accessories use this battery power, including the radio and the headlights.
As an alternator plays a big role in keeping your car alive, you can’t ignore its failure symptoms. Here is a summary table with the major and common symptoms that it warns you of when it becomes faulty:
| Symptom | Solution |
| Dimmed Headlights | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Battery Without Power/Charge | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Getting Accessories Slower Or Failure | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Stuck Frequently While Starting | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Producing Abnormal Odd Sounds | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Rubber/Wire Burning Smells | Replace the damaged alternator |
| Popping Up Battery Warning Light | Replace the damaged alternator |
1. Dimmed Headlights
The most common symptom of alternator failure is dimmed headlights. A faulty alternator can’t provide a consistent electric supply to the related accessories like headlights.
As the power supply becomes inconsistent, the headlights can sometimes be very bright. In addition, it can make the headlights flicker or erratic from dim to bright and bright to dim. Replacing the alternator is the best solution for this issue.
2. Battery Without Power/Charge
We can describe this situation as a dead battery. As its name suggests, a battery goes to its ending point. The inability of a battery makes everything useless, such as headlights, ignition, and other accessories.
Battery without the ability to empower the car is a good symptom of alternator failure. However, a battery can die for other reasons, such as age.
If everything is fine, but the battery isn’t working correctly, you should check the alternator. And change it with a new one if it’s damaged.
3. Getting Accessories Slower Or Failure
Failing or slowing down car accessories typically happens for insufficient power supply from the alternator. It can result in slowing the window closing or ‘off’ signs of the seat warmer without any reason.
The same thing may happen with the speedometer and other devices. All these signs indicate a faulty alternator, so change it right away.
4. Stuck Frequently While Starting
Stalling and difficulty starting the engine is other clear symptom of alternator failure. As we know, a defective alternator can’t help charge your car battery.
Thus, the engine doesn’t get enough power to turn the ignition on. It just makes a clicking sound rather than starting the engine. Therefore, the alternator must be the offender and replace it immediately.
5. Producing Abnormal Odd Sounds
It’s expected that your car will make many types of odds sounds. Some have nothing to pay attention to, while others require deep consideration.
When your car sounds growling or whining, it may be for alternator failure. Also, these sounds can come out from rubbed or misaligned alternator pulleys and bad rotor bearings.
Identifying the actual reason can be difficult for most users. We suggest you check your car with a professional automotive mechanic to fix it.
6. Rubber/Wire Burning Smells
If you get burning smells like rubber or wire, it may indicate that the alternator is getting to wear out. The alternator's drive belt is closer to its engine that remains hot.
Also, the alternator goes through continuous friction and tension, making it wear-prone over time. And finally, it produces a rubber or wire-like burning smell. Check the alternator and fix it if it’s damaged.
7. Popping Up Battery Warning Light
Checking the battery warning light on the car dashboard indicates battery-related problems. They include alternator failure. Irregular voltage supply and dropped battery capacity. Check the alternator and if you find it damaged, replace it.
How To Replace A Nissan Titan Alternator – Step By Step Guide
If you have a new alternator and the required tools, you can easily replace your Nissan Titan's old alternator with ease. So, upgrade alternator by following the steps:
First Step – Jack Up & Remove The Battery Connection
First, jack your car up and then disconnect the battery wires linked to the alternator. The alternator can have a connection with more than one wire. Disconnect them all.
Second Step – Removing Associated Things
Initiate this removing stage with the passenger side tire. Now, you’ll be able to remove the right side wheel. Then, remove the skid plate to help you catch the alternator near the radiator hose. And reach the inner fender ring to disconnect the power connections.
Third Step – Getting The Alternator Removed
Get the alternator and unbolt it carefully and remove it. You may get it tighter to unbolt. So, put a little more strength into removing.
Fifth Step – Set up A New Alternator
It’s time to install the new alternator as a replacement for the damaged one. Fit the new alternator and align it correctly. Finish the installation by reassembling the components you removed in the previous steps. Conclude the process by connecting the battery.
Important Notes Before You Initiate The Replacement Process
When you replace the damaged alternator with the new one, it’ll give your car a new life. However, an original alternator can perform well up to 192000 kilometers or 8 years.
It requires fixing if you get the warning signs before the time or the mileage. Otherwise, you don’t need to replace it without any reason thinking it’d give you better performance with the new alternator.
So, we suggest you pay attention whenever you get any visible warning symptoms on the dashboard or in other ways. And perform regular maintenance tasks to keep your car running smoothly.
Frequently Asked Questions – FAQ
What Sounds Do A Faulty Alternator Makes?
A lousy alternator may give you whining, groaning, or grinding sounds. Also, you can get a rattling sound as an indication of a defective alternator. A loose bearing is a key reason for these sounds.
Is It Okay To Replace An Alternator With A Higher Amp?
It’s nothing wrong with using a high amp alternator than its original one. However, you need to use a fuse between the alternator and the battery to avoid issues like short circuits and damage to the battery.
What Should I Choose Among Rebuilding And Replacing An Alternator?
It’s a long debate. The short answer is that you can rebuild a faulty alternator if you want to save money. Otherwise, you can replace the defective one to give your car a new life with full vigor. The choice is yours.
How Can I Decide Alternator And Battery Issue?
Jumpstart the car you want to determine the issue. If the engine turns on and stops after a while, it happens to a bad alternator that can’t help the car charge the battery. Besides, if you try to start but can’t, a dead battery causes this issue.
How Does My Car Alternator Become Faulty?
Many reasons are involved in making an alternator damaged. Some include an overloaded charging system, bad jumper cable, and fluid leakage. The issue also may happen for higher temperatures and dust buildup.
Can I Drive My Car With A Defective Alternator?
Yeah, you can drive your car with a lousy alternator for a while. It doesn’t mean your car will allow you to drive it for a long while having alternator failure. Indeed, you should consider it an emergency grant to bring your car to a safe site or mechanic shop. The car battery doesn’t charge if its alternator goes wrong. So, you’d be able to drive your car as long as the battery has power.
Does An Alternator Fail Suddenly?
A bad alternator doesn’t start failing suddenly to stop the engine entirely. When an alternator gets faulty, it indicates different electrical problems. They include irregular electric voltage, dimmed headlights, and odd sounds.
The Bottom Line
You can’t leave a Nissan Titan alternator upgrade if it becomes damaged. We discussed the symptoms and the method to replace a faulty alternator.
When you get any of those warning signs, immediately fix it because you know what issues n bad alternator can create if you leave it ignored.
Hopefully, you’ll never overlook any signs of a defective alternator as you know everything about it, from symptoms to the replacement steps.