Pulsing Lights on Nissan Primera

By lights I take it you mean head lights? First check the sockets that plug into the lights and clean if corroded, also check the grounds for the lights. Next remove and clean the connection at the battery, both negative and positive. Still dimming, check the alternator charge cable at the alternator for signs of corrosion. If the problem still exists have the alternator tested at your local autoparts store, most have the capability to test them. If the alt. is good I would then suspect the switch has issues.

Hope this helps.

I would suggest a voltage check of the wire feeding the lights. If the voltage is varying, it is probably the voltage regulator component of the alternator. Your battery fluid level may be low, This can cause the voltage variations.

I would suggest this; 1) Check the level in the battery. Bring to correct level, and allow to stabilize. 2) If the voltage is still varying, shut the engine off. If that stops the light pulsing and voltage changes, it probably need an alternator replacement.

As a further test, you could connect jumper cables between your Nissan and another car. With your car on the lights pulse, but when the cables are connected to another running vehicle the lights stop pulsing when you shut off your car.

I would most likely guess the alternator has a bad field coil. Alternators put out multi phase AC (3 phase I think). If one coil is bad then you get a pulsing output.

Check the DC output of the voltage regulator with a scope. I would guess the VR is OK. In most alternators the VR is easy to change, but as I said, may not be the problem.

Diodes could also give the fast pulsing effect. battery water low is usually a slow cycle. Only every once for every 3-5 seconds.

Is the pulsing linked with motor speed?

We don't have a "good question" tick box but an answer to Andy's question along with an observation of the rate of pulsing at idle would be most helpful...

First mistake is buying a nissan but besides that I need a little info on the when and how of the symptoms.

Hi, I have a Nissan Primera 1999 2,0SRi with the same problem.

Bought it a month ago, and noticed small pulsing on the dashboardlights, but havent had any problems until this weekend. I was driving for a longer distance when the car suddenly lost all electricity several times within about 30 seconds. After that, the small pulsing on the lights had suddenly gotten worse. I could see the lights on the car dimming all the time, and even the fan was making rythmic "propeller" noises.

The battery light came on every time the power went away during those 30 seconds, but didnt appear either before or after, even though the power was pulsing a lot.

When i stopped the car, i started it again right away, and then the extreme pulsing was back to "normal". (which in this case is weak pulsing light)

I also noticed that when i put the car in park-light mode, the rpm's actually sank from 700 to 500 when standing still, and also the pulsing became worse.

I'll try to change the regulator, cause i might get one cheap from a friend. Will post in to tell you how it goes.

Best regards. -Arne-

Hi again.

I have now checked the problem, and i had a Magneti Marelli dynamo that was the reason for all the dimmingproblems.

The garage changed the dynamo with a new one, and although expensive, it fixed the problems. Took the car for a 1000km drive this easter, and no problems anymore.

If i had a bosch dynamo, it could have been fixed by replacing just a small component. But with magneti marelli you have to change the whole thing.

Hope it can give you some answers.

I feel fully exonerated!!!!

Glad your problem is now solved.

Do you now have the Bosch design, or another Marelli?

There has already been a post about the alternator windings which everybody has basically ignored, I too think that its the alternator and if a coil is not to blame, then I think that 1 or more of the 6 diodes are broken.

I have not had the problem myself, but if I was checking for it, I would use an Oscilloscope and look for a waveform suggesting Diode or coil! Of the two, I would suggest diode first as the coils are very robust generally speaking.