What type of alternator do I have

[Sundowner2]

Can anyone tell me what type of alternator I have in my 2103 D40 RX 2.5?, is it a fixed voltage, temperature compensating or variable voltage model?

Thanks.

 

[Sundowner2]

Mmmm, its actually a 2013 model...

 

[Old.Tony]

It's either a fixed voltage or variable voltage, and it's easy to tell. We bought one of these for in the cabin and I fitted another cigarette lighter outlet in the spot on the other side of the air conditioning controls. At a glance you can see cabin temperature and battery voltage. Take your car for a drive for about 10 minutes. If your voltage is then between 12.2-12.8V then you have a variable voltage unit. If it stays >14V then you have a fixed voltage unit.

Turn a variable voltage unit into a fixed voltage unit by disconnecting the green wire.

 

[Sundowner2]

Thanks Tony but I would certainly hope for greater than 12.8v maximum!! And disconnecting the green wire or any other wire from a variable voltage alternator (VVA) is not something I would suggest anyone does, VVA's on modern common rail diesel engines are ECU controlled and are part of the vehicle CANBUS...their purpose is to give manufacturers the ability to continuously adjust the output voltage to suit operating conditions at a given time. Since I initially posted my question I have found that Nissan have installed ECU VVS's on D40's and R51's since late 2011. Typical voltage will range between 12.3 and 15. Thanks