QuestionI have been asked to help on a sani wich doesnt want to charge and it discharges over a period of time.I would like to know does a sani have a charge light on the dash as this 1 doesnt show one when the car is switched on...
AnswerCarel-Frik,
There should be a charge light. I do not know which year you have. But, if you have it running and you use a volt meter you should see somewhere between 13 and 14 volts at idle. Rev to about 1500 RPMs and you should have 14.2 volts maximum. If the alternator light does not illuminate during startup either the light is blown or the wire that feeds it from the alternator is defective or broken. My bet is either the master fuse is blown for the alternator/battery or the alternator itself is broken. Most common cause is the brushes have worn down and are gone or no longer making proper contact. If you charge the battery and it dies in a few days that is probably the alternator. Email me back if you need more.
A little history from the WEB on the Nissan SANI.
The Nissan SANI originated in South Africa in 1983 as a result of Chris Holden’s dream to build a locally produced affordable four-wheel drive station-wagon. The first vehicles were rather rudimentary, the prototype built in a 3×6-metre garage. In 1986 James Bently joined Holden and together they created what is now a well known marque with a large group of contented followers. The SANI was built by SANI Industries in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu Natal where initially production stood at about five units per month. By the late eighties it had reached 25 per month at which time Nissan, on whose chassis the SANI is built, bought a large shareholding in the company and then invested in an entirely new factory.
In 1989 the shape began to change and a new three-door model based on the Hardbody made its debut. Two years later a five-door version was released, powered by Nissan’s 3-litre V6 engine. The increased power available to the SANI boosted its sales further. Soon after that, further body styles were introduced, including a doublecab, double-cab Executive and the familiar 5-door Executive.
The original SANI chassis was based on the Nissan Tracker, Nissan’s first pick-up-based four-wheel drive. Later SANI’s were based on Nissan’s four-wheel drive Hardbody pick-up.
The last model is the third generation SANI, better than earlier models in almost all respects except for off-road performance. Nissan’s pick-up range shares many technical details with the SANI station wagon. By far the best Hardbody was released in 2001, refined and a competent off-roader.
The easing of South African import tariffs in the late nineties meant that the SANI became to expensive to build and production stopped
