Case Study: Armada throttle and dash woes after engine warms up

Oct. 13, 2022

The customer stated that the dash goes dead, and the throttle response is poor shortly after the vehicle has been driven awhile and the engine is up to operating temperature. The malfunction indicator light (MIL) was not on.

Richard Diegle

Related To: ALLDATA

Vehicle: 2010 Nissan Armada, 4WD, V8-5.6L (VK56DE), Flex Fuel, Automatic Transmission/Transaxle

Mileage: 168,934

Problem: The customer stated that the dash goes dead, and the throttle response is poor shortly after the vehicle has been driven awhile, and the engine is up to operating temperature. The malfunction indicator light (MIL) was not on.

Case Details: The technician called ALLDATA Tech-Assist for a little help. The consultant advised connecting a good, capable scan tool and road test the vehicle to duplicate the issue while watching the various sensor parameter identification data (PIDs). He advised paying close attention to the battery voltage PID and any over or undercharging conditions, as they can cause these weird symptoms.

The technician performed the suggested diagnostics and found that when the cluster went dead, the alternator charging PID was 15.9V. When inspecting the battery and cables, he found the battery was hot from the overcharging condition.

Confirmed Repair: The technician replaced the alternator and load tested the battery. The road test went well. The dash remained functional, and the throttle response was perfect. Fixed!

About the Author

Richard Diegle | Senior Automotive Editor for ALLDATA

Rich Diegle has been in the automotive industry since 1978. After graduating from a local community college, he began working at a Nissan dealership as a used car technician. Since then, he’s worked as a Nissan and ASE master automotive technician, shop owner, marketing copywriter, automotive editor, public relations manager, instructor, ALLDATA Tech-Assist team manager, and a senior automotive editor.