I just replaced my alternator and battery and solved my trucks charging issue but now my lights flicker when my truck is running. I also noticed that my voltage is a lot higher it now ranges from 14.5 to 15.3 at idle and under normal driving conditions. The other thing I noticed was that if I had all my lights on, the AC on full, and the radio on it would stop my lights from flickering and my voltage drops to around 12.

What could be causing this and how can i resolve it?

 

Miss-adjusted, or malfunctioning regulator.
Running above 15 v can burn electronics. Better take it to the shop.

 

High voltage would just make the headlights extra bright. Flickering might be caused by a loose connection. Double check the connections at each end of the alternator cable, and any other cables/wires that you fiddled with. It also could be a loose connection inside the alternator on the B+ terminal strap. It also seems that the alternator is regulating high voltage. You might just have a badly built alternator, as mentioned above.

If there is a loose connection, then the battery will be supplementing the power when the alternator power is momentarily lost. Problem is, each time the alternator connections open up it causes a load dump that sends high voltage spikes throughout the electrical system. Keep this up much and you will end up damaging other electronic devices.

 

man it just never ends does it.......

 

"New" alternator or "rebuilt" alternator?

Based on about 10-15 units over 5 years, my extended family had about a 75% failure rate with rebuilt starters and alternators.
90%+ from "big chain" parts stores
50% from Napa stores

Now we buy only brand new or rebuild ourselves or by local folks who know what they're doing.

Brand new track record (after 6 units) is still at 100%.

 

it was a rebuilt one. I should have know better. In my jeep I put 3 napa rebuilt starters before I got one that finally worked....that was such a pain

 

Check your ground wires for good contact .

 

Take it back and get another one before you fry the battery.

Fun, isn't it?

 

so I put another new one in and it went bad again. It was working fine for a few days and last night while driving i heard a loud pop noise and it just stopped working. I called about a new one and the guy at the parts place does not want to give me another one! He says its my trucks that's the problem not the alternator but in my opinion if he was correct then both times there alternator failed it would have failed in a similar way! man i am ticked!

 

You guys should check out "alterstart" online. There in texas and rebuild all there stuff very good. I had a rebuilt honda that was built for more power. It cost me $159 when i got it and i abused it with a sound system that was pulling double what it could produce almost all the time. Still working fine till this day.

 

You heard a loud pop? Kind of sounds like you heard something burn up quickly from electrical short to ground.

 

yeah i dont really know how to explain the sound. it just sounded awful. here is a picture of it. It kinda hard too see but you can tell how it broke.

 

If it popped like that either water got into it or you have a dead short in the truck somewhere. Check the voltage when the truck is running and look for a voltage drop when turning on different appliances it sounds like you may have an intermittant short if so it may be hard to find. I would look at all the wiring harnesses for rubbing on a sharp surface or a pinched wire somewhere. If it blew the alternator out it should be between the alternator and the fuse box because all the other circuits should be fused. Also make sure the terminals on the alternator are wired right and you have the correct part. Another thing you can do is put a fuse in the red wire coming out of the alternator and it may protect the alternator if there is a short.

 

I don't think a short in the truck harness is going to cause the alternator to fail that easily. The damage is going to occur instantly where the short is located, and the batteries are going to deliver a ton of current. Either the circuit protection is going to open the circuit, or the wire itself is going to burn open (ending the short circuit), or the wire is going to weld to ground and the wire insulation will catch on fire. The alternator should survive a simple short circuit in the power distribution system.

I don't know much about the alternators in our trucks, and I don't know what is poking out of the frame slots, but it probably shouldn't be there. Take the alternator back to the store and have them run it across the test bench. If it has no output, or shows a short circuit of battery terminal to ground, then the problem was probably inside the alternator, and that likely has nothing to do with your truck. The store won't want to take the alternator apart for further inspection because (1) they don't know what they are doing, and (2) it will need to be returned to supplier "untampered" for inspection to get warranty. If the alternator doesn't work, then it's time for a heart to heart talk with the store manager. They need to take care of you and keep you out of the hassle of warranty agreements with their supplier. I would try to get your money back instead of continuing to trade out parts but that may not be possible.

 

ok well they are not open till Monday which stinks. They actually test it in the truck i will look today for shorts and what not but if it was my truck that had a short or something then why when i replaced it originally on Monday did it not work at all, then when i replaced that one it worked fine till this happened. And the guy at the store when i called on Saturday was shocked that it went bad he said he has never had these alternators fail?!