Battery light flickering / intermittent
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 400
Likes: 68
From: Eastern shore, MD
Battery light flickering / intermittent
Noticed the past two mornings my battery light was flickering on and off intermittently....and occasionally on my powerport usb charger I'd see the voltage drop from its normal steadystate 14.2 down to as low as 13.4...
Is it time for a new alt already? I have records that show a new one was put on about 10 months before I bought it (so about 3 years and 30k ago) seems awfully soon no? Batteries are of the same vintage which would seem more likely to be time to replace but they have started great all winter and sit at a healthy 12.6v every morning when I get out to the truck...
Is it time for a new alt already? I have records that show a new one was put on about 10 months before I bought it (so about 3 years and 30k ago) seems awfully soon no? Batteries are of the same vintage which would seem more likely to be time to replace but they have started great all winter and sit at a healthy 12.6v every morning when I get out to the truck...
Laughing Gas
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,002
Likes: 2
From: SW ON, Canada
Hey MD, sounds like the issue I had. Before removing the alternator, have them test it to see what it is putting out. If the problem was like mine, it was the regulator wire that was shorting. Click on the "Bad Regulator Wire" link in my signature for my story. Good Luck and let us know how your story ends.
Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 400
Likes: 68
From: Eastern shore, MD
I just got home and engine off I get 12.58v across each battery. Engine running I’m reading 14.24v across the alt...
its hit hit or miss intermittent. Think I read another thread about one of the diodes going bad in the alternator ... that or a short somewhere causing the voltage to sink intermittently. I can’t seem to recreate it. Sometimes it’s done it cold, sometimes on a warm engine. Sometimes while it idles, sometimes under WOT, and sometimes not...
i dont have time to screw around or lose a day at work so I guess I’ll start with the alternator and go from there...
its hit hit or miss intermittent. Think I read another thread about one of the diodes going bad in the alternator ... that or a short somewhere causing the voltage to sink intermittently. I can’t seem to recreate it. Sometimes it’s done it cold, sometimes on a warm engine. Sometimes while it idles, sometimes under WOT, and sometimes not...
i dont have time to screw around or lose a day at work so I guess I’ll start with the alternator and go from there...
Thread Starter
|
Tuned
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 400
Likes: 68
From: Eastern shore, MD
Hey MD, sounds like the issue I had. Before removing the alternator, have them test it to see what it is putting out. If the problem was like mine, it was the regulator wire that was shorting. Click on the "Bad Regulator Wire" link in my signature for my story. Good Luck and let us know how your story ends.
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Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,807
Likes: 125
From: Colorado Springs
I just got home and engine off I get 12.58v across each battery. Engine running I’m reading 14.24v across the alt...
its hit hit or miss intermittent. Think I read another thread about one of the diodes going bad in the alternator ... that or a short somewhere causing the voltage to sink intermittently. I can’t seem to recreate it. Sometimes it’s done it cold, sometimes on a warm engine. Sometimes while it idles, sometimes under WOT, and sometimes not...
i dont have time to screw around or lose a day at work so I guess I’ll start with the alternator and go from there...
its hit hit or miss intermittent. Think I read another thread about one of the diodes going bad in the alternator ... that or a short somewhere causing the voltage to sink intermittently. I can’t seem to recreate it. Sometimes it’s done it cold, sometimes on a warm engine. Sometimes while it idles, sometimes under WOT, and sometimes not...
i dont have time to screw around or lose a day at work so I guess I’ll start with the alternator and go from there...
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Thread Starter
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Tuned
Joined: Dec 2018
Posts: 400
Likes: 68
From: Eastern shore, MD
Just to wrap this up (hopefully) I took it by Autozone and had them test the batteries and the alternator...both tested fine, but I could not duplicate the flickering battery light while there...they suggested bringing it back with the light on
After a couple days I noticed my Batt voltage in the morning was dwindling...so I decided to just go for it and replace the alternator with the bigger 6.0 one...
Bought it from DB Electrical on Amazon (new, no core charge, and under $100) and saved a boat load even over the autozone reman priced "lifetime" units and that's before they wanted $45 for a 6.0 style core which I didn't have...
Installed Saturday and so far so good, batteries back up to 12.7 this morning after a couple longer drives this weekend, and running voltage 14.3-14.5 with no battery light flicker.
After a couple days I noticed my Batt voltage in the morning was dwindling...so I decided to just go for it and replace the alternator with the bigger 6.0 one...
Bought it from DB Electrical on Amazon (new, no core charge, and under $100) and saved a boat load even over the autozone reman priced "lifetime" units and that's before they wanted $45 for a 6.0 style core which I didn't have...
Installed Saturday and so far so good, batteries back up to 12.7 this morning after a couple longer drives this weekend, and running voltage 14.3-14.5 with no battery light flicker.
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