Battery light flicker...
Thread Starter
Burning Brakes
Joined: Apr 2002
Posts: 755
Likes: 0
From: Patterson CA
Battery light flicker...
Hey gang,
Lately my battery light has started to flicker. It does it once in a while while I'm driving with just the radio on but it will always do it if I turn on the air and the headlights at the same time. It just flickers, it doesn't stay on steady.
My gauge is reading between 13.7-14.1 while cruising and 12.9-13.1 while at idle.
Any ideas? Battery? Alternator? Ground? :smash:
TIA
Lately my battery light has started to flicker. It does it once in a while while I'm driving with just the radio on but it will always do it if I turn on the air and the headlights at the same time. It just flickers, it doesn't stay on steady.
My gauge is reading between 13.7-14.1 while cruising and 12.9-13.1 while at idle.
Any ideas? Battery? Alternator? Ground? :smash:
TIA
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Battery light flicker... (VetBoy89)
Remove battery cables (neg first) clean cable lugs and battery terminals, replace cables (neg last). Unplug connector on alternator and plug back in to clean contacts. Observe voltmeter and battery symbol light while driving.
[Modified by jfb, 1:27 PM 6/23/2003]
[Modified by jfb, 1:28 PM 6/23/2003]
[Modified by jfb, 1:27 PM 6/23/2003]
[Modified by jfb, 1:28 PM 6/23/2003]
Safety Car
Joined: Aug 2002
Posts: 3,842
Likes: 230
From: SANTA CRUZ CA
Re: Battery light flicker... (VetBoy89)
1. How old is the battery and alternator?
2. The voltage at idle is quite low. With a proper functioning electrical system: fully charged battery, alt. output to spec, etc... your voltage should be similar at idle or cruise:13.8 - 14.4.
3. My guess is that both batt and alt may be faulty.
4. Both components can be tested before replacement.
5. Don't wait for the batt and alt to fail before replacing them.
2. The voltage at idle is quite low. With a proper functioning electrical system: fully charged battery, alt. output to spec, etc... your voltage should be similar at idle or cruise:13.8 - 14.4.
3. My guess is that both batt and alt may be faulty.
4. Both components can be tested before replacement.
5. Don't wait for the batt and alt to fail before replacing them.
Racer
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 455
Likes: 0
From: Fraser MI
Re: Battery light flicker... (VetBoy89)
i have the same problem, in my case, i have a bad wire in the harness under the dash that will sometimes turn off the charging circuit, and i will see 11.x volts while running, pulling on the harness or taking a hard turn the light will go out and volts up to 14.x...
sometimes just the light flickers and the volts stay high...anyone know which wire i need to replace and how hard it will be? it hasn't acted up in a while but it makes me leery of taking the car on a long trip...
sometimes just the light flickers and the volts stay high...anyone know which wire i need to replace and how hard it will be? it hasn't acted up in a while but it makes me leery of taking the car on a long trip...
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
Re: Battery light flicker... (konroh)
konroh, on my 87 there is a blue wire from the cooling fan 3 amp fuse that powers the voltage regulator in the alternator. This wire goes from the fuse clip through the firewall connector to a junction in the wiring harness below the brake master cylinder. Check the fuse clips for cleanliness and the quality of the connector that plugs into the alternator. If you can move wires under the dash and affect the alternator output, I would suspect the wire from the fuse clip to the firewall connector and you need to inspect the whole length of this wire.
