Battery Light Flickering
Thread Starter
Racer
Joined: Oct 1999
Posts: 372
Likes: 1
From: Santa Fe TN
Battery Light Flickering
Hi all,
I have a 93 Ruby, LT1, Auto. The battery light on the DIC flickers occasionally, usually under mild acceleration or when first starting the car. Voltage per the digital dash stays rock steady at 13.6-14.2 volts when running, 12.4 when shut down. I'm wondering if I'm getting voltage fluctuations that happen more quickly then the digital readout on the dash updates. Can high voltage cause the light to illuminate or just low voltage? The instrument and headlight intensity remain steady. I've checked all the connections that I could find and all were tight. I'm on my third alternator for this car (163k miles) but never had one fail in this manner before-usually they just stop charging altogether. Anyone else seen this?
Thanks!
Mark
I have a 93 Ruby, LT1, Auto. The battery light on the DIC flickers occasionally, usually under mild acceleration or when first starting the car. Voltage per the digital dash stays rock steady at 13.6-14.2 volts when running, 12.4 when shut down. I'm wondering if I'm getting voltage fluctuations that happen more quickly then the digital readout on the dash updates. Can high voltage cause the light to illuminate or just low voltage? The instrument and headlight intensity remain steady. I've checked all the connections that I could find and all were tight. I'm on my third alternator for this car (163k miles) but never had one fail in this manner before-usually they just stop charging altogether. Anyone else seen this?
Thanks!
Mark
Team Owner
Joined: Mar 2001
Posts: 54,124
Likes: 30
From: Cincinnati, Oh USA
The battery symbol light comes on when the alternator isn't charging the battery and has no output. You are correct that the dash voltmeter cannot respond rapidly to fluctuating voltage. I would unplug the connector on the alternator and plug it back in. This will allow the contacts to wipe the alternator terminals and may clear some oxide and make a better connection and it may stop the flickering. If it continues, I would suspect the alternator is at the end of its life and may soon totally fail. Have someone wiggle the large red alternator output wire while you watch the red light, you may have a loose connection or defective connection from wire to its lug.
