Chasing an electrical issue
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,770
Likes: 319
From: New York New York
Chasing an electrical issue
Hey guys, wondering if anyone has had an issue like this. On a hot start my volts will sometimes read low and I get the service electrical system light on the DIC. After a minute or two it goes back to normal. 07 z06, ARH headers, mechman alternator that was recently rebuilt, new battery and no starting issues. I'm guessing some sort of short but don't see anything obvious. I have a powermaster starter and I bought the harness so I wouldn't have to cut the wire. Checked yesterday and it looked OK. Big two wiring upgrade was also done. Any ideas?
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,320
Likes: 3,927
From: Cape Coral, Florida
No my friend this is not a “short”…if you know how to use a DVOM connect it to the alternator B+ and see what the voltage is at the alternator during this hot start…how low is it going ??…with the engine running with an electrical load on the car compare the voltage you’re seeing at the alternator vs the voltage at the battery…they should be close to each other.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,320
Likes: 3,927
From: Cape Coral, Florida
It could also be your alternator but unless you test it like I mentioned above you’re just guessing !!…if you have no electrical skills I suggest you take it to an auto electric shop.
Last edited by C5 Diag; Aug 4, 2024 at 05:12 PM.
Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,770
Likes: 319
From: New York New York
I know how to use the meter. ill run the test like you said. The alternator just had a fresh rebuild. I have a spare alternator and it did the same thing.
Moderator, Tech Contributor
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 15,320
Likes: 3,927
From: Cape Coral, Florida
So if you know how to use a DVOM with a load on the electrical system put one lead on alternator B+ and other lead on battery positive and record what you see…don’t worry if you see a minus number just record the value…do the same between the alternator case and battery negative and also record that reading.
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Thread Starter
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 1,770
Likes: 319
From: New York New York
I forgot to mention, a few days ago I got an ABS warning and my radio shut down and restarted. It quickly came back on and the warning went away. I quickly parked it after that.
Last edited by racerx3317; Aug 7, 2024 at 06:36 AM.