High Voltage 15-17v on Battery Dangerous?
 

Hi i have been getting a High Voltage reading on the DIC of my 85 15-17v with a red light espesially when hard acceleration, What could be the problem and is that Dangerous?

Possible failure of the voltage regulator. Internal in the alternator. Remove and have tested before it fries everything.

Do a quick check with a real voltmeter before pulling the alternator.

Also, the voltage regulator sensor has its own wire to the battery, at
least on an '87. If that wire's open or shorted to ground, you'll get a
high voltage. Check it second.

THEN pull the alternator, which is fortunately quite easy.


Chuck

What Chuck and Ronald Reagon used to say. Trust but... Verify. Indeed get another voltmeter before you pull as gauges sometimes can be wrong.

Had the same problem this fall 87' Vert hit a hard bump and then the radio quit and the dash got so damn BRIGHT you could barely read it in brite sunlight I was pushing out 18.5volts:ack: started to turn everything on that I had AC maxed out on Blower headlights on high, fogs and what helped was to turn the heated mirrors on dropped the voltage down to 14.8 ( managable). Still had about 200miles to go and getting dark. When I got to my sons left it over night and in the morning when taking the alternator off to have it checked it was still warm. Heres the best thing was I dropped the wrench it [B]stuck to the front pully on the alternator hell it was an electromagnet[/B:eek:never seen that before) took the battery off next the alternator cooled down and finally found a new one (only one available in Springfield Tn. on Memorial day weekend. Like they say you can fry everything and that is NO FUN.

Good Luck wro87

One more thing: if you GOTTA drive it, keep the revs way down and
the load up. The backlight heater is a BIG load.

And when I needed an alternator (failure was the other way, low
voltage), the local O'Reiley's had it. It fits a bunch of other GM
products. I installed the O'Reiley's, and kept the original and had
it rebuilt by a reputable shop locally. The rebuild was actually less
than O'Reilley's minus core charge. I'll install the original when I
get around to it, and keep the O'Reilley's as a spare (C4s seem to
eat alternators).

BTW, I'm not knocking O'Reilley's. The shop was Kragan's before and OK,
but after O'Reilley's took over, it's better. Wix filters in stock (but
behind the counter, so you gotta ask), and two deliveries per day
from their huge warehouse. Stop in on the way to work with a special
order, pick it up on the way home most of the time.


Chuck

IDENTICAL thing happened ot me 3 weeks ago......the internal regulator was the culprit in my case......the testing suggestions ALWAYS should be done first. :yesnod:

http://i1012.photobucket.com/albums/...-05-44_879.jpg is this bad then?

touchton94LT1 what is your digital read out showing.

Ahh forgot to check that i was on my way to work at the time

And if you wait long enough like I did -- the battery over heats and the acid boils out -- leaks out the side gill --- it makes a nice pattern in the door paint :toetap: