EskyDSM
Probationary Member
- 17
- 0
- May 16, 2008
-
da U.P.s neighbor, eh!,
Wisconsin
Hey everyone,
Three times in the last 3 months I've had my car out this year, I've had my battery and brake light turn on when I first start my car. They stay on for a little while. I check my voltage at my turbo timer and with a multimeter at the battery and the highest it reads is about 12.2v, but seems to cycle around 11.9v. I would start driving, and all of the sudden the lights would go out, and the voltage would jump up to mid 13s (which is still not where it was since I bought the car, 14.4v). I've had issues in the past where my factory cluster will not respond when I first start the car, then out of the blue, all the needles and lights jump and everything works fine.
Then, two days ago, it when through this cycle of low voltage, but stayed there. The battery and brake lights did not stay on, and currently are not on, but my voltage has not recovered. It teeters at mid to high 11s. If I turn on my head lights and some accessories, my voltage typically drops another.5 volts or so.
The car is 155k old, and I'm sure the alternator is original, so I thought the voltage regulator was taking a dump and it was time for a replacement.
Yesterday, I installed a brand new alternator, and while I was at it, made sure all my connections were corrosion free, and they all look great. I scuffed them up a little bit just to be sure. I still only have high 11v while idling, and mid to high 11s while driving.
My battery is brand new, my main ground is brand new, my connections/terminals are corrosion free. What else can I check that would cause this low voltage issue on an apparently fully functional old alternator and a brand new one?
Three times in the last 3 months I've had my car out this year, I've had my battery and brake light turn on when I first start my car. They stay on for a little while. I check my voltage at my turbo timer and with a multimeter at the battery and the highest it reads is about 12.2v, but seems to cycle around 11.9v. I would start driving, and all of the sudden the lights would go out, and the voltage would jump up to mid 13s (which is still not where it was since I bought the car, 14.4v). I've had issues in the past where my factory cluster will not respond when I first start the car, then out of the blue, all the needles and lights jump and everything works fine.
Then, two days ago, it when through this cycle of low voltage, but stayed there. The battery and brake lights did not stay on, and currently are not on, but my voltage has not recovered. It teeters at mid to high 11s. If I turn on my head lights and some accessories, my voltage typically drops another.5 volts or so.
The car is 155k old, and I'm sure the alternator is original, so I thought the voltage regulator was taking a dump and it was time for a replacement.
Yesterday, I installed a brand new alternator, and while I was at it, made sure all my connections were corrosion free, and they all look great. I scuffed them up a little bit just to be sure. I still only have high 11v while idling, and mid to high 11s while driving.
My battery is brand new, my main ground is brand new, my connections/terminals are corrosion free. What else can I check that would cause this low voltage issue on an apparently fully functional old alternator and a brand new one?