Brake, Battery light - flicker on /off DEAD ALTERNATOR [Merged 4-8]

[BrnOutKing]

Ok this just started happening.

I'll be driving and the E-Brake and Battery light will flicker on / off while driving..... or I'll start it up and they'll stay on.

normally I'd think it was battery related.

But I'm not sure on this one. - I just changed my brake pads, so that shouldn't be triggering anything.

The battery is a couple months old. - however my alternator is going - it doens't work from time to time.

What's your opinions. - I noticed it goes on and off with bumps with leads me to believe it's a loose wire or something?

However I have no Idea which one? or where it would be located.

I'm thinking I'm going to pull the center console off to check out the e-brake area for anything out of the ordinary today.

Thanks
-brian

 

[RedTurboEclipse]

Alternator

 

[bluetlr2001]

Alternator

Yep go to a parts store and have them test your alternator. Because that is more than likely your problem. If that doesnt turn out to be it start checking all your fuses unde the hood and in the car.

 

[costas14]

i just ran into that problem, change alternator FAST! or you will be stuck in the middle of no were waiting for a tow truck

 

[Boost92awd]

Yeah dont drive it if you dont have to, or you might end up braking down on the side of the road. Go get an alternator and put it in before you drive it again.

 

[housegsx]

Did you bolt the ground cable back onto the transmission when you reinstalled it?

 

[DGajre777]

Check all your ground cables. If everything is where it is supposed to be, those two warning lights are for the alternator. Your voltage regulator is most probably not working like it should and in our cars it is part of the alternator, so when it dies, you have to replace or rebuild the alternator.

 

[4G63dsm1]

I'm going to check the ground cable of the tranny, if that checks out then i guess i'll be ordering a new altenator. Thanks guys for the fast reply.

I talked to my mechanic and he told me that if the tranny ground cable is not connected the car wont turn on, is this true? I'm going to change the altenator today, hope this fixes it. The car sat for a day while he was doing the clutch. My guess is that i already had symptoms of a bad altenator cause my headlights/dashlights were dimming then of sudden get brighter when i was hitting the gas.

 

[housegsx]

Not true as there are still grounds like the one on the IM etc, maybe good enough to run the car, but not enough to maintain your voltage. It's worth checking. Just grab the cable and see if it's connected.

Also make sure the battery terminals are clean and tight because I'm sure it was out of the car when replacing the clutch.

 

[dSmgs-T]

check ground cables like said before. but that is defiantley your alternator, i just got that problem fixed. it would come off and on and make my fuel pump cry like a little girl
PITA

 

[AWDer]

Okay, so I have been trying to work through this all weekend. The brake/battery light are on CONTINUOUSLY, from the moment I start the car to the moment I shut it off. I replaced the battery and alternator. Took them back off and had them tested again, they passed, and now they are back on.

The car charges perfectly at all times. I am seeing 14.1-14.3 volts during cruise and 13.8-14 volts during idle. The battery is being charged, it sits at 12.6 volts when I shut the car off. The alternator fuse is good.

I am confused as to why the lights are still there. By all measurements so far, everything is perfect. I checked the four wires at the alternator plug and am seeing 5 volts at the green wire and 12 volts at the black wire. The other two wires see nothing. This is just with the key on.

What are the four wires suppose to be seeing and where do they go? How do I check them?

Thanks,
Josh

The red wire appears to be seeing less than or equal to 1.5 volts at all times. I read on DSMLink forums that the wire should be seeing a constant +12 volts. Is it possible to install a +12 volt source wire directly to the battery with a 40 amp inline fuse?

Josh

 

[luv2rallye]

Are you correctly measuring with the minus voltmeter lead to ground (or battery negative)? If so, the black (actually black/yellow) wire couldn't possibly be +12V and still have the battery light on since that is the other side of that light (so +12V on both sides would force it off). You must be either on a different wire, or your wiring or warning lights are not stock.

 

[Defiant]

Nah. Again, it's a deal alternator. Argue all you want.

 

[AWDer]

It is definitely the black/yellow wire. What explains the fact that I am seeing but only 1 volt at the red wire? I have not changed anything else. I guess it could still be a bad brand new alternator, but it keeps passing the test everywhere. I have even looked at it's test sheet and it looked fine.

Josh

I traced the red wire back to the fuse box. I am seeing 12.5 volts through the wire at the fuse box and .8-1 volts at the alternator plug. Looks like I just need to replace that wire(crosses fingers). Also, I cut the wire at the fuse box and am now seeing 0 volts down at the plug, so I got the right one.


Josh

I replaced the red wire and ran it through the harness to the plug. Everything is perfect now and the battery/brake lights are no longer on at all. So, it was the wire and not the alternator or battery. I have a pretty good hunch as to what that wire powers. I think it is the constant power supply to the voltage regulator and without it the ECU could not obviously get any response from the regulator, at least not a proper one. That is why the other wires could work and the dash lights could still come on.

Josh

 

[We're on Boost]

Hey Josh, the old red wire that you pulled out - can you tell where it is bad? Is it something obvious that you can see?

Gary

 

[AWDer]

I couldn't visible tell. There were some marks that I saw that could have been something. I imagine that it either burnt out somewhere or become corroded. It had some sort of connection otherwise I would not being seeing even the 1 volt.

Josh

 

[Chrishibbard]

I ve tryed to find a post about the issue I am having with my 95 Eagle talon Tsi. Nothing seems to match up. I have 3 lights coming on all at once intermittantly and cant seem to trace it down. when it is cold out the brake light coolant light and alt light come on. I replaced the alternator and battery think this would correct it for sure to no evale. I have looked at wiring diagrams of this and they are all tied in together. I was wonder if anyone out there has came across this see that it is hard to trace down wiring when it does not do it all the time. I know the common answer is going to be alternator but I truely believe theres an issue with maybe a ground. Any replys would be appriciated since it is driving me nuts trying to figure it out.

 

[DSM1G90]

You said that you did replace the altenator, yet was it a new one, or a used one? For this still points to a bad ALT for my ride did the same thing and it was a dying ALT that was doing this due to brushes inside getting weak.

I trust that you did get that battery connection nut to the ALT real tight and that the output voltage harness plug is securly plugged in the back of the ALT. For any of those loose can cause these issues above mentioned.

 

[Defiant]

Your new alternator is dead.

 

[1992awdlaser]

Your new alternator is dead.

Or the belt is pretty loose.

 

[DGajre777]

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...55-alternator-issues-brake-battery-light.html

 

[Redwidow]

Check your engine/battery grounds also and make sure they are tight, and clear of all rust/corrosion.

 

[t4-teg]

Same problem im having. I tested the battery with a volt meter with the car on and off, its at about 12.4 volts on and off. With the car running I tested multiple fuses and other accessory ports everything is at 12 volts.

Im pretty sure its still the alt, especially since it says 12.4 on/off. My question is, the alt on the car looks pretty damn new, it was on there when I bought the car, what causes dsm's alternators to fail that fast?

Yes, I know this thread is old but since I SEARCHED I thought id bring this back up since its the same problem.

 

[Defiant]

Rebuilt alternators are renown for shitting the bed. Yours has. Replace.

 

[nuclearr]

What fries the ALT's on our cars is the turbo down pipe is too close and the heat fries the ALT's. I Fried 3 in a month on my 90 gsx (but they were remans ).

 

[t4-teg]

Yeh replaced the alt, everythings fine, for now....

I guess ill invest in some heat wrap for the cast o2 housing, that should keep temps down a lil bit right next to the alt.