Charging system failure?

[jshuman]

I searched the forums and found similar problems to what i am having, but nothing quite the same. While driving, my lights and guages start to dim. Then my charging system light comes on along with the coolant and brake light. The headlights eventually go completely out along with the audio and turbo timer. Then the idle drops and the car dies. I thought for sure this was the alternator so i took it off and got it tested. It failed the test the first run, but passed it the next two times. This being the only thing i could think of to cause my problem, i went ahead and bought and installed a new alternator. I jump started the car since the optima red top (relocated to the trunk) had been drained and it started fine. Everything was ok for about a day, but then the same thing happened again. I didnt find another post where this happened during regular driving, not at idle. I had noticed that as rpms increased going through the gears that the headlights would dim or flicker over the past few weeks. Also, after the dummy lights would come on, it sounded like my fuel pump got really loud. Could it be that the battery was being slowly drained and then finally killed? I have four autometer c2 guages, turbo timer, and 2 10" kicker subs powered by 2 600w kicker amps. I dont know if those are playing a role in my problem. Any ideas?

 

[James Bondage]

Where did you get your new alternator from? If your headlights are bright and dim then it is usually over charging and your alternator is going out. I had the same problems but fixed it with a new Canadian 90 amp alternator.

 

[trackTSIawd]

Check the ground on your battery relocation... Mine got corroded and messed up once.

 

[pmanaresi]

it could be that the new alternator you bought is also bad... its happened to me before. if you have a voltmeter check the terminals when the car is running. If the alternator is charging properly it should read around 14 volts

 

[Simpleman1]

Without the engine running, your battery reading should be no less than 12.5 volts. If the engine is running the battery should be reading no less than 13.5 volts. This is just my opinion. Also, check for corroded terminals.