Lights dim! Battery or Altenator?!?!

[nufoundglry5]

Within the past few weeks of driving my car it seems like I have an issue with low voltage. I don't have a gauge to tell me exactly what the voltage is but if i am idling and i turn on anything electrical the lights get dimmer with each thing i turn on. The lights never come back up to normal brightness. I also have my fuel pump rewired but it seems to do no good since i can still hear the whine it makes (Walbro) change tones with the turn signals, brakes applied, etc. Now sometimes when I apply the brakes (at any rpm) the lights dim and sometimes the radio will even turn off and quickly turn back on. This situation is now happening more frequently and yesterday when i had the car idling after driving I applied the brakes and it killed the motor. I was thinking this is my alternator but I get no battery light showing up on my dash and my starter always turns just like it is supposed to. Could this be a grounding issue or an alternator issue? If anyone has had this problem before or has any ideas please respond.

Thanks for the space

 

[Bcoy]

I would say this is early signes of alternator failure...when was the last time you replaced it?

 

[nufoundglry5]

Well i just started driving the car in June for the first time... So i myslef has never replaced it. I guess i should go get it tested out.

 

[nufoundglry5]

I also dont know if this would make a difference but i do have the little 680 Odyssey battery.

Thanks

 

[1gDSM4g63]

Check if power steering oil has gotten on the alternator. It a common problem for 1g. If so, alternator needs to be replacement or the battery if you had it for a long time.

 

[laserspeeddemon]

There is a simple test to check to see if it's a ground.

It's best to try this at night.
First turn the car on and do whatever makes the dash lights dim (push brakes, turn on headlights, etc.) Then when it's dim. Hook up your battery to another car like you are trying to jump it. If the dash lights come back up it's a voltage issue.

Next disconnet the cables and put both sides on one the ground, then the other sides on two different spots (I would use the motor and a drive side shock tower bolt.) If they get bright it's a grounding issue.

Lastly if you rev the engine and it slowly gets brighter it's the alternator. Go get it tested.

Have fun.

 

[Locke]

Don't rule out the battery as well. Put it on a load pile to determine it's condition.

 

[nufoundglry5]

The battery should be good since i get awesome cranking with it and i just put it in about 2 months ago. Also no matter what RPM I am at this is a problem. Last night i was driving and i turned on the brights and the radio turned off then on again. I am at work right now so i cant check it until about 6:30 tonight. BTW i do have an oil leak by this alternator coming from somewhere (i think its the oil filter housing) and the alternator does have oil on the pulley side of it.

Thanks for the help

 

[a_flint87]

It sounds like your alternator needs to be replaced, I had these exact symptoms right before mine died! Then the wonderful ASE certified mechanic who replaced it for me, put on a damaged alternator! Thanks Chrysler service center!

 

[ryanx99GS]

Okay, So last night I was just chillin in my car waitin for my gf to come outside and I noticed my interior lights weren't all that bright. So i rev'd up the car above 1k and the lights got brighter, then it dropped down below 1k to my set idle and they dim. I know the battery is like a 10 year old Die Hard , or well it looks like it. Ive been planning on getting a new battery but...could the problem also have to do with my altenator ? Car has 73k on it.

 

[GRAVEDIGGER]

You need to test the voltage that the alternator is putting out. Do you have a multimeter or something to test voltage? If so, just start the car and put one of the test leads from the multimeter on each battery terminal and check the voltage while the engine is running. You should see at least 12.8 volts from a good alternator. Hopefully it is in the 12.8 to 14.2 volt range. If it is lower than that you need to replace your alternator. Hopefully this can help you. Also, if you do need a new alternator it would be a good idea to just put in a new battery since you said you know that yours is pretty old.

 

[res7bequ]

I remember having to push start the car a couple times because of a dying alt. Same symptoms. More than likely alternator but if your battery is 10 years old you might want to replace it...

 

[ryanx99GS]

Haha ya I know the battery has to go. Is there a place online where I can order a replacement Alt without haveing to fork out a bunch of $?

 

[xtr3me]

While we find your parts, please enter your ZIP Code at PartsAmerica.com

It should get the job done, the cheapest i have found. 132.98 ..

 

[97GSTAUTO]

I love freebies. Drop by Autozone and have them test it instead of spengin money on what you may not need.

 

[luv2rallye]

A bad battery can sometimes make the alternator look bad when it isn't. Replace that 10 yr old battery first. You can also do the test here: http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/pro...reeway-electrical-problems.html#post151165661

 

[ryanx99GS]

Thanks for all the input, I will get right on everything. Check out my other thread I just started, all of this just started happening to me today http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/problem-diagnosis/283581-idle-problem-help.html

 

[96gs-t man]

if your battery is bad and you don't get it fixed it can make your alternator go bad too. the car knows how many volts the battery has and if it doesn't have enough the alternator will try to charge it. if the battery wont hold a charge the alternator will be overworked trying to charge the battery. i just had to replace the battery and alternator in my car because of that problem. but your problem might also be a bad alternator. if the alternator is bad then the battery isn't getting a good charge but when you rev it the alternator puts more current into the battery so your lights get brighter.

 

[nufoundglry5]

It was a bad ground.

 

[e36bmer]

yeah, replace the battery first. If it isn't broken, with that age you should replace it anyway.

 

[hdoerr]

It still has the stock battery in it? I mean ten years would make it as old as the car.