Battery light intermitent, and lights get REALLY BRIGHT

ASSISTANCE Electrical & Entertainment Systems
1

ok so let me tell you my little story

About a month ago outta nowhere my amp turned off in my car. I didnt know why… it came back on. After about a week of this happening my battery light started to flicker. I noticed also that when my amp was turning off, the lights would get brighter, and the battery light would come ON. This 90% of the time happens while I’m driving. The light would go OFF SOMETIMES if I would let the car come to an idle (low RPMS). Other times it wouldnt matter and would happen at high RPMs or low RPMs. Sometimes it would work fine for hours, sometimes it wouldnt work at all.

With these bits of information, I came to the conclusion that my alternators voltage regulator is on its way out. I figure its running to much voltage because the lights are getting really bright (to much voltage), the battery light comes on warning of to much voltage, and my amplifier is goin into protection cause of to much voltage. Does this sound feesible or am I crazy?

Tonite had a new alternator put in. This is what leads me to this post… The new alternator goes in the car and the Battery light and the ABS light go on. Now I’m thinking either there is another problem, and I have NO CLUE as to what it could be, or I got horrible luck and got a bad alternator outta the box from the parts store.

I’m taking the existing alternator to a shop to be tested tomorrow morning. Hopefully they say its bad and I will know where I’m at. The only thing is the problem is intermittent so I dunno if the testing will work out. I’m praying it does cause I dont know what to do at this point.

Thanks for any and all help. I’ll be going to the shop tomorrow, hopefully I can get some answers :slight_smile:

2

voltage regulator in the alternator or get the alternator replaced.

i had a problem when i was on the freeway where the battery light would just come on. engine speed never really made a difference. Bad alternator as i found out. BUt whenever the lights go bright according to speed then its usually a regulator related problem…or something controlling the regulator.

3

The chances of your new, [replacement] alt. having the exact same problem as the old one are slim, although much stranger things have happened.

You are doing exactly what I would suggest, take the new alt. back and have it checked, in fact I would take both in to be checked.

If a proper load check is done on the alt., even an intermittent problem would show up.

I would also have the batt. checked.

To eliminate the amp as the problem, disconnect it, power, trigger, ground and RCAs, [take amp out of all circuits].:hmm:94

4

Well I ended up having both alternators checked. The one that was currently in the car was having an inttermitent problem, and it tested good. I figured that is possible giving the nature of the problem, so said ok… I’m gonna still get a new one.

I then had tested my new alternator… low and behold it was bad outta the box, what crappy luck lol.

I ended up getting another new alternator and have no more problems. Apparently it was a flaking voltage regulator in the other alternator (at least thats what I’m gonna think given the circumstances.)

Thanks for the help!

5

wow im having the same problem with my car! battery light flickers on and off for no aparent reason sometimes, other times the engine speed seems to do something (turns off at HIGH rpms’s) thanx for the usefull thread!:up: