alternator going bad?

[northstar1958]

Gentlemen:

Going to work this morning i notice if i touch the brake, the headlights dim/flicker for a second or two. I watched the readout on the "battery state" fluctuate rapidly from 14.2 all the way down to 11.4 and everything inbetween during the 20 minute drive. I remember the alternator (battery state) on the dash was always a solid 13.4-13.5, now its all over the place. Any ideas? Thanks

Northstar

[HotZ28]

This could very well be the alternator rectifier bridge (diodes) going defunct, but you need to verify the condition of the battery terminals and load test the battery first. If all that checks fine, have the alternator tested.

[The00Dustin]

You may also want to follow this trail of threads:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...d.php?t=930309
before deciding how you want to proceed.
Also, for the record, I haven't replaced my battery or alternator since I posted my thread, and everything is still fine, the problems mentioned haven't been surfacing, so I don't know what the deal was. I may have cleaned or reseated the battery terminals, but I still don't know what the root of the problem was. I wouldn't recommend waiting it out if you can diagnose the problem, but I don't have a solution to the exact same issue in my 99 ultra.

[northstar1958]

Well, it looks like it was a simple fix on the charging system problem. I decided to work the problem from simplest to hardest knowing pa's can have some weird electrical problems. I checked the terminals and ended up tightening the ground terminal on the battery a 1/3 of a turn, the positive was tight. It solved the problem.

After three days of driving, no funny readouts on the "battery state" gauge...its a solid 13.4..... So i check just to make sure the terminals are clean...they are very clean...run an external check of the battery and alternator, both working perfectly....Guess the point of the whole story is....the ground terminal was a 1/3 of a turn lose....can't believe its that touchy, but if you have some sort of electrical problem going on...check the basics first on your pa.

Thanks for the help guys.

Northstar

[bigsky]

Originally Posted by northstar1958

Well, it looks like it was a simple fix on the charging system problem. I decided to work the problem from simplest to hardest knowing pa's can have some weird electrical problems. I checked the terminals and ended up tightening the ground terminal on the battery a 1/3 of a turn, the positive was tight. It solved the problem.

After three days of driving, no funny readouts on the "battery state" gauge...its a solid 13.4..... So i check just to make sure the terminals are clean...they are very clean...run an external check of the battery and alternator, both working perfectly....Guess the point of the whole story is....the ground terminal was a 1/3 of a turn lose....can't believe its that touchy, but if you have some sort of electrical problem going on...check the basics first on your pa.

Thanks for the help guys.
Northstar

Nice when it is an easy fix and you did it yourself.

I recently went through this on a 97. Battery was old so replaced it. Still flickering. The alternator tested good but replaced it and the belt too as it was cracking. All OK now. Also, some people recommend replacing the battery and alternator together as one can weaken the other.