Battery Light
twales
Band Wagon
My battery light keeps coming on then fading out, some times it flickers for only a second and sometimes it is barely lit. Recently I was driving and my stereo went out, no power, then my battery light came on about 10 seconds later the stereo came back on and the battery light went out. I have also noticed that my headlights will dim then brighten up when I am driving, out of no where. So this is probably a simple fix but I am reluctant to think that it is my alternator because it is only two years old, voltage regulator, and I just tightened the belt (it could be the alternator). I thought this might be a normal prob with wagons, I have a 88 rt4wd wagon. If any one has any advice it would be appreciated. Thanks
Comments
Bad ground is a common problem with everything. Make sure the battery negative terminal is clean and tight. Follow the ground cable to the chassis, and make sure that's clean and tight, too.
With the weird on-off behavior, I'm betting alternator, but checking the ground is easy and it can't hurt.
Let's solve this b4 we move on to the battery lite prob.That has me a bit proplexed.
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I say you should triple check all of your main grounds. Theres two on the engine, one from the right hand side of the head and one from where the clutch cable enters the gearbox. The one that goes from the gearbox should carry on to the chassis and then back up to the battery.
Ignition switch maybe 'cuzing your stereo prob,but not the headlite prob.The only things that the 2 have in common are #31(60a) ,#33(40a) fuse in the Main fuse bx & the POSITIVE pwr line to the battery(from fuse #31).To answer your earlier ? about resoldering...NOT a prob.
I was hoping it was something else.
There's a lo road or hi road.
I've had a few friends w/the same prob.It'll take about 3 hours including r&r of the alt. & will cost a whooping $1.Basically they did a bad rebuild on your alt.All the signs you mention are worn brushes.Just take apart your alt. & put in new brushes.You can get the brushes from a alt.rebuild shop for a buck.If for some reason you can not put the alt back together...you buy another rebuild.
It's not that hard.You save $15O.OO.You can always Paypal me.I've done mine & helped a few friends do theirs.Good Luck.
there is only one way.
it's called get yourself a new alternator. don't fool around with anything else. you don't want to be left stranded out on a cold night in the middle of nowhere
..unless maybe you do?
my alternator went out after 1yrs' use, luckily the guy who sold it to me was a stand up guy and gave me a new one for free.
(you can go custom and have someone build you a +/-160amp alternator..that shit should last forever. the only difference is the copper brush)
as for your lights flickering, you have a short somewhere in the wires in the back..check the brightness of the bulbs when you step on the brakes.
if they aren't as bright as they should be remove the plastic panels that hold the lights in place, take the bulbs and remove them from the socket, spray some wd-40 in there and clean it out with a wire brush.
check all the wires from each socket. sometimes you get rust or moisture up in there.
All the ones I've replaced or help replace are still working.The guy that bought my EF says the alts fine...been 6 years since that brush replacement.It worked out great.Was tight on $$$ then & it's been 6 years.Even the dude down at the alt shop said it's usually just the brushes.
Mrwagovan
I quess I'll get copper brushes next time.
I meant to say the size of the brush. They all use copper brushes, the custom made ones with higher amps 100+ or more tend to have more. SUV people &Lowriders like them cuz they turn out more power for tunes, etc.