battery light came on.

[kevin]

i drive a 2001 oldsmobile intrigue.

recently, the battery light had came on on the dash board.
i used a tool to test the battery and the alternator.

– battery, checked as good.
– Alternator, checked bad. then i turned the car off. and re-tested the alternator, it tested good.

the light went off. then today. im driving. then the light comes back on. and it’s not going away this time.

thoughts and suggestions please.

also, when driving, my lights would flicker, internal and exterior and my A/C would flicker on and off with the lights. prior to the battery light coming on.

…..everytime i check it, the readings are inconsistent. one moment its good, the next it’s bad. one moment its running good. the next its running crappy and it’s throwin me a battery light.

Topic

[KZ 259]

while the car is at idle, what are the V readings? what are the readings while the engine is off?

[kevin]

yes, while the car is at idle. and while driving.

alternator was putting out 12lV max i could get it.

i was thinking voltage regulator at first.

but then i saw that the voltage regulator is built into my alternator.
so if that’s the problem. then the alternator needs replaced then.

[Charles]

When the slip rings in the alternator wear out they are not making contact with the brushes through the entire revolution this causes the blinking. If you read across the battery you will see AC voltage which should not be there. You can compare what you see to another car that is working properly. GM eats alternators on a regular basis they use a lot of power and the alternators run under high current. If you are keeping the car, buy one with the free replacement warranty.

[college man]

take the car to the local auto part store and have the battery
and alternator load tested for Free.;)

[dreamer2355]

I would also check to see if you have a fuse or fuseable link for the alternator.

Also another video for your viewing pleasure 🙂

[twiggy]

Also check to make sure your alternator drive belt is not slipping. I had the exact same issue as you and that is what caused my symptoms.

[celticbhoy]

Yeah I was gonna say check the drive belt, make sure it’s tight enough and on there properly.

[Paul]

This summer, my 91 Civic had the red battery light problem. I took the alternator to load test by two different make and model alternator testers. Both gave it good rating. But the battery light still came on.

After checking the ground wires, I went to get a rebuilt alternator which fixed the battery light problem.

My old alternator was not completely dead… but does not gave out enough power to keep the battery light off. It is still charging the battery. I was in a traffic jam for 3 hours with the battery light on without getting a dead battery.

Check your battery, ground wire and belt tension. If they are all good, time to check the alternator. Consider to change the alternator even if the alternator load tester gives it a good rating.

[mckrishes]

I had the same problem. My fault was getting water in the alternator. I would check all the connections starting from the battery and going to the alternator just in case. I would also have your battery load tested just to make sure its operating properly. My alternator gave inconsistent readings as well. I learned that the alternator is composed of many parts (brushes, regulator, etc. etc.). Since I got water in it, I sprayed WD-40 generously in my alternator with the car off and then let it dry completly. I haven’t had a problem since. I did this as a last resort.

[EricTheCarGuy]

Some great suggestions above. I’ll just add that connections are a big issue when it comes to electrical problems so be sure to check the connections at the battery and at the alternator. Not sure how you were doing your testing but the above videos are a great place to start to help nail down the problem. If you’re not testing correctly then it will make it difficult to find the source of the problem.

[Author]

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