sjc6765 Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 I am getting a flicker in my headlights at idle, I also heve a "trac" light that comes on. I was wondering when I put a meter on the alt leads, what should I get at idle? I think it is going bad. Has anybody else had a headlight flicker problem? They are not going out, just getting brighter...dimmer really fast, I dont notice it untill I pull into the garage and the headlights hit the wall. Thanks for any input. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 18, 2005 Share Posted July 18, 2005 Common issue with any car , You either need new battery/power cables , a battery is a possibility or your alternator. If you get anything less than 14vdc at idle when the engine is hot you are not getting full voltage. Less than 12vdc then you definatly have a problem,. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc6765 Posted July 18, 2005 Author Share Posted July 18, 2005 Do I need to disconnect the battery after start to check the alternator voltage? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchB Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 No, leave the terminals connected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc6765 Posted July 19, 2005 Author Share Posted July 19, 2005 I checked it,, getting 12.5 volts with engine off, 14.6 volts with engine on. It looks like the Alternator is working fine, ,, all cables look new. Could anything else cause the lights to flicker? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DomLee Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 Have you checked the battery terminals? Clean off the corrosion that forms there. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjc6765 Posted July 19, 2005 Author Share Posted July 19, 2005 everything under the hood looks factory new. Is there a certain ohm reading I should be getting from the negative pole to the chasis? (Checking ground connections) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchB Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I checked it,, getting 12.5 volts with engine off, 14.6 volts with engine on. It looks like the Alternator is working fine, ,, all cables look new. Could anything else cause the lights to flicker? ← You can try revving the engine up to about 3k and see if the voltage goes up over 15 Volts. If so, you definitely have a bad voltage regulator in the alternator. Flickering is often a regulator problem, even if the "average" voltage is about 14 Volts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SKperformance Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Was the engine cold or hot when you took the readings? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MitchB Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Is there a certain ohm reading I should be getting from the negative pole to the chasis? (Checking ground connections) ← It will be so low that you can't measure it with a regular DVM. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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