I have noticed that my voltage gauge responds to things like turn signal etc. when the lights or heater are on, and I turn on the turn signal, the lights or whatever will slightly dim, and the voltage gauge drops with the flashing of the turn signal.. is this normal or the sign of an alternator problem??
It is normal to a certain extent, especially when switching on heavy electrical users like the rear window defroster. Sometimes, alternators will charge only enough to keep the light off or the gauge at or near zero, especially at low speeds, and the battery will slowly discharge, to the point that in traffic, you could end up stalling with a weak battery, but would not notice it at normal speeds. Could also be a battery toward the end of its service life. If you're worried, have the alt output and battery tested, not an expensive job. Ed B.
I noticed something similar last night. I was driving back and forth over the snow that has fallen on my driveway to pack it down (easier than shovelling it :-).
I noticed that everytime I let the clutch out to get the car moving over a hump of packed snow the headlights would dim slightly?! This would seem to imply that the transmission was "taking power away" from the alternator - which doesn't make sense to me.
cheers!
wrote:
-- Dominic Richens | snipped-for-privacy@alumni.uottawa.ca "If you're not *outraged*, you're not paying attention!"
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