Voltage Question

cherrington17 · 10-22-2005, 07:33 PM

[I've had this problem before, and figured it was my battery. My bat. was dead or dying, so i replaced it with a Red Top. figured that was the end of it...]

i'll be driving and my voltmeter will flip out. from 14.5 volts to 10-12. back and forth, then my h.u will turn off for a few seconds then back on again. whats up?

also, i'm not sure if this is normal, but frequently when i stop at a red light, my voltmeter will fluctuate. i'll stop and it'll move from 14-12 and back and forth. as soon as i hit the gas it goes back to 14-14.5.

whats w/ that??

do i need to check all my wiring, or what?

cherrington17 · 10-24-2005, 10:11 PM

Bump... anyone?... anything??

Fast Eddie · 10-25-2005, 01:01 PM

Things turning on and off intermittently sounds like a short somewhere.

cherrington17 · 10-25-2005, 01:10 PM

it'll spike out like crazy, back and forth, then turn off and on....

jamcllw · 10-25-2005, 01:25 PM

alternator?

cherrington17 · 10-25-2005, 01:41 PM

could be... but wouldn't it do it more often then maybe once a month? (didnt mention that) its really weird.

beyond brakes and oil this weekend, i think thats my next investment. a new alt. mine as well hit up mr. alternator for one..

Fast Eddie · 10-26-2005, 12:58 PM

It sounds like the voltage regulator, but that is built into the alt. so you need to replace the whole thing. But it would be pretty consistant. Try putting a voltmeter on the battery directly to make sure its not something else first. If things are turning on and off it really sounds like a short after the battery, or some huge draw from somewhere . DO you have a stereo system or just an aftermarket HU?

cherrington17 · 10-26-2005, 01:25 PM

aftermarket. i do have a system, but it does it wether the amp is on or off. (had it happen with each)

j-work · 10-26-2005, 01:51 PM

Alternator or it could just need a tune-up bad!!! Do you notice the rpm's drop when it voltage goes crazy?

10-26-2005, 03:19 PM

yeah i'm thinking it's a bad ground someplace.
even if alternator kicked out. and u went down to 12 volts
you cd player shouldent shut off. it's suppose to run at 12 volts

I am thinking there is a short someplace/bad ground.
and if thats the case. good luck troubleshooting that.
But replacing the alternator would probly be the easiest attempt at fixing it.

cherrington17 · 10-26-2005, 04:10 PM

no rpm drops at any time. my car still runs like a champ. it could possibly be the connections i have in my fuse box. i gotta find a better way to do those...

but i don't have time or money right now, so it totally sucks balls.