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Headlights and dash dimming and brightening.
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 2:56 pm
by BoxLiveFresh
1989 Corsica LT 2.8
Ok guys I've got a weird electrical problem. I replaced the alternator last week with an AC Delco reman from rockauto. As of last night the the headlights and dashboard flicker but only at freeway speed, and the voltage guage is all over the place. After I got home I replaced the battery, but the problem still persists only at 50+ mph. Also note that I have been in the steering column recently trying to replace the signal switch.
Re: Headlights and dash dimming and brightening.
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:03 pm
by Edno1995
The dimmer switch is near the colum, I would jiggle the harness under the dash first. Second run a multimeter in the cigarette lighter, as you drive to see if the voltages are actually all over the place, you could have a bad alternator the has a short or loose connection inside it.
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Re: Headlights and dash dimming and brightening.
Posted: Fri Oct 30, 2020 10:07 pm
by Edno1995
First I would jiggle the harness under the dash to see if the lights flicker, second I would use a multimeter in the cigarette lighter to see if the voltage is actually jumping around. Possibly something loose inside the new alternator.
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Re: Headlights and dash dimming and brightening.
Posted: Mon Nov 09, 2020 8:53 pm
by BoxLiveFresh
I figured it out guys. The problem went away for a whole week after I replaced the battery. The problem came back, but instead of flickering lights, voltage would just drop low and stay low. The problem was intermittent, so when I finally caught the symptom, I could hear the alternator chirping. So that was indeed the problem. After pulling it off, The AC Delco refurbished alternator had some resistance when spinning it by hand. My girlfriend says she warned me about it when she pulled it out of the box. Guess I wasn't listening and didn't bother to check myself.