My voltage gauge has been acting up recently...here is the deal:

Every so often when I was driving, when I would accelerate to pass somebody or whatever, the voltage would drop below the norm for a bit, and then it would go back to the center when I would get off the gas.

Then recently I noticed that when I would start the car up, the voltage gauge would be down in the red/yellow area for a bit, then it would eventually come around to the normal operating range once I was driving around.

Today, I took it for a spin to the store. The whole way there it was fine...then after about 10 minutes of sitting, I started it up to go home. It sat in the red/yellow area for almost half the drive home, and on top of that it would drop down every time I would accelerate or hit the gas...

I recently cleaned all of the grounds under the hood, so that is not the issue (I dont think)...the battery is a week old, and the alternator is the original unit w/ 55k on it...

any ideas/suggestions??

Thanks in advance guys!

 

Check for loose wires; with car running (idle), at the battery post, the volts should read around 13.8~14.2..... Also yo might have the battery load tested..

 

My 98 was doing that, cleaned/tightened battery posts, seemed to go away. But on an 89 Formula I used to have, it always meant that the alternator du jour was about to give up the ghost.

 

Serpintine belt needs replacing ?? Something to check along with the belt tensioner.

 

id check the alternator and battery

 

Have you checked the actual voltage at the battery? The dash gauge isn't always accurate.

 

Okay, today the car is fine, like nothing ever happened. Last night I wiggled the battery cables and the connection to the alternator, but I doubt that did anything.

I forgot to mention, this glitch seemed to be happening when it was raining out, hard rain I might add. I think it might be a slipping belt, so I will replace that and the tensioner and hope it stays gone.


Thanks for those who offered advice.

 

+1

I have a buddy with a 93 full-size Blazer (I think they were still called that in 93??) The voltage gauge on his dash indicated all sorts of strange things. He finally wired a digital voltmeter across the battery terminals with the leads running into the cab so he could monitor the voltage as he was driving around. Turns out the voltage was completely fine.... it was the dash gauge that was all effed up.

 

My car was doing the exact same thing, and it was where one of the battery cables had worn through and I couldn't see it until it was too late and the cable was torn in half. Someone before me apparently didn't have any idea how to work on cars cause a lot of the wires I've had to fix like this.