i am new to this site and do not know where to post this so here it goes.

-i have a battery drain problem, after the car is fully warmed it the battery gauge goes from around 14.8 to about 14.1 when i use turn signals it pulses my gauge about 1 volt, but it rebounds so thats good, back defrosters, reversing, using the windows, it also drains. after long usage of the car on small streets it tend to drain more and more down to 13, sometimes when i get into the drive through fast food with the wheels turned, it drains the battery a bit, my battery meter would start pulsing hard and makes the dash lights and headlights dim, i would either have to get into the streets and gas it constantly for it to get back up to about 13.5, but whats weird is when i park the car for about 4-6 hours the car tends to charge itself while the car is off. then it would be normal again. i dont want to replace the alternator just to find out its something else. at first i thought it was my stereo system but i unplugged it and it still does the same thing. what i did so far to try to resolve this problem is clean the main battery gound wires contact areas, battery terminal, engine, frame. got the battery and alternator tested. it was good.

anyone knows whats wrong? and what i should do?

 

Your alternator might not be putting out enough. Maybe one of the diodes inside is blown cutting down the output. Most auto parts stores will test them for free thinking that if it's bad they will get the sale. I would have it tested. They load it up and can see if it's not putting out enough amps. That would be my first step.

 

i got it tested before, they said it's charging correctly..i've been reading alot of peoples battery problems..it looks like they had to replace it 2-3 times for it to work properly.. weird stuff..something about demand in good parts for the alternator or something..

anyone knows WHY my car charges over night? that is fairly weird to me..

 

Are your brake lights stuck on and draining batt. Or parking light switch stuck, i had a sticky brake switch that was the problem for my blazer,easy to fix,replace the switch,hope this helps ,cheers jim

 

i dont notice any lights stuck..i'll check tmrw. well my lady was driving the car today on the freeway, she hit the brakes on the freeway and the battery meter went down, and as she gassed it went up, so that gave me a big hint, maybe its the alternator. i'll go get that change tmrw even if it says its putting out enough volts. see if that cures the problem, if not i'll get back on this.thanks for your guy's inputs. i dont know whats wrong with this battery thing..it's really weird..nothing i have seen before..i'll reply tmrw after i change the alternator, easy change, 2 bolts and 2 plugs. plz keep updating, i need more info!! anyting anyone?? whatever you think is wrong it'll be helpful..

 

changed the alternator, still does it when i use the blinkers, but i can turn up the music more now without it dipping
old alternator tested at 65 amps, got new one with 105.

 

Thats quite a problem,new alternator,no stuck electrical brake switch,good battery ?? sounds like regulator but it,s built into alternator and you have a new one,it definately sounds electrical and your 04/08 post you said something about your car charges over night ,well beats the hell out of me !! get it tested on machine and check the codes ,a specialist needed ,good luck jim

 

LOL thats what got me confused, well i told the autozone guy, he gave me a good analogy, "if you were to use a flashlight and it goes dim, you set it down for a minute and turn it back on, its bright again" same thing with the battery he said, im going to take it back today, see if the alternator pushes 105 amps, or around that area, well when i use to have my car on idle in the parking lot and listening to music for a good 10 minutes, my car would start doing the battery dipping thing, well i was listening to music the other day on idle, it got a little below 14 and stayed there, no dipping, just where the alternator is suppose to be charging at, "13.8 - 13.9" and when i use my blinkers it still takes it below that point but rebound to that spot so im not totally afraid to use my blinkers anymore, ima drive it more to see if it will do that battery drain thing again, ima full throttle my music and test the battery to that point and drive through some fast food place it use to hate, lol, if it dosent drop below where its at now i think im fine, if i does it again, i found a shop that would check it out for me. hey by the way, my headlights are always on, would that cause any of the problems? night or day its still on, broken sensor i believe. well thanks for the reply jim, hope to hear from you soon.

 

I always install a 1 farad capacitor in my amp power line nearest the amplifier. That totally kills the lights dimming and voltage drop for me. Not to mention that your bass hits harder and your music plays louder cause there is an 18volt source for the amp to draw from. If the amp makes 1000watts at 14.4volts, then it might make 1500watts at 18volts. Bridge that load down to 1ohm and you can get some serious power out of a little amp. If you choose to do that, just make sure you read the instructions for the initial charge of the capacitor or it will not work at 18volts. You use a tiny resistor and tap the power leads to the cap a few times before hooking it up. And be careful you dont hit both terminals with the wrench when tightening it up cause you will land in the hospital or be put into cardiac arrest by it. Thats why you always hook the (-) black up LAST... These capacitors are really worth it but can seriously hurt you if not done right.

As for purchasing a new alternator for 200 bucks. Ask them for a rebuild kit next time. They are maybe 30 bucks, and is quite easy to install yourself. All you need is a soldering iron, and some reverse torx sockets to open up the alternator casing and a variety of socket sizes and hammer for driving out/in the new bearings. The kit comes with brushes and springs x2, a voltage regulator, and new bearings for the front and back. It takes about 30 minutes to do the job, and its fun, and you get to learn about how the inside works on an alternator. The only hint you need - loosen the alt pulley nut while the belt is still on it, then take it all apart. Or use an impact gun to loosen it when its on the bench.

Your headlights are always on cause cars all have daytime running lights (DRL) since the early 90s as a safety feature. I think you can disable that quite easily. Just do a forum search on it, I dont bother to disable mine on this truck, in my old cavalier you just had to click the emergency brake up one click to turn them off.