I had my alternator rebuilt to give out more amps to support an upgraded stereo. However, I kept getting the battery light on the dash so I bought one of those cigarette lighter voltage gauges to get some insight into what was going on.
It turns out that the voltage is fine when I first turn on the car and the idle is higher. As it warms up and the idle slows, it can dip below 13 even if just my heater or lights are on by themselves. It can also dip with nothing turned on when at a stop light when in (D) and the idle may dip a little more than when in park.
If you do typical alternator tests as specified at 3000 RPM, it works great and puts out plenty of power. The voltage meter in the cigarette lighter looks great as well.
Any thoughts?
Tom
It turns out that the voltage is fine when I first turn on the car and the idle is higher. As it warms up and the idle slows, it can dip below 13 even if just my heater or lights are on by themselves. It can also dip with nothing turned on when at a stop light when in (D) and the idle may dip a little more than when in park.
If you do typical alternator tests as specified at 3000 RPM, it works great and puts out plenty of power. The voltage meter in the cigarette lighter looks great as well.
Any thoughts?
Tom