Possible electrical/battery problems?

[Blue hedgehog]

Bandita
Normal voltage on a car with a 12 volt battery is 13.7-14.5 while the engine is running.

So, I bought a battery maintainer and left it on overnight. My battery was fully charged before I left for work today. Same problem, but it seems to be more frequent. Whether the problem is getting worse on its own or because it's 15 degrees out, I'm not sure.

What I do know is that my Ultraguage from Santa is quickly becoming well loved. Its able to tell me that my ECM voltage is going between 14.3 and 16.9 at its highest, with a lot of fluctuation in between. Anything above 16 volts or so causes the radio to switch off for a moment. I assume the headlights are flickering as well, though its still daylight. I'll find out as I drive home down the highway at 65 MPH this evening. Currently I'm guessing the problem is the alternator, but I'm not a car person.

I have an appointment for next week on Friday, so an update will happen then.

Oh, and I found this topic through a search and posted to it because the symptoms were the same as mine. Given the results of the OP and the way my results are going, perhaps this topic should be moved to Interior and ICE, or some other more general repairs forum. I think it could be a good reference for anyone having these issues in the future.

I'm glad they got that fixed for you. Bad grounds can cause all sorts of things to act screwy.

 

[Fry]

Bandita
Normal voltage on a car with a 12 volt battery is 13.7-14.5 while the engine is running.


I'm glad they got that fixed for you. Bad grounds can cause all sorts of things to act screwy.

Thank you! I'm glad too. Honestly, when they told me they knew something was wrong was pretty amazing. On my way there this morning, the voltage was just about normal and the radio didn't act up at all. I was really worried I'd get another, "You're crazy, your fault, your problem" speech. That did not happen, so today is a win!

opcorn: