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chevysilverado · 10-18-2008, 11:24 AM

2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 120k miles
Battery is 1 1/2 years old.
Hey guys, just thought I would ask before I dish out the $$ for a new Alternator.
While driving at normal speeds the battery light comes on from time to time. Also when I use the power windows, the high beams, blinkers, or shift to reverse (reverse lights + brake light at same time) the in-dash voltmeter goes down. When the blinker is on it ticks with the blinking. At one point I parked the car and went into a store with it running. Came back out and the truck was lurching and eventually died. The battery at that point was dead and I ended up removing the alternator and bringing it to Auto-Zone. The alternator test results were fine and the guy at autozone said it was good.
I put everything back together and 2amp charged the battery for 8 hours. The truck started right up and has been running fine with no battery light now for 3 weeks until yesterday. Currently the truck is starting and running with the battery light on and the dimming of lights and flickering of voltmeter while using accessories. It's bugging the hell out of me and want to fix it withoug bringing it to a rip-you-off so we get our commision dealer.
With the engine running and a buddy holding down the power window button and flicking the lights I was able to determine that the alternator drops to about 10-11 volts while the accessories are calling for a large load. I had him give it gas and it shot back up to 13.5-14 volts.
The serpentine belt seems to be in good shape but squeeks a lot while the truck is warming up in the morning. If the belt was slipping then I don't understand how the accessories effect it.
Any thoughts? All input would be appreciated.
Not sure what to do other than replace the alternator at this point but don't want to spend the money if theres a possibility it's something else.

10-18-2008, 11:24 AM	#1 (permalink)
chevysilverado EcoModding Lurker Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: boston ma Posts: 3 Thanks: 0 Thanked 0 Times in 0 Posts	Alternator/Accessories 2002 Chevy Silverado 1500 120k miles Battery is 1 1/2 years old. Hey guys, just thought I would ask before I dish out the $$ for a new Alternator. While driving at normal speeds the battery light comes on from time to time. Also when I use the power windows, the high beams, blinkers, or shift to reverse (reverse lights + brake light at same time) the in-dash voltmeter goes down. When the blinker is on it ticks with the blinking. At one point I parked the car and went into a store with it running. Came back out and the truck was lurching and eventually died. The battery at that point was dead and I ended up removing the alternator and bringing it to Auto-Zone. The alternator test results were fine and the guy at autozone said it was good. I put everything back together and 2amp charged the battery for 8 hours. The truck started right up and has been running fine with no battery light now for 3 weeks until yesterday. Currently the truck is starting and running with the battery light on and the dimming of lights and flickering of voltmeter while using accessories. It's bugging the hell out of me and want to fix it withoug bringing it to a rip-you-off so we get our commision dealer. With the engine running and a buddy holding down the power window button and flicking the lights I was able to determine that the alternator drops to about 10-11 volts while the accessories are calling for a large load. I had him give it gas and it shot back up to 13.5-14 volts. The serpentine belt seems to be in good shape but squeeks a lot while the truck is warming up in the morning. If the belt was slipping then I don't understand how the accessories effect it. Any thoughts? All input would be appreciated. Not sure what to do other than replace the alternator at this point but don't want to spend the money if theres a possibility it's something else.