Battery light on dash

[bve32k]

What makes this light come on? I checked the ECM for codes and I checked the charging of the battery. Battery is charging all good. The light just came on yesterday and it flickers sometimes like it wants to go off, but stays on.

[z34phoenix]

i would check your ground wires... the one at the bat and the body grounds something is loose if your getting that with a good bat and a good chg.

[bve32k]

I drove the car 2 hours back home today with no problems of it dieing. After about 50 miles of driving the battery light went back off. But it would flicker sometimes when I hit bumps. I am going to check the ground on the passenger side because my HID went out on the passanger side but the driver side still works. Hopefully that is all it is!

[Canyonero]

Yeah, what does trigger that light? I have a 1990 Isuzu Trooper with a 1994 3.4L SFI swap. I didn't have any tails on my custom wiring harness for the battery light (but that doesn't mean the ECU doesn't have pins for it). Since it doesn't work now, I assume it's run from my old ECU.

[pocket-rocket]

My 92 had a problem with the light coming on at high RPMs. Turns out the goof ball that had the car before me changed the starter, and didn't tighten up the + cable on it tight enough and it had started working itself loose. The + goes from the battery to the starter to the alternator for the starting/charging circuit. I didn't realize it was loose until I bought some new cable to replace the ones that went for the starter and alternator. Needless to say since I had all the stuff, and was ready to do it, and found out that the current wires had started to corrode at the ends, I replaced it all anyways and all has been well since.

[bve32k]

My 92 had a problem with the light coming on at high RPMs. Turns out the goof ball that had the car before me changed the starter, and didn't tighten up the + cable on it tight enough and it had started working itself loose. The + goes from the battery to the starter to the alternator for the starting/charging circuit. I didn't realize it was loose until I bought some new cable to replace the ones that went for the starter and alternator. Needless to say since I had all the stuff, and was ready to do it, and found out that the current wires had started to corrode at the ends, I replaced it all anyways and all has been well since.

The connections on my starter are tight. Everything seems to be tight.

I am going to go through all the wiring though today and see if there are any kinks in the wiring or shorts. I have a 0 gauge wire that goes from the battery terminal post to the alt as a secondary. As in upgrading wire. I may throw the alt. up without that wire and see if anything changes. Could it be the fuseable link on the alt. wire that goes to the starter? Could it be like the starter solonoid drawing to much power? I have already concluded it isn't the connector on the alt. because there are only 2 wires I believe on it and one goes to the light on the dash and the other goes to the ECM. In the GM Service manual if the regulator reads under 11.2v and higher than 16.5v then the regulator shuts off. And thats what mine is doing. I heard it kick on when it was reading around 12 and then the volts dropped lower than the 11.2v and I heard it kick it self off. When I rev the engine too the volts go down.

[94GPGTP]

sounds like you have a bad alternator.. symptoms of it on its way out

[bve32k]

sounds like you have a bad alternator.. symptoms of it on its way out

On my way home from work I am getting the altenator tested somewhere else. I had Autozone test it about 4 times and I took it to Napa this morning and they tested it once and I am going to Murrays after work and having them test it a few times. If it reads passed with all those test I dunno what to do besides check all the wiring. I also added on a ground strap to the alt. I just connected it to the bottom bolt and bolted the other end of the wire to the trans bracket so the alt. can get a better ground.

[1988GTU]

I will suggest one MORE thing once you getting it all together AND if it is doing the same thing. It'll be easy, so don't get your panties all in a bunch.

[bve32k]

Finally figured out why it wasn't working.

I tore all the wiring out of the wire loom all the way back to the wire harness and about 3 ft along the wires from the alt. connector the wire was cut. The wire that wasn't connected anymore was the wire that controls the indicator light on the dash, but it also goes to the ECM first. So since that wire was screwed up it was making the regulator stay off on the alt. and the alt. was only charging around 9.5v - 11v. Put a new alt. in and its charging around 14v now.

[d.o.h.c]

do you remember what color wire that was??

[bve32k]

I believe it was the brown/white wire.