Gmc - Sierra :: 1996 - Battery Light On / Electrical Gauge Was Topped Out?
Jul 7, 2014
I went out to my 96 gmc k1500 this morning after auto-starting about 10 minutes before to let a/c cool the cab. It was running fine but when I got in I noticed the battery light was on and the electrical gauge was topped out past 19 into the orange. I turned the key into the "on" position and when I hit the brake pedal to put it into gear the engine started surging and then dieing down, back and forth (approx. between 500 and 1500 rpm) until it just finally died (lasted about 20-40 sec.). Ignition was still in "on" position but the electrical gauge returned to normal.
Tried starting it again and electrical gauge jumped right back up and battery light was still on but the engine didn't start surging again until I hit the brake pedal just like before. I'm going to guess my alternator/voltage regulator needs to be replaced but beyond that what else it could be. I'm not a mechanic by any means but I've managed to make minor repairs over the years myself following the Chiltons or Haynes manuals. I have a Hanyes manual for this vehicle but the troubleshooting section doesn't cover my problem specifically.
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Start out, drive about 20 minutes, get on the Interstate and the battery light comes on 2008 F 150 5.4L 4X4 - 57K miles..... get to my destination, went about 20 miles, turn around to come home, without turning the truck off because of the battery light being on and I notice the charging gauge drifting down to the left, get back on the Interstate and the wipers are slowing down and lights on the dash are dimming.....go around 15 more minutes I lose all lights on dash, wipers, defroster everything, charging gauge is now pegged all the way down to the left and the truck is starting to act up running like crap so I barely make it off the Interstate and call a flatbed, I guess I was about an hour into the trip ..... battery is only about a year old and it started fine that morning and the day before when it was about 12 degrees ...... dealership had the truck, just gave me a call and said they can't find anything ?? ..... never a days problem since I bought it new in late 07' ....
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I've got a '96 Sierra manual transmission with 215K that's been running fine. I just ran it 400 miles without a problem. Recently I downshifted into fourth to go up a hill and I had a sudden loss of power and a rough ride like I had a flat tire. The harder I press the gas the rougher the ride and it idles almost normally. The check engine light came on and blinks 12 times.
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I was driving around town and I kept noticing my aftermarket radio would shut down and turn back on when I put my foot to the floor, then I noticed that my voltage gauge would shoot to the H when I hit around 3000 rpm and all the dash light's and head lights get brighter but once I let off the throttle it goes right back down. I've been taking it easy lately and now around 4000 rpm it will shoot up now. But I just replaced the voltage regulator I checked the battery and cables they don't seem to be damaged and I already replaced the belt. What could cause this?
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I have a 96' ranger that has been missing quite regularly. The vehicle has over 200,000 miles on it, but has been taken care of regularly by me since 75,000.
Problem: When I start the vehicle, the engine takes a little bit to find the idle. It spits and fumbles around some until it finds a somewhat rough idle. Often, when I first start driving in the morning, the vehicle really jumps around due to misfiring. Even after running smoothly for awhile, the vehicle with sporadically misfire with no rhyme or reason. This is particularly true when climbing a grade. When sitting at a red light and idleing in gear, you can definitely feel the truck shaking from side to side. Also, when idling in gear, the battery gauge on the dash fluctuates, but when the vehicle is in park the battery gauge doesn't fluctuate...it just idles a little rough.
I had the Ranger to a garage and had them check the battery and alternator connections and ground to try and figure out what is making the battery gauge fluctuate...alternator and battery checked out...no diagnosis for fluctuation.
I replaced all plugs and wires and also checked the coil pack. One of the coils (#6) had some build-up in the top. I cleaned it out and replaced all the plug wires and everything snapped in place and fit fine.
The garage did tell me that an error code came up with the EGR valve and or sensor. They didn't seem to concerned about it. Do the EGR valve could be the cause of all the stuttering and misfiring going on with the ranger? I really don't know where else to look. Maybe replace the coil pack?
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I own a 1997 ford f150 V6 engine and I have problems with the electrics. I turn the key on and the engine starts up runs great but I then look at the gauges and not one moves at all the. No fuel when i have just filled up,no tep,no oil,no battery all read nil. I went a drive and the speedo reads 0 it does not move but the truck drives great. Could it be a fuse, does a fuse control the gauges, which one it could be. I have lifted the hood and under the hood on the drivers side there is a box with small and larger fuses.There is one that is very small and the colour is white that's blown. Would you no what that fuse is for.
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I have a 2002 with a 4.8 ... My alternator started to make some noise, and my battery wasn't holding a charge very well so i decided to change the alternator today before it went some were out in the boonies. After i put the new alternator in, the battery light started flashing in the "message center" but everything seems to be running fine. The voltage gauge in the dash is reading about 15. So from there I turned everything on in the truck and the gauge barely dropped. At this point I'm not sure what to do, I'm going to put the old one back on and see if it goes out, oh I also put some tension on the belt to make sure it wasn't slipping.
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i have a 2000 ex,6.8 4x4.every now and then the dome light stays on.theres also a problem where theres a buzzing sound coming under dash while driving and makes the dome light flicker.these are seprate problems.lol.when the buzzing sound is present ,it stops when i open the door,running or not.but starts up again when i close it,even happens occasionaly when ignition is off and no key in ignition.electrical problems are my worst night mare!!!!!!!! My battery is dead in the morning when this is happening .oh yea,and the o.d.light flashes occasionaly as well.im totally lost.
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I have a 96' 1500ec with 5.7L and auto trans. I have been fighting an ongoing code of multiple misc. cyl. misfire. I noticed a hesitation only when I start out in first gear, once it shifts or if I start out in second it's smooth. I have 138,000 on the odometer. Code-0300 with the mmcm , how about timing, distributor or stretched timing chain?
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2005 Ranger XL 2.3L 5 speed 2WD 305,000 miles. Alternator has about 100,000 miles on it.
Battery light came on about 0400 and 50 miles into my daily 90 mile drive to work, made it to work. After the truck cooled down for 3 hours and I got time I checked the battery voltage 12.6VDC and started the engine and the system is charging at 14.2VDC with no battery light on (battery light out when cold). Serpentine belt looks good, dry weather.
Other than alternator nearing end of life and being warm is there anything else that may cause battery light to come on.
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1996 GMC Sierra SL V6. Owned since new. 100,000 miles, never tuned up. I decided to get a tune up in hopes of increasing mpg, and it was overdue really. New plugs, wires, cap, rotor. Got truck back and it runs rough, knocking, skipping, hesitating, bogging down when trying to accelerate, rough idle. Went from 15.5 mpg, down to about 14 mpg. They said they put in all AC Delco parts. Brought it back to them twice now and they cannot figure out the problem. It ran PERFECTLY before I send it in for a tune up. No problems whatsoever.
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I have an 02 Ranger 4.0 4WD and I have been doing a lot of research to try and figure out why the battery light comes on and off. I was driving the other day down the highway and the battery light came on and voltage gauge dropped. Drive a little further and it goes off, go down hill light comes on, up hill it turns off. (The up and down hill part was probably just a coincidence!) ...
Next day I pulled the alternator and had it tested at O'Reillys and it passed no issues. Yesterday I was driving again the light comes on my way home from the store and stays on for about 3 miles til I got home. Turned my truck off, restarted it later, no light. Today I drove around for a while and about 45 minutes into my driving around the light comes back on and voltage gauge drops and after about a mile it turned off. I stopped by O'Reillys again to have them test the complete charging system and everything passed. On the way home, light comes on again!
So, question is, the battery light was not on when they tested, will that make a difference in the outcome of the tests? I'm guessing not??? Belt looks good, no bad connections that I have found, battery was good...what am I missing? Battery light is still on and voltage low when I start truck after 1.5 hours of being home. Also, I get no magnetism from the alternator when the battery light is on.
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The battery light is on in my dash. To test it I probed the car battery with a multimeter. Car off the battery reads 12.5 volts. With the car running and no headlights on, heater fan off, etc the meter reads 15-15.5volts. When I turn everything electrical I can think of on the meter reads 14-14.5volts. Is this normal or is the second scenario overcharging the battery? What else can I test that may be keeping the battery light on in the dash?
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I have a '97 F250 diesel and the battery light keeps coming on and off. The volt meter shows a good charge. How do I fix this?
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I have a 1999 Ford F150 6 cyl. 4.2, 2 WD with 160,000 miles. Replaced the battery May 2010.
Today battery light came on. Battery gauge did not look like it was discharging. Had battery checked they said it was a little low but OK. Then they continued test and tried to check alternator, test stopped and they said something wrong with alternator most likely.
I took alternator out and had it bench tested. They said it was OK, putting out 98 amp on 95 amp alternator. They said check wires, grounds, harness, connections. Checked connections and wires as much as possible, reinstalled alternator, light still on.
Have not checked fuses yet. Was told to start vehicle, disconnect positive battery cable and if engine continued to run alternator was good, if cut off alternator was bad and to replace. Should I try this and is it true?
What is the part on the fire wall that is between the alternator and the battery that the wire connection runs through? Can it be bench tested/checked?
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Tempature gauge on my 2001 sierra (4.8) has been running low for awhile. The highest it will reach is round 160. It's currently running rough/rich and bad mpg. I replaced the ECT sensor but didn't work. I'm not sure if there are two ECT sensors on this model. I don't think it's the cluster. Is there a second sensor I'm overlooking?
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So I get in my X today and she fires right up as usual... Then the battery light started blinking then stayed on... Then I hear a click and all my stock gauges go out my window and lock switches don't work and my radio doesn't work... Battery light stays on and all signals work as do the mirrors and everything else... I turn the truck off then back on it all comes back on.. 15-20 seconds later I hear the click and all the same stuff is off again.... No seemingly applicable fuses are blown... And the behavior is repeatable...
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So driving to work today I noticed my battery light came on..... Well I kept driving only cause I figured if my belt slipped off it would be to late to save it/if it was my temp gauge would start going into the red..... So as I'm still driving it kept turning off and then back on(the battery light) the whole way of a 25min ride.....
Finally got to work popped the hood and belt was in tact and seemed to have good tension... So I don't think it slipped or came off.... And then checked battery just to double check and everything is connected.... Now as we all know are alternators are right under the intake mani so front end has to come off to test it/replace it.....
Also when coming to red lights on the way to work the idle seemed fine never seemed to fluctuate crazy.... I know when my Audi had a bad alternator when I came to stops it about cut the motor off/did if I didn't keep the throttle revving it up but not sure as I haven't been able to test anything yet.
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have a 2000 golf TDI 5 SPD Manuel. Was driving into work today and I got on the gas a bit and all the sudden the battery light comes on I hear the beep dash noise and my guage cluster shuts off. I pull into work. Car seems to be running fine.. All belts intact. battery brand new. Car starts and operates fine. At idle dash works. But when I tap the accelerator pedal that's when dash shuts off and battery light comes on. Bizarre. I checked a few fuses not exactly sure which one would be bad but. I didn't see any popped ones. I did notice that my top cluster of fuses all the connecting points are browning but fuses are good. So I am not sure if it was already like that....
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Just installed on new alternator when my 2008 Odyssey broke down while on Va-ca in Utah. Battery charging warning light went on, slight electrical burn smell, battery drained. No power, car went into limp mode. Had it towed to nearby mechanic. Three days waiting for part.Replaced alternator and told me everything was cool. Only made it 50 miles after I picked it up. Same problem traveling through Mountain pass 6% grade with my wife and kids aboard. Had it towed again, only 5 days to make it 1500 miles back to work..
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I got my 2003 Mini Cooper out of the shop about 3 weeks ago.. They replaced the damper, the serpentine belt, thermostat, coolant gasket seal, rear rotors/breaks, bleeding of the breaks, and inner cv boot. Noted to get the oil pan gasket replace which i planned on doing in the upcoming week when i got an oil change but they put beside it was light leakage. All Power Steering was redone under a recall warranty mid July.
Yesterday earlier that morning my battery light came on but than proceeded to try off by the time i was back home. I drive my car in the afternoon, i notice that my battery light is on and continued to stay on. Then my temperature gauge goes all the way up. i open the hood, its nothing noticeably different. I sit there for quite some time and i drive it again to see if it would overheat. I drove about 3 miles to my in-laws and the car no longer overheated. I decide to drive it down to the AutoZone to check my battery and she tells me it weak to leave the car running to see if it recharges but thinks something pulling on the battery. (the battery is new barely over a year old) During the drive to the autozone and back to my mother in laws the car doesn't overheat but the battery light remains on. I leave the car running in the driveway a bit later i notice the car is smoking, literally hear the antifreeze boil in the car,antifreeze is all over the ground, and the temperature gauge is running hot but the cars fan was not running.
i'm not sure if these problems are connected but i never had either of these problems prior to get it worked on. My car has always started strong. The alternator could be going but all lights, electronics,door-locks, windows, heated seat are working. Furthermore, the car starts so strong every time, haven't had any symptoms of a bad alternator.I read it could be a belt issue but the belt and damper are newly replaced.
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