Flickering Lights

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pacuda59

pacuda59

pacuda59
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I recently put a new bulb in my glove box. When it's illuminated by the battery when the car isn't running it's fine. However, I just noticed that when the car is running the light flickers.

What is this indicating?
 
Maybe you could hook a volt meter up to your battery and see where you battery voltage is at.
 
Voltmeter will tell the story. Does your ammeter "flicker" up and down? It should not, should rather be steady.
 
Do all your lights flicker headlights & dash lights, When engine is running? If it still does it after you rev the engine up some. I would suspect one or the other a bad voltage regulator or a bad alternator. I would replace the regulator 1st.
 
Steve H said:
I would replace the regulator 1st.
Click to expand...

Yup. ALWAYS start by throwing parts at the problem. Many times this flicker is cause by a poor ground at the regulator, or a poor connection (voltage drop) in the ignition harness.
 
pacuda59 said:
It does flicker.
Click to expand...

OK, this could be in the ignition harness, a poor regulator ground, or the regulator itself.

To temporarily eliminate the harness, take a BIG clip lead (you might have to build one out of no12 wire, and should have one, anyway

Unhook the regulator IGN terminal, and temporarily hook direct from the battery + post or the starter relay stud to the IGN terminal on the regulator, and see if the problem "goes away." If it does, you have a drop problem in the ign harness, probably in the bulkhead connector, the ignetion switch connector, or the switch itself

If not, run a ground wire from the regulator mounting to the engine block or the battery ground, see if the problem goes away

If neither of these procedures fix the flickr problem, unhook your alternator field wire at the alternator, and clip from the battery + to the field terminal. Run the engine, adjust the idle screw until the ammeter JUST shows a little charge, and play with heater, lights, etc, to check for flickr. IF it is OK,

replace the regulator
 
67Dart273 said:
OK, this could be in the ignition harness, a poor regulator ground, or the regulator itself.

To temporarily eliminate the harness, take a BIG clip lead (you might have to build one out of no12 wire, and should have one, anyway

Unhook the regulator IGN terminal, and temporarily hook direct from the battery + post or the starter relay stud to the IGN terminal on the regulator, and see if the problem "goes away." If it does, you have a drop problem in the ign harness, probably in the bulkhead connector, the ignetion switch connector, or the switch itself

If not, run a ground wire from the regulator mounting to the engine block or the battery ground, see if the problem goes away

If neither of these procedures fix the flickr problem, unhook your alternator field wire at the alternator, and clip from the battery + to the field terminal. Run the engine, adjust the idle screw until the ammeter JUST shows a little charge, and play with heater, lights, etc, to check for flickr. IF it is OK,

replace the regulator
Click to expand...

Thanks 67Dart, they're predicting a rainy day tomorrow, maybe I'll take a shot at it!
 
I know that this is not the problem you have, but many years ago, a friend had a single flickering courtesy light bulb. Voltage at the connector seemed fine and steady. We checked the bulb and it looked good...that is until I rotated the bulb between my fingers. The filament was actually broken at one end and the engine/car vibration made and un-made the connection, causing a flicker. I figured that all the arcing inside there would soon kill the filament. He changed the bulb.
 
Bang on step by step Dart273....that should get him going perfectly :)
Clear and precise ,should have been a teacher ....
 
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