Flickering Lights

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srduster340

srduster340

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My lights flicker all the time. I've completely rewired the entire car. I have a ground wire from the battery to radiator core support to ground headlines, battery to the driver inner fender, another from battery to driver cylinder head. Rear of passenger head to the washer motor, from washer motor to passenger kick panel for interior accessories. From there to rear of the car to ground tail lites, electric fuel pump. Do I need to ad more body grounds? The car surges too, and I'm wondering if it's because of intermittent voltage to the MSD box due to poor grounds.
 
Check and clean the bulkhead connector and check that the voltage regulator has a good chassis ground
 
I have done the mad bypass and have the same problem. I put a jumper from the positive battery post on the battery to the voltage reg to see if that would help it still flickering not as bad. Replaced the wire from the voltage reg to the field on alt still flickering. Had the alt checked it checked out fine .
 
What year is the car and what are you using for a regulator?

What is the circuit path between battery and alternator?
 
Sorry for the slow response. I installed a complete Ron Francis wiring harness. A '90 Dodge Ram 120 amp alternator with a Ron Francis voltage regulator which is mounted and grounded at the passenger kick panel. The factory bulkhead connector has been completely eliminated. I do have connectors I purchased from radio Shack which are similar to the factory pin connectors on the ignition switch and turn signal switch under the steering column.
 
Well I don't know. You still have a bulkhead connector, or is it eliminated?

make some voltage tests. You will probably have to make up some stuff so you can access various points.

Get the thing fired up and running, and flicker "the worst" you know how to make it

Check voltage direct from battery NEG post to the regulator mounting flange. This "should" be close to zero or zero. Even a few tenths of one volt is a poor ground path

Check voltage between battery positive post and the VR "IGN" connection, that is switched 12V. Once again, this should be close to zero. More than say, .3V (3/10 of one volt) means look into the circuit path from battery, through the harness and ignition switch to the VR.

Check the path from the VR to the field. Once again, bulkhead? connector?

How big are the grounds battery to body and to engine?

If nothing turns up there try a different regulator, and if that doesn't fix it, try a different alternator, regardless of what is claimed "it is good."

Is the Francis setup connector pre-wired? I believe they use a Ford based or GM based regulator, set up to eliminate the idiot lamp. That is, could the connector be wired wrong?
 
Not sure if I followed, but are you still running electromechanical regulator? If so, go solid state.

On my car, removing the electromechanical regulator for the instrument panel and replacing with solid state solved the flickering issues.

120A alternator? Really need that much?
 
Been working too much to tackle the electrical gremlins. Will get on it this Monday. For the record, the factory bulkhead connector is long gone and the Ron Francis harness is "not" prewired. I went with a 120 amp alternator due to an electric fuel pump, cooling fans and other accessories. I certainly will check voltage and grounds. Think my grounds just may be too small. Thanks for all the replies.
 
No LEDs on the car. Everything was fine until I started putting miles on it. Fuel gauge flickers too. Reads full most of the time even when I know it's not.
 
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