Georgia Fiero Club Forum
All Things Fiero => Tech Tips, Tech Questions => Topic started by: pgackerman on June 03, 2018, 04:13:09 pm
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Noticed my battery gauge needle dances down and back up when my blinker is on.
Does anyone else's do this?
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A short??????
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Dances? When your blinker blinks, you can see it on the volts gauge?
If so, that should not happen. The blinkers should not draw that much current. You may try testing the hazards, to see if the issue is isolated to the blinker system or not. Then check the parking light.
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Also when it happening take a look at the lights and see what they are doing. Does this happen only with the turn signals?? If so try right then left and see what the lights are doing. Need to get out and look at the lights when it is happining
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Good point. Yes, turning on the blower motor would be a good test to check for a failing voltage regulator or alternator. The blower motor draws more current than the blinker. If the draw is excessive, you may have your answer.
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I hate to be "that guy", but maybe you have a grounding issue. Or other sketchy connection.
But I have seen that same thing. It's been a while. Seems like it was after I installed my underdrive pulley on my 3.4.
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So you probably saw it at idle. Out of curiosity, did you replace the alternator, also?
The easy way to check for ground issues is to add a temporary ground to each light, one at a time.
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At idle, both my cars' voltage meters will fluctuate a little. Always have.
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Noticed initially when I was stopped at a light. Needle moves with the blinker.
Noticed again while changing lanes.
Been told by a reputable source that the regulator on the alternator is going and I'll probably have to replace the alternator. Not a big deal except getting the belts tight.
Find it interesting that the needle is above 13 when the car starts and stays there, or at 13, for quite some time.
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The alternator should produce between 14 and 14.5 volts. As current is drawn, it will compensate a bit. Since current is always being drawn, the gauge will read a bit lower. When you turn on an accessory, it draws more current. If the alternator cannot compensate, as in the accessory is a higher-amperage item like a blower, you'll see a voltage drop.
For people with a power pulley, I'd recommend a higher amperage alternator.
I realize that you know this, but maybe it will help future readers.
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Starting the car draws a lot from the battery. The alternator will kick up the output when the engine starts and the starter is no longer engaged. It might go up to 14 Volts, or more, but settle down as the battery is recharged. My gauges run at about 13 Volts when idling or running down the road. They don't change with engine speed. Turn on an accessory like the heater or AC and it will drop down to 10 or 11 at idle and gradually move back up just below the center mark.
Once I start moving at higher revs, the gauge will move above the 12 Volt mark and will fluctuate a bit as the AC cycles. As long as it keeps the battery charged, I don't plan to replace the alternator. I just don't see a need.
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Fierofool, yours sounds about right. I do test my alternator regularly. Mine normally runs just past the center mark.
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Pgackerman, did you master your Fiero's tango?
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Still starting, still running. Even with A/C and blinker on.
Using my car as a daily driver this week and maybe next. Maybe I'll get some garage time around father's day.
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Any update?
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No updates. Monday the battery was in charging mode all the way to work and back. Even with A/C on.
As a side note, I did take off my rear bumper and put on a trailer hitch for my bike rack.
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The rear bumper doesn't affect charging; however, while you have the bumper off (is it legal to drive the car with no rear bumper?), you may want to re-solder the connection below the left tail light. The factory job was sub-par.
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To late. Everything is back together.
Even the lights work.
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It's probably illegal to drive without a bumper, but not without a fascia. Our bumper is that flat steel bar and egg crate. Lots of cars here running around without a bumper cover or with just a partial cover.
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To late. Everything is back together.
Yeah. That's the way it works. At least, no issues.
I think it took me 2 hours to take out the wheel well covers, remove the bumper cover, remove the tail lights, remove the bumper and the crate and those brackets, grind off a few bolts, etc.
While it was apart, I got brand new bolts, and had them coated. I stripped the solder joint, removing all the old solder and electrical tape, then carefully re-soldered and covered with heat-shrink tubing. I put it back so that it isn't under pressure. I also fixed the ground in the right rear wheel well, while everything was apart. I cut the bad parts out of the steel bumper, and welded in a plate, then ground it to match the rest of the bumper. I painted the bumper with primer, then coated it with truck bed liner, basically submerging the bumper in it to get the inside of the bumper.
While the cover was off, I scraped the frame, treated for rust, sprayed with primer, then coated with truck bed liner. Rather than use the damaged egg crate, I used that stuff from the Saturn bumper that looks like styrofoam. I cleaned the inside of the bumper cover thoroughly, and cleaned the sockets where the tail lights sit. I removed the reflectors from the bumper cover and restored the reflectors with toothpaste. I removed the exhaust shields from the bumper cover, and spent hours polishing them, then jet-coated them. I restored those nuts or whatever for the tail light screws and had them powder-coated, then cleaned the tail light housings. I treated the tail light screws for rust, then had them powder-coated. I put some of that coating to keep bolts from seizing on them. Probably accomplished nothing. I also changed the heads of the screws from Phillips to hex. I wasn't happy with the tail light housing restoration, but it is unlikely anyone would usually see that. I replaced the bumper cover fasteners.
While the wheel well covers were off, I cleaned them and restored them. Not my brightest idea, but I cut out the rust in the wheel well area, welded plates in, ground everything smooth, treated for rust, coated with primer, then fiberglassed over that, then painted with truck bed liner. I went a bit light on the fiberglass hardener, so the fiberglass isn't rock hard, but I would do it differently, now. I replaced all the wheel well fasteners. It looked beautiful, even 2 years later when I sold that Fiero.