So i just replaced my alternator because it was tested bad. I replaced it with a y8 alt if that matters, both were obd2a. Now when my car is idling the battery light comes on and sometimes flickers a little. When I am rolling in neutral it comes on very dim. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

 

check to make sure the screw bolts in the underhood fuse box are tight and also the wire thats bolted to thealternator and make sure its pluged in tight

 

I am not really sure what you mean by the "screw bolts in the underhood fusebox". Are the fuses screwed in?

I was also suspecting that wire that is held down by a nut. Does it matter what material nut was used? Because I may have used a random nut I had laying around.

Thanks for the troubleshooting tips i really appreciate em

 

The thing that is getting me is that the battery light is only on when at idle.

I would think it would be the opposite since there is less load at idle.

I don't use ac/heat so I dont think that could be affecting it, although I believe I have a bad A/C compressor.

I've read on other threads how it could be the ecu, multiplex, or a load drainer.

Well, The battery is a couple months old, if someone thinks I should get it tested I will.

I have ebay fogs hooked up, which may or may not be the problem. I will disconnect and see what happens.

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This is my main concern, I think i may have installed the alt incorrectly. It is much louder than before. And before at startup, my idle would be at like 1500 and very slowly come down as the temp rose. Now it idles at about 700 immediately and the temp rises to op. temp. much faster

Hopefully with that info someone can give a few tips and pointers to solve my problem.

Thanks all

 

Im pretty sure I discovered problem. After talking with a mechanic friend, he told me the alternator low battery indicator was probably faulty and that was why my battery light never came on before. With the new alt, the battery light came on for a short period due to the battery being low but now that it charged its all good so i think im all good now. Only problem is that i may have the belt too tight but i really dont know how to get a feel for that. Is there a "sweet" spot for belt snugness?

 

A low battery would not cause the charging system light to turn on. But I'm glad the problem is gone.

 

They should have made that indicator show a picture of an alternator rather than a battery to avoid confusion, IMHO.

 

I completely agree. So many people believe the charging system light can mean the battery is bad. This light never signifies a bad battery.

 

Well the battery light never came on until i installed the new alt. Then it came on briefly, only at idle, then went away.
X3 for that