200 charging issues (was:instrument cluster lights)

[Huw Powell]

> It all started when my gf was driving to work and the
> car began acting odd, bucking, auto-check batt
> indicator came.  She checked her gauges and saw the
> voltage was extremely low (lack of accuracy of the
> stock voltmeter aside).  She turned off all
> accessories (blower motor, rear defrost) and limped it
> to work.

smart woman

> I pulled the back seat and jammed my multimeter (see I
> do have one, just too stupid to figure out to use it
> to test bulbs even tho I test fuses and sensors with
> it all the time) leads into the batt terminals.  On
> Saturday I ran into town with ALL possible accessories
> on, including high beams and heated seats, and it
> charged happily at 13.5-13.6 (which IME equates to at
> least 13.8 at the jumper post given the resistance in
> the stock pos batt cable).
>
> Later in the day I started it again and was only
> seeing 11.9 or so at the batt

Sounds like symptoms of worm brushes in the voltage regulator, too.

--
Huw Powell

http://www.humanspeakers.com/

http://www.humanthoughts.org/