Hi, Everyone.

I need some help diagnosing an issue I'm having...

A few months back, my alternator went to the big parts bin in the sky, so I had it replaced with a new one. Everything has been going great until about two weeks ago when the brake and battery warning lights have started to flash occasionally. It seems to happen more often when I'm on an uphill incline accelerating from a stop, when I'm decelerating on the freeway, and sometimes when I'm just stopped. I brought the car to Sears to have them check the battery and alternator, and they say it checks out good. Last night on my way to Vegas, the lights would flash on and sometimes stay on for a good minute or two when I decelerated to a slightly slower speed. My headlights would also wink in brightness as the warning lights flashed on and off.

Since the lights are flashing on and off during times of acceleration/deceleration, could it have something to do with the alternator belt? Should I take a chance on a new battery? Spark plugs (last changed at around 88K miles - I'm now at 120K miles)? Ignition coils? Or could the new alternator itself be having issue?

Thanks in advance.

Peace.

 

What I found was that any testing conducted when the lights weren't on (ie it was good) would say that everything is ok, testing wise.

Try to test it when the fail condition is occuring. Right now it sounds intermittent but it will deteriorate with time if it is the alternator.

I would suggest measuring the voltage while in park and have someone rev the car a little. Leave your lights on. If the voltage falls below 12v it may mean your replaced alternator is going bad. Hopefully you are within 12 mths and they will replace under warranty.

hope that helps