Voltage dip problem

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:17 am

Does anyone else have this problem?When I rev the engine the lights (headlight adn dash lights) get brighter, and they a go a little dim on idle. My car has done this since day one.I have a 05 Base, with redtop Optima, ground wire kit and voltage stabalizer. I do not have anything crazy installed in the way of electronics. Only a Sony headdeck and a radar detector.Does our alternator have a voltage regulator? What is the recommended way of getting this problem figured out? I thought of taking it to the dealer again, however I am not sure about their compitence. I also have the occasional hard start issue, I printed and deliverd to them the TSB. The mechanic couldnt find anything wrong (which is expected with intermittent issues)....I was told to not use 7-11 fuel.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:33 am

Mine has done the same since day 1 also.

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:41 am

Thanks for responding so quickly.Are you still running with the yellow top? The stock battery was swapped out for the redtop AS SOON as I pulled in the driveway after buying the car.I wonder if this problem is seen with stock betteries, or if there is a voltage stabalizer issue with our alternators.Does anyone make a higher amp alternator for the 1ZZFE? I'm going to check search real quick and see if anyone has posted on the bigger alternator..........nope nothing.

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:46 am

It was the same with the stock battery as well.Moondogg just posted this today: http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=21357I PM'ed the seller and he say's it is a direct replacement for the Vibe/Matrix.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:46 am

There ya go... http://forums.genvibe.com/zerothread?id=21357I notice it too... I keep a voltmeter plugged into my lighter but I never bother to pay attention to what it says. Somewhere around 14V when I'm on the road, but it drops quite a bit when stopped... I shall check mine when I have all the lights on and the fan cranked up, I beleive it is way down there...

BlueCrush · Post by **BlueCrush** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:47 am

Hey where did you get the voltage meter for the cig lighter from?

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:52 am

Hmmm, looks nice, not a bad price either.That ebay link gave me an idea. I wonder if the alternator cable is too thin? Mabey the alt cable needs to be a larger guage?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:52 am

Got it online from Pep Boys... Here is the link for it. Pretty handy, just plug it in. Big backlit display.

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:54 am

Cig ligher volt guage, nice.What I dont understand is none of the OBDII software I have actually displays voltage load. Go figure.

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 10:55 am

Wow, 14+change and backlight. This should be in all toolboxes.

djb383 · Post by **djb383** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:09 am

Don't know if this will help, but my ScanGauge indicates 13.8 to 14.0 volts from idle (700 rpm) to 3000 rpm and everything in between. No dimming or brightening of lights regardless of rpm. Battery is stock.

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:25 am

It is good that your not dimming, voltage instability totally dicks up DC equipment.I think I'm going to check into the Volt Regualtor in the Alt. and the cable guage going to the alternator.This brown out (not to be consifed with brown noise ) is not normal.

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 5:06 pm

I finally paid attention to the voltmeter tonight. I've seen it do this crap for a while but it never registered until somebody brought it up. lol! What I noticed was the voltage fluctuation was far worse when the car was cold, once it warmed up it stabilized. Ignition on, engine off: 12.6VI forgot to get a reading of what it was at idle before driving. Started driving and it shot up to 13.8V and would fluctuate from there to 14.2V despite keeping the speed and revs constant. About once a second the voltage would change. Drove on the interstate for about half a mile and I needed to get off on the next exit... At start of the ramp, it was putting out 14.2V, idling at the bottom of the ramp at idle with the fan still cranked up, I was sitting at 12.8V. As soon as I hit the gas again, it jumped back to 13.8.When I got back on the road, I noticed the voltmeter shoot up to 14.4V even with the same load as previously, and it remained there for the entire 24 mile trip to get back home. None of that fluctuating back and forth a few tenths of a volt like it was doing earlier. When I got off the highway and stopped at a light, I cranked the fan again and only dropped to around 13.6, not as low as what it was doing earlier.Weird.

orbix · Post by **orbix** » Mon Feb 13, 2006 11:37 pm

Interesting...I've got a radar detector and an h/k Drive+Play that'll cut off when I idle shortly after I start things up in the morning, but will come back when I get going again. I thought it was because I had pulled the power off the cigarette lighter circuit rather than running a new circuit (got to do that one of these days- I've already got the hardware, too...) Sounds like the voltage dip is what's getting my stuff too.Any solutions aside from a better alternator?Is the stock battery just crap?

ColonelPanic · Post by **ColonelPanic** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 7:26 am

The stock battery is crap, but I have a 540 CCA AC Delco one in mine and I still have the issues... So the problem is more like the stock alternator just doesn't work right...

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:35 am

Well crap, my wife is taking the Vibe to the airport to go away on business for the rest of the week. I wont be able to check into this more until Monday. I doubt the alt is under powered for the car. I have a feeling it is substandard parts in the volt regulator or poor wiring size.If we are getting between 13.5 and 15 volts, the alt is ok, granted this is only checking volts not amps.Does anyone have the ability to check output amps on these while reproducing the issue?BTW, exactly what size alt did we get?

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Tue Feb 14, 2006 11:41 am

Well, that would lend itself to a (possible) defective voltage regualtor. The volt reg (please someone correct me if I'm wrong) is supposed to smooth out the power from the alt so as to not screw the battery and other sensitive electronics parts.I wonder if this is causing any problems with dash clocks? Did any of the Vibes even come with dash clocks? If so, has anyone who has the problem notice any time keeping problems with their stock in dash clocks?This might tell us if voltage is NOT being regulated properly.

4azdmunky · Post by **4azdmunky** » Wed Feb 22, 2006 12:49 pm

I looked at the wires tonight going from the alt into the harness, they look like they are 24G wire, which (IMHO) are undersized. Does anyone have a schematic for the wireing in the engine bay? I am interested in tracing the wire that feeds the battery to see if I can upgrade the wire size.

Voltage dip problem

Voltage dip problem

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