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My alternator guage will "peg" to the high (overcharge), while running. If I return to idle or tuen engine off, it goes back to normal, and runs fine. I recently replaced alternator/voltage regulator assy. Same problem exists
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FLUSH RADIATOR, HEATER CORE AND ENGINE BLOCK.ADD 50 / 50 ANTIFREEZE AND WATER ALSO REPLACE RADIATOR PRESSURE CAP.IF TEMPERATURE GAUGE STILL STAY HIGH THE ENGINE COOLANT TEMPERATURE SENSOR COULD BE FAULTY.
Hello
The normal charge of alternator on idling is about 13 to 14 volts. 12 is acceptable but keep in mind it will need attention soon. The needle fluctuates due to the revs of the alternator - there is nothing to worry about. Just look that the charge is always above 12V on idle.
Sound like a posible bad oil pressure sending unit . It is normal for pressure to be above normal just after starting . At a cold idle , the oil viscosity is higher than it would be if it were warm . If the guage is reading really high for longer than normal ( after 1 minute of cold idle ) then I suggest having the sending unit checked .A sevice center can check the sending unit on or off the vehicle as well as checking pressure with an actual guage for more accurate readings .
Whats the make and model? Depending on what you are driving it sounds like either your oil filter is plugged up and you need an iol change, you have oil that is too thick in there, too much oil, or possably a clog in the oil pump or paths running to and from that area
sounds like your sending unit needs to be replaced cheap fix and if your oil pump losses all its pressure you will begin to hear knocking coming from your motor from the top under the heads.
You may have a Faulty Oil Pressure Sender.
Here are some reason why your guage is bouncing:
Corrosion or faulty electrical connections
If the oil pressure gauge is pegged low after the engine is running, or is pegged high after the engine is running, or if there is intermittent illumination of an oil pressure indicator light, the sender could be faulty
You can find the oil sensor on the left hand side near the Oil Filter, as long as you don't hear your lifters ticking and making lots of noise. it's not your oil pump failing.
Good luck and hope this helps
check the voltage at the battery terminals
1 - when the engine is off should be 12.1V to 12.5V
2 - when the engine is idling should be 13.5V to 14.2V
3 - when the engine is revved to 2500 revs (approx is good enough)
voltage should be 14V to 14.8V
If 1 is lower, your battery is probably defective and should be tested.
if 2 or 3 is outside the ranges, the alternator is probably faulty.
NOTE The alternator test machines at Autozone etc... do not always diagnose faults. I have returned several that pass on those machines but cause faults on vehicles. especially where overcharging is the problem as those machines do not "accelerate" like a vehicle does. A poor battery could cause your problem as the alternator sometimes cannot provide enough current to maintain a charge and run the vehicle at idle. If putting your headlamps on at idle causes the gages to light the alternator is not keeping up with the charge... hope that helps...
The reason it all goes circuslights could be that the alternator is overcharging.
The charge rate increases as the load and engine revs go up but only supposed to be a little, thats what the voltage regulator on the alternator is for.. when the regulator fails and alternator is overcharging eventually enough power is sent through the ground to light everything up and the computer cannot run properly.
High voltage levels cause sensors to read incorrectly so the computer cannot manage the engine.. Suggest you check out the charge cicuit at idle, at 2500 and at 3500 revs (briefly!)
Charge should be between 13.5 at idle, to 14.6 at 3500
Its a starting point for diagnosis.
Note that putting the alternator on a machine at Autozone will not necessarily pick up the fault - it needs to be checked ON the vehicle.
Hope this helps
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