Re: UPDATE Intermittent power drop when headlights are turned on

Posted by Mark Buckley On 2012/2/4 20:49:51

Hello, all,

Thanks for all the great suggestions. I read them with interest.

I've given this thread some thought and now realize the system either charges the battery or it doesn't. I noticed it NOT charging when the headlights were on because that was when I had the biggest draw. With no electrical accessories running, but with the engine operating, the ammeter needle leans very slightly to the left (discharge) side.

A short time ago Jerry, my mechanic, got under the hood. I'd started the car and turned on the headlights. The ammeter needle was swung hard to the left.

Jerry started probing and testing. He had me rev the engine while he tested the generator and other electrical components.

Then he used a jumper wire. He jumped from the 'hot' (positive) wire on the generator directly to the positive terminal on the battery.

The problem instantly corrected itself. After he pulled away the jumper wire the correction remained. In other words, the simple jump seemed to fix the problem, at least for the moment.

He and I have no idea why this was. It seems either the charging system works perfectly or it doesn't work at all. Does anyone have any thoughts about why this is?

Thanks much,

Mark