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Registered
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,663
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The headlights are flickering?
Hi I have a 1982 sc, just got it out for the first time tonight since november, when its idling the lights flicker, hit the pedal and they straighten out, I was reading the other day in the new buyers guide that pelican is promoting that this may be an alternater, before i put it away last fall, it stalled acouple times could this have been the problem, anyone else have this problem, any ideas, Kevin
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05-20-2002, 10:07 PM
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911 user
Join Date: Sep 2001
Location: East of Eden, West of the Sun
Posts: 2,411
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Could be the first sign of an alternator/voltage regulator problem. Is your alternator light lighting up slightly? Take a look if its causing your battery to boil over, that can be a real can of worms!
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Where once the giants walked now Mickey Mouse is king. My other car is also a Porsche. |
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05-20-2002, 11:21 PM
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Registered
Join Date: Dec 1999
Location: TX USA
Posts: 9,804
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Kevin,
How many miles on the alternator? It may be as simple as worn-out brushes, but to really know what is going on you need to monitor the system Voltage with a storage oscilloscope or accurate analog Voltmeter or a digital multimeter that can do data logging to a notebook/laptop PC while the car is driven on a test run. You really need to know what are the limits of the Voltage excursions are, and whether the fault is causinf an upward or downward transition. If findinding out the nature of the fluctuations is possible ... do so! Some possible problems: 1. Worn brushes causing dropouts 2. Intermittent solder joint(s) on rectifier diode array causing 1 phase dropouts, and slight upward surges when the single phase output comes back online 3. Intermittent solder joint on regulator board causing dropouts or max Voltage surges
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Warren Hall, Jr. 1973 911S Targa ... 'Annie' 1968 340S Barracuda ... 'Rolling Thunder' |
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05-20-2002, 11:51 PM
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Senior Member
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: N. Phoenix AZ USA
Posts: 28,962
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Kevin,
Also had problems with my 85 alternator. It went from normal on the headlights to very bright, without my moving the lever to turn the brights on. Turned out that the regulator was crap and going from 14 volts to almost 16 volts! Check your voltage using a digital VOM and make sure that this is not what is happening to your alternator/regulator. My car is more critical (the DME injection computer for one) than yours but its still not good. Joe
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2021 Subaru Legacy, 2002 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins (the workhorse), 1992 Jaguar XJ S-3 V-12 VDP (one of only 100 examples made), 1969 Jaguar XJ (been in the family since new), 1985 911 Targa backdated to 1973 RS specs with a 3.6 shoehorned in the back, 1959 Austin Healey Sprite (former SCCA H-Prod), 1995 BMW R1100RSL, 1971 & '72 BMW R75/5 "Toaster," Ural Tourist w/sidecar, 1949 Aeronca Sedan / QB |
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05-21-2002, 05:38 AM
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Registered
Join Date: Oct 2000
Posts: 3,663
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The alternator light isnt blinking or slightly on, i have had the car 5 years and have never replaced the alternator, about 25-30,000 miles, the lights just seem to pulse when the car idles, Kevin
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05-21-2002, 09:04 AM
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Senior Member
Join Date: Feb 2000
Location: Lacey, WA. USA
Posts: 25,308
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I also had a bad VR, which was changing my system voltage constantly, anytihing from 13.5 volts to 16.5! The headlights were going bright and dim.
But I think Warren is correct (always a safe bet) in that your VR sounds okay since this problem seems to only occur at idle. Like he says, brushes may be worn, bad solders, etc.
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Man of Carbon Fiber (stronger than steel) Mocha 1978 911SC. "Coco" |
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05-21-2002, 10:35 AM
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