StreetCreeper
New member
So when I got my truck about six or seven thousand miles ago, it had a strange loping idle with a corresponding diming of the lights. I checked for frayed/loose wires and grounds but found nothing. I also checked for vacumme leaks and even bad or blown fuses....to no avail. I later checked the voltage myself with a meter, and while it did bounce around a bit, it didn't seem excessively low or high.
Unfortunately, as annoying as it was to drive down the road with pulsing lights as if I was a UFO, I had to put this issue on the back burner and deal with safety issues like brakes, tires, all new tie rods...etc. I just didn't have cash laying around to throw parts at the problem until it was fixed.
Well I finally got around to finish swapping out the alternator today. Mind you that this alternator was tested and shown to run within whatever specs the parts store deemed acceptable. Low and behold—it was the alternator or more specifically, the voltage regulator.
New alternator took care of this issue completly. In hindsight, I should never have listened to the parts store guy when he said the alternator was working fine. Obviously it wasn't working the way it should. It worked just well enough not to have any issues other than pulsing lights and a barely noticeable engine lope of maybe 75rpm. (See attached video)
http://youtu.be/6RX0uifN8CE
Anyways, for anyone else who may have pulsing lights with a loping engine, it may well be your alternator—even if your alternator checks out ok.
Oh and another thing, I don't know how any shop owner can look themselves in the mirror after charging anything more than $40 labor to swap out the alternator on a 3rd gen. Such a simple job unless there are some other issues (seized parts/bolts etc...) to deal with.
Unfortunately, as annoying as it was to drive down the road with pulsing lights as if I was a UFO, I had to put this issue on the back burner and deal with safety issues like brakes, tires, all new tie rods...etc. I just didn't have cash laying around to throw parts at the problem until it was fixed.
Well I finally got around to finish swapping out the alternator today. Mind you that this alternator was tested and shown to run within whatever specs the parts store deemed acceptable. Low and behold—it was the alternator or more specifically, the voltage regulator.
New alternator took care of this issue completly. In hindsight, I should never have listened to the parts store guy when he said the alternator was working fine. Obviously it wasn't working the way it should. It worked just well enough not to have any issues other than pulsing lights and a barely noticeable engine lope of maybe 75rpm. (See attached video)
http://youtu.be/6RX0uifN8CE
Anyways, for anyone else who may have pulsing lights with a loping engine, it may well be your alternator—even if your alternator checks out ok.
Oh and another thing, I don't know how any shop owner can look themselves in the mirror after charging anything more than $40 labor to swap out the alternator on a 3rd gen. Such a simple job unless there are some other issues (seized parts/bolts etc...) to deal with.
