Red battery light and red lightening bolt light blinking on

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

Today I was driving after a long 200 miles trip and suddenly got a Red battery light and red lightening bolt light blinking on my dashboard. I stopped the car and scaned it and the battery level was at 8.2 Volts. Then I turned off the engine and later it was impossible to turn it on again. The engine was not even choking. What could it be? I tried connecting some other cars battery but it didnt work. My battery is in good shape, probably less that 1 year old, so I suppose it is not the battery. What could it be?

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flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 5:37 am

Probably a bad battery. Get it charged up and tested.

Might also be a bad alternator.
A bad alternator will quickly kill a battery.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 9:02 am

Alternator bad, quite charging and killed battery! Had the same thing happen to me a few months back!
Get alternator tested, replace if bad, which you are probably going to find out it is. Charge battery up with good charger, long and slow to get specific gravity back up and it should start just fine.
If it does not start after a good battery charge, have battery tested, they can go bad internally, even new ones.... :wink:

Post outcome....

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

WWDiesel wrote:

Alternator bad, quite charging and killed battery! Had the same thing happen to me a few months back!
Get alternator tested, replace if bad, which you are probably going to find out it is. Charge battery up with good charger, long and slow to get specific gravity back up and it should start just fine.
If it does not start after a good battery charge, have battery tested, they can go bad internally, even new ones.... :wink:

Post outcome....

I also have the feeling it could be the alternator or the voltage regulator? A reading of 8.2 Volts is too low, right?
If it is the alternator, an electrician I just called says he can fix it instead of replacing it...
It is not possible that the ignition switch actuator be the problem here?
Another thing that happened was that I used the battery to charge my phone with the engine turned off the day before but I don't think it could be related...

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flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 12:59 pm

hgrimberg wrote:

WWDiesel wrote:

Alternator bad, quite charging and killed battery! Had the same thing happen to me a few months back!
Get alternator tested, replace if bad, which you are probably going to find out it is. Charge battery up with good charger, long and slow to get specific gravity back up and it should start just fine.
If it does not start after a good battery charge, have battery tested, they can go bad internally, even new ones.... :wink:

Post outcome....

I also have the feeling it could be the alternator or the voltage regulator? A reading of 8.2 Volts is too low, right?
If it is the alternator, an electrician I just called says he can fix it instead of replacing it...
It is not possible that the ignition switch actuator be the problem here?
Another thing that happened was that I used the battery to charge my phone with the engine turned off the day before but I don't think it could be related...

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Your phone charging would have no effect.

You said you "scanned" it and got 8.2 volts.
Was that with the engine running at idle or off?

The scanner will give you system voltage (i.e. battery) not necessarily alternator charging voltage.
For example:
My scanner will display a voltage of 12.4. But when I use a voltmeter to check alternator output I get 14.2v on the meter.

So if the alternator were trying to charge a bad battery you would get a low system voltage even though your alternator charging might be normal.
BTW, I'm pretty sure that when voltage gets below 10v the engine will shut off.

In either case, the battery needs to be fully charged and tested. If the battery cant be fully charged or wont hold a charge or fails a load test, then it must be replaced.

The alternator should also be tested. Like I said before, a bad alternator will quickly kill a battery.
The most common fault for the alternator is the over-running clutch pulley.
The regulator could also be bad or the brushes worn out.
The regulator and brushes are mounted on the back of the alternator behind a plastic cover. Its fairly easy to replace. I repaired mine earlier this year.

WWDiesel · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 1:56 pm

flash7210 wrote:

BTW, I'm pretty sure that when voltage gets below 10v the engine will shut off.

FYI, It will still run below 10v; mine was down to around 9v when I luckily made it home when the alternator crapped out. It was idling kinda funny right before I switched it off. After cutting engine off, it would not restart or even click due to the low voltage. Replaced the alternator with a new one from Autozone with the correct overrun pulley and with a lifetime warranty, charged battery overnight and all has been well every since.... :roll:

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Oct 31, 2016 4:31 pm

WWDiesel wrote:

flash7210 wrote:

BTW, I'm pretty sure that when voltage gets below 10v the engine will shut off.

FYI, It will still run below 10v; mine was down to around 9v when I luckily made it home when the alternator crapped out. It was idling kinda funny right before I switched it off. After cutting engine off, it would not restart or even click due to the low voltage. Replaced the alternator with a new one from Autozone with the correct overrun pulley and with a lifetime warranty, charged battery overnight and all has been well every since.... :roll:

Good to know.
Thankfully that has never happened to me.
Although I did have to get towed home once because of a bad battery and while three people tried, no one was able to jump me off.

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

It seems that the voltage regulator is broken. Where can I buy a voltage regulator online or what is the part number? I can't find it.
This is the one: brand is Denso as the alternator. Can I buy it alone without the alternator?

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WWDiesel · **Posted:** Fri Nov 04, 2016 10:54 pm

hgrimberg wrote:

It seems that the voltage regulator is broken. Where can I buy a voltage regulator online or what is the part number? I can't find it.
This is the one: brand is Denso as the alternator. Can I buy it alone without the alternator?
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You will have to go to shop that specializes in alternator/starter rebuilding/repair to find just a regulator and they might still have to order the part.
Shops like that are getting harder to find, we only have one business like that in my part of the country... :shock:

Most people just replace the whole unit! :roll:

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

WWDiesel wrote:

hgrimberg wrote:

It seems that the voltage regulator is broken. Where can I buy a voltage regulator online or what is the part number? I can't find it.
This is the one: brand is Denso as the alternator. Can I buy it alone without the alternator?
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You will have to go to shop that specializes in alternator/starter rebuilding/repair to find just a regulator and they might still have to order the part.
Shops like that are getting harder to find, we only have one business like that in my part of the country... :shock:

Most people just replace the whole unit! :roll:

The thing is that this voltage regulator that is integrated to the alternator doesn't have its own tag/label with its own part number. The only part number is the one on the laternator, so it could be that Denso doesnt sell it alone. You mean a shop can fix the regulator? This is all electronics... Or do you think I can just buy the voltage regulator itself? If so, where?

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WWDiesel · **Posted:** Sat Nov 05, 2016 9:43 am

hgrimberg wrote:

The thing is that this voltage regulator that is integrated to the alternator doesn't have its own tag/label with its own part number. The only part number is the one on the alternator, so it could be that Denso doesnt sell it alone. You mean a shop can fix the regulator? This is all electronics... Or do you think I can just buy the voltage regulator itself? If so, where?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If a rebuild shop can get the part, they can repair it. But as you said, there is a possibility that the regulator by itself may not be available to the general public! :?:

I tried to find just the regulator on line and I was not able to find a listing for it anywhere!

Your best bet may be to just purchase a complete rebuilt or as part stores call it: a remanufactured alternator...

Autozone sells the correct Denso replacement unit with the correct overrun clutch pulley and it has a lifetime warranty and price is reasonable. Just replaced my alternator a few months ago with one of their units!
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/alternator/duralast-alternator/31707_191614_0/

Time you buy a regulator, if you can even find one; it will most likely cost you half as much or more than just buying a whole replacement unit and you get a warranty!!! :wink:

hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

WWDiesel wrote:

hgrimberg wrote:

The thing is that this voltage regulator that is integrated to the alternator doesn't have its own tag/label with its own part number. The only part number is the one on the alternator, so it could be that Denso doesnt sell it alone. You mean a shop can fix the regulator? This is all electronics... Or do you think I can just buy the voltage regulator itself? If so, where?Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

If a rebuild shop can get the part, they can repair it. But as you said, there is a possibility that the regulator by itself may not be available to the general public! :?:

I tried to find just the regulator on line and I was not able to find a listing for it anywhere!

Your best bet may be to just purchase a complete rebuilt or as part stores call it: a remanufactured alternator...

Autozone sells the correct Denso replacement unit with the correct overrun clutch pulley and it has a lifetime warranty and price is reasonable. Just replaced my alternator a few months ago with one of their units!
http://www.autozone.com/batteries-starting-and-charging/alternator/duralast-alternator/31707_191614_0/

Time you buy a regulator, if you can even find one; it will most likely cost you half as much or more than just buying a whole replacement unit and you get a warranty!!! :wink:

I found a store and they say the carry these regulators. The ask me if the one I need has 2 or 4 pins. These are probably from China.

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hgrimberg · **Joined:** Mon Dec 19, 2011 11:03 pm **Posts:** 363

I found a Chinese replacement: http://www.nosso.com.ar/spanish/catalog ... N%20104240
Will it work? It says it is for the same Denso alternator with my part number.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Mon Nov 07, 2016 4:19 pm

I got my voltage regulator here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-ALTERNATOR-REGULATOR-BRUSH-HOLDER-BRUSHES-For-JEEP-LIBERTY-DIESEL-2-8L-05-06-/271528729422?fits=Model%3ALiberty&hash=item3f385f9b4e:g:JPMAAOSw3ydVlHus&vxp=mtr

Red battery light and red lightening bolt light blinking on

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