Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums General Troubleshooting battery light flickering at low rpm

my battery light is flickering weakly at idle and up to around 2k rpm, but once i rev the engine or get moving, it goes away. ive searched and it seems to be the alternator going out - but those were with the engine above 4k rpm. could it be something else?

it COULD be.. sure.

check your cable connections to the battery, and the grounds from the battery to the chassis, and the alternator to the chassis. also check for loose, frayed, or corroded cables, connectors, and terminations.

ALT TEST:
Check your battery voltage, as described in most of the alternator posts. car running, look for 14.0-14.7 or close

BATTERY test:
car off, surface charge removed (turn on interior and headlights for 60 seconds, look for 12.0 or higher.

thanks for the info ray. about an hour ago, i was driving and my tach quit working and then all my interior electronics(radar detector, cd deck, sirius unit) shut off, but the car was still driveable. then gas light came on and the car started to sputter like crazy (im assuming this is where the gas pump cut off) and now the car is completely dead. is this enough info to safely assume that the alternator is shot?

yes

Or alternator wiring, causing lack of charge to battery.

right on, it's in the shop as we speak.....

You may have a bad diode in the alternator.