2002 Avalon lights flickering...

I just replace my battery about 5 months ago... Yesterday, I noticed
that when I had any interior lights on, they kinda flicker... about 3
times a second... then noticed that the speedomoter lighting and ALSO
the headlights are doing it too. Here's the kicker... when I cut the
engine, the lights are all smooth - the flicker goes away. I checked the
battery connection and cleaned it - no joy. There are no warning lights
on in the dash. What's the most likely cause?

PLEASE don't tell me it's something like a voltage regulator going bad
that's built into a $1,000 computer board. (What ever happened to $15
regulators bolted to the firewall, anyhow?)

Any ideas appreciated. Steve Henderson

On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:07:41 -0600, Steve Henderson
<shenderson_2@charter.net> wrote:
[color=blue]
>I just replace my battery about 5 months ago... Yesterday, I noticed
>that when I had any interior lights on, they kinda flicker... about 3
>times a second... then noticed that the speedomoter lighting and ALSO
>the headlights are doing it too. Here's the kicker... when I cut the
>engine, the lights are all smooth - the flicker goes away. I checked the
>battery connection and cleaned it - no joy. There are no warning lights
>on in the dash. What's the most likely cause?
>
>PLEASE don't tell me it's something like a voltage regulator going bad
>that's built into a $1,000 computer board. (What ever happened to $15
>regulators bolted to the firewall, anyhow?)[/color]

No, but it might be the voltage regulator built into the $100 (for a
full rebuild at a good local shop) alternator. Or the carbon brushes
on the alternator rotor field slip rings could be worn and on the way
out, but a rhythmic blink like that would be odd for brushes.

Or there's a 'blinking' load on the system like the gauge voltage
regulator in the instrument cluster, and there's a loose connection
from the battery somewhere causing a voltage drop, making the pulsing
load much more apparent. My first impulse would be to check all the
battery cable connections (both positive and negative) and the chassis
ground straps really carefully.

--<< Bruce >>--

--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

Bruce L. Bergman wrote:[color=blue]
> On Fri, 23 Dec 2005 09:07:41 -0600, Steve Henderson
> <shenderson_2@charter.net> wrote:
>
>[color=green]
>>I just replace my battery about 5 months ago... Yesterday, I noticed
>>that when I had any interior lights on, they kinda flicker... about 3
>>times a second... then noticed that the speedomoter lighting and ALSO
>>the headlights are doing it too. Here's the kicker... when I cut the
>>engine, the lights are all smooth - the flicker goes away. I checked the
>>battery connection and cleaned it - no joy. There are no warning lights
>>on in the dash. What's the most likely cause?
>>
>>PLEASE don't tell me it's something like a voltage regulator going bad
>>that's built into a $1,000 computer board. (What ever happened to $15
>>regulators bolted to the firewall, anyhow?)[/color]
>
>
> No, but it might be the voltage regulator built into the $100 (for a
> full rebuild at a good local shop) alternator. Or the carbon brushes
> on the alternator rotor field slip rings could be worn and on the way
> out, but a rhythmic blink like that would be odd for brushes.
>
> Or there's a 'blinking' load on the system like the gauge voltage
> regulator in the instrument cluster, and there's a loose connection
> from the battery somewhere causing a voltage drop, making the pulsing
> load much more apparent. My first impulse would be to check all the
> battery cable connections (both positive and negative) and the chassis
> ground straps really carefully.
>
> --<< Bruce >>--
>[/color]
Thanks Bruce... After your answer, I doubt if it's the brushes, because
the rhythm doesn't change with engine rpm. I've admittedly not messed
with the negative connection, so I'll try that before taking it to a shop.

I'm having problems with the positive post connection because there's a
plastic "shield" thing that sits below the clamp (and next to the
battery) and that also has a little plastic spacer attached to it that
goes up vertically between the two halves of the post clamp. Because of
that spacer, I can tighten all I want on the post bolt, and it won't
clamp the battery post tight enough to prevent my moving the connection
on the (cleaned) post with just my hand and a big grunt. (Does that make
sense?) I wouldn't think I should be able to move it at all if it's
tight enough. BUT, the blinking does go away when the engine is stopped.
-- Steve