New alternator, alternator belt and battery

You are the last person on this bbs I would try and give a "Automotive electrics 101" course to -- you undoubtedly know more about the subject than I do (and I know quite a lot [he says, patting himself on the back])

But we both know that the battery icon only shows up when system voltage drops below a certain point -- I'm guessing about 11 volts. If your system voltage is going that low, that sure would imply a problem with either your alternator, your voltage regulator (no doubt integrated with the alternator if your car is less than about 25 years old) or your belt.

By any chance did this problem arise right after you installed the new alternator? Naaah, you'd have thought of that approach already.

The only time I have ever seen that icon is at an IASCA competition where I ran the stereo for a long time without running the engine. When the battery icon showed up on the empeg, my battery was already so flat that I had to use jumper cables to get the engine restarted.

Only thing I can think of... it must be some sort of operator error.

tanstaafl.


"There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch"