Check Gauges & Battery Indicator

[justfixedthat...]

It COULD be a bad voltage regulator or bad battery but I strongly suspect the actual problem is a lot simpler to fix, not to mention free. Remove both battery connectors and wire brush them and the battery posts so they are bright and shiny clean. Auto parts stores sell a wire battery brush for $3-5 that has a male and female wire brush made for this very purpose.

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Then reattach both connectors tightly enough with the clamp nut on the connectors that you can't move the connectors around on the battery posts even with considerable hand pressure. That fixes most problems like this.

This problem is commonly caused by a battery connector that is corroded/loose/dirty enough that the voltage regulator isn't seeing the voltage from the battery so it keeps increasing the voltage from the alternator to the point the voltage indicator eventually pegs on the right side of the gauge.

Same issue here. Sometimes it acted like the battery was completely dead. I'd 'tighten' the battery connections and it would start up, but they were not loose to begin with. It was like that for several months. Sometimes the 'check gauges' light would come on while driving but would turn off after a minute. Fuel gauge show full if tank is over half full, and empty if less than half full. Oil pressure gauge is maxed out. Last night I parked it, took out the key and noticed the gauges bouncing around. Acted like battery was dead again. Won't restart. Can't get the gauges, odo, etc to light up. Depending on which position the key was in, or not in at all, there would be a beeping sound under the dash and/or a small griding/whiring sound. The indicator click sound for the turn signal even came on for a moment. Anyway I connected the battery tester and it's very low. Interestingly, the gauges stopped bouncing when I pressed the brake pedal. Also, there are 2 positive battery cables, when the main one is connected the battery tester shows low charge. when i touch the other positive cable (coming out of the fuse box) to the terminal the battery tester won't light up at all. It's as if something from that particular circuit is interrupting something. I'm going to jump the battery and hopefully that helps but what caused it in the first place? And are these common symptoms of a bad battery?

 

[macleanflood]

I'd check the connections to the alternator, it's grounds and the connection to the PDU.

-Mac