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Electrical problem - bright light, bright light
Bizarre - April 24th, 2010 at 11:03 AM

Something happened last night while driving
Sitting at a stop sign behind anothe car and all of a sudden i though "damn - my head lights are bright. Wonder is i have the driving lights on or high beam??"

Nope, but when i checked the swithch for the driving lights, i noticed the emergency hazard switch, that normally glows dull was really bright as well.

Then it slowly died down and settled.

My car has an internal regulated alternator.
Mine died last year and i am getting mine rebuilt
Have borrowed on for the moment (well - a few months)

Any ideas what it could be??

I can only think it is regulator??

Occasionally i notice my lights "flicker" at idle.
But it has always done this - ie both alternators


Pumba - April 24th, 2010 at 12:01 PM

UFO maybe:lol:


ian.mezz - April 24th, 2010 at 02:01 PM

yes a regulator can over charge upto 18volts +.
not only does that give you good lights it also burns out electronic ignitions.:fakesniff:


ancientbugger - April 25th, 2010 at 08:47 PM

A while back I had a similar situation in my cabriolet and after a few months of trying to ignore it I eventually tracked it down to a loose battery connection. With mine the wipers worked better as well:crazy:


68AutoBug - April 26th, 2010 at 12:08 AM

Quote:
Originally posted by Bizarre
Something happened last night while driving
Sitting at a stop sign behind anothe car and all of a sudden i though "damn - my head lights are bright. Wonder is i have the driving lights on or high beam??"

Nope, but when i checked the swithch for the driving lights, i noticed the emergency hazard switch, that normally glows dull was really bright as well.

Then it slowly died down and settled.

My car has an internal regulated alternator.
Mine died last year and i am getting mine rebuilt
Have borrowed on for the moment (well - a few months)

Any ideas what it could be??

I can only think it is regulator??

Occasionally i notice my lights "flicker" at idle.
But it has always done this - ie both alternators


Yes the internal regulator is breaking down allowing the High AC Voltage into the system....
This AC voltage will not charge your battery [DC] but can blow things due to overvoltage..

better change alternators again....

LEE


68AutoBug - April 26th, 2010 at 12:11 AM

another thing that can cause lights to flicker etc
is Not having an earth strap on Your gearbox..

but this will NOT make lights go very bright etc...
just flicker...

LEE


ratty 63 - April 26th, 2010 at 05:47 PM

I had a regulator (internal) die in my '93 Suzuki swift - was putting around 28 volts into the battery (battery wasn't too happy about it either judging by the smell it gave off). Had the brightest headlights I had ever seen on a car - but the bulbs only had a half-hour lifespan! :D Dashboard lighting was blinding too!

Check your earth straps (gearbox to chassis and battery to chassis) - if they are clean and tight then I would be inclined to point the finger at the reg on your alternator....

Let us know how you get on....

R :)


XXX-1.8T - April 28th, 2010 at 11:39 AM

putting around in traffic my lights are mid brightness but when im on the highway doing 60mph+ the interior and headlights really brighten up.

Is this normal and what would be the cause of this?