Bad alternator?

[erikrichard]

I don't think lights flickering is normal, mine don't. If the volts read about 14 when idling and stay that way when driving it doesn't sound like the alternator. Be more specific when you say the Tahoe "died" - was it totally dead as in no dome light? did the starter turn slowly or not at all? it was running then died, or it wouldn't start after sitting? for how long?
Hard to help with so much info missing.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Thanks for the help. So the Tahoe would not start again after replacing the alternator. I measured the voltage and it is at 14 when idling. The starting problem is intermittent. I was just at the store and I turned the key and the card was completely dead. No power what so ever. I tried about 10 times to start and nothing. I got out tried the remote lock and it was dead. So I got back into the card and it started up fine, power was normal except the radio clock was reset but not the stations. Could the starter failing cause there to be no power like that?

 

[erikrichard]

Don't just start replacing parts on a whim. Buy a multimeter, that would have saved you from the cost of an alternator you didn't need. It does not sound like the starter, because everything else is dead too - if it were the starter, why would the locks and lights have no power? Best bet is a bad connection to the battery. I'd say it could be an ignition switch problem except the locks normally work without the ignition turned on. It could possibly be a computer problem.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Would a bad switch cause no power for everything? It's almost like the battery loses connection. IO tracted he power wires as far I could but didnt find any loose connections

---------- Post added at 02:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 12:35 PM ----------

Can anyone tell me where the ignition switch is located?

 

[ScottyBoy]

Check your battery cables, and not just the ends where they connect to the battery. Loose, and/or corroded connections can cause what you are experiencing. Even if the ends look fine, you can have corrosion inside the cable causing resistance.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Cables look good, there is zero corrosion on them or by the connections.

 

[ScottyBoy]

Cables look good, there is zero corrosion on them or by the connections.

Did you check where the ground cable bolts to the engine and frame? And did you check where the positive bolts to the starter? Either of those can be loose or corroded.. Don't just look, physically wiggle it to see if its loose at all.

 

[erikrichard]

With truck off open hood and start wiggling and pulling on the cables going to the battery and wherever they lead to - see if you can get the problem to happen. With the door open and key in the ignition the chiming will stop if you've found the issue.
Typically what you have is a power wire from the alt to the battery, the battery directly to the starter and another positive wire to an under hood fuse block - this wire may be corroded or partially broken. You may also have a bad ground, look around for that using the same process of wiggling and pulling on wires with the door chime going.
That's what I'd do anyway.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Thanks. I'll give that a shot in the morning.

 

[GangstaCowboy]

Thanks for all the tips. I went out this morning and had my wife sit in the driver seat with the door open and key in the ignition. Sure enough once I started shaking the ground cable the lights flickered or went out. Looks like the part of the ground wire to the chassis was loose and dirty. I cut the end and put on a new connector and really crank all the connectors down. Once that was complete I wiggled everything pretty vigorously and the lights stayed on and no interruption in the door chime. Hopefully this solves the intermittent problem power problem. Thanks for the help.