Weird Flickering lights

[Atrevino0497]

You found your culprit. That battery is toast. But if the alternator spins freely with no play or grittiness in the bearings, then you probably have some more time on that and can budget for replacing it at a later date.

Correct, hopefully this fixes the slight issue with the dimming. I actually just picked up a new battery right before you replied, now with the alternator part. Would the whirring I’m hearing be it under load for trying to keep up with the battery? And what about the chirp when I spun the alternator by hand? Would it be worth adding a little lubrication ?

 

[Geotrash]

Correct, hopefully this fixes the slight issue with the dimming. I actually just picked up a new battery right before you replied, now with the alternator part. Would the whirring I’m hearing be it under load for trying to keep up with the battery? And what about the chirp when I spun the alternator by hand? Would it be worth adding a little lubrication ?

The whirring could be the chirping just played faster I would not try to lubricate the alternator bearings. They're sealed and the excess lube that flings off could have other consequences. But if you don't mind spending the extra money now, then replacing the alternator is not a bad idea as a preventative measure anyway. One less thing to worry about on your next road trip.

 

[Atrevino0497]

The whirring could be the chirping just played faster I would not try to lubricate the alternator bearings. They're sealed and the excess lube that flings off could have other consequences. But if you don't mind spending the extra money now, then replacing the alternator is not a bad idea as a preventative measure anyway. One less thing to worry about on your next road trip.

I’ll see how the new battery pans out first , I just dished out about $2500 on getting everything up to my standards lol. this past weekend I was wrenching all day doing plugs wires , o2 sensors, belt. Brakes and rotors air filter and now battery. She just came back from an alignment and new tires too.

It’s sad how people treat these trucks and yet they’re really forgiving. I’ll update later on as the next couple weeks play out and see if I notice an improvement or not.

On a positive note the only other thing I can think of causing this would be the alternator since I took all grounds off and cleaned them up with a wire brush and all the terminals are looking great. I even went ahead and checked all the terminals for the fuse box underneath.

But if it’s not 1 thing it’s always another, going to stay positive though because I really enjoy working on my vehicles and taking care of them feels amazing

 

[Atrevino0497]

It’s also during that time that the alternator is working the hardest to top up the battery, so any additional drain may be more than it can sustain. At 132k your alternator could be getting weak though I’ve seen them go over 200k on these.

I run these on my rigs and they’ve been great.

https://a.co/d/aAZfQDV

I really appreciate your help and everyone else’s, it’s always the simplest things we forget to double check. I replaced the battery and double checked every terminal I could find under the hood branching from the wiring harness.

 

[Atrevino0497]

You found your culprit. That battery is toast. But if the alternator spins freely with no play or grittiness in the bearings, then you probably have some more time on that and can budget for replacing it at a later date.

You found your culprit. That battery is toast. But if the alternator spins freely with no play or grittiness in the bearings, then you probably have some more time on that and can budget for replacing it at a later date.

You found your culprit. That battery is toast. But if the alternator spins freely with no play or grittiness in the bearings, then you probably have some more time on that

I was pricing them out, I have RPO KW1 requiring the 160 amp instead of the 145amp I believe. I found a duralast gold for $259.99, Delco for $404.99 or Bosch for $304.99.

Part of me wants to stick with Ac delco

 

[Geotrash]

I was pricing them out, I have RPO KW1 requiring the 160 amp instead of the 145amp I believe. I found a duralast gold for $259.99, Delco for $404.99 or Bosch for $304.99.

Part of me wants to stick with Ac delco

You have time on your side. The link I pasted above is a 160 amp unit. Chinese made but I've found them to be both durable and flawless in operation. But you can buy an AC Delco from Rock Auto for $242.

More Information for GM GENUINE 25877026

 

[iamdub]

So would you recommend changing the battery and alternator out? All of the cables look great, I just got done doing a complete tune up on her this weekend. All new fluid, plugs and wires , air filter , serpentine belt, etc. upon belt replacement I also checked all of my pulleys and they appeared fine as well but I know that doesn’t mean an alternator is on its way out

I'm not one to throw darts, but with your symptoms and a 4+ year-old battery, that'd be my first reaction. Not saying it is 100% your problem, but the battery is aged and you finding it having 12.18V at rest is at least identifying a future problem.

 

[iamdub]

I was pricing them out, I have RPO KW1 requiring the 160 amp instead of the 145amp I believe. I found a duralast gold for $259.99, Delco for $404.99 or Bosch for $304.99.

Part of me wants to stick with Ac delco

If you're feelin it, you can get an alternator from a '19+ truck with the KW5 option, which is a 220A alternator. It's an OEM high-output alternator that can be had from $90-$150, from low-mileage (wrecked truck take-offs) or brand new. Myself and another member, @mikez71 recently converted to this alternator. He directly bolted his on. I... didn't.

Search part numbers 13534128, 13527173, 13531751 and 13536552.

 

[Atrevino0497]

I'm not one to throw darts, but with your symptoms and a 4+ year-old battery, that'd be my first reaction. Not saying it is 100% your problem, but the battery is aged and you finding it having 12.18V at rest is at least identifying a future problem.

I 100% agree with you no doubt, so far everything seems good. But I’m still keeping an eye on it for a few weeks to see if it will do it again. There was no pattern to the dimming and it only happened once on 2 separate occasions, 2weeks from each other( must be a Monday thing ). I only can notice it at night for the first 5-10 minutes when my headlights are on.

I am firmly leaning towards that battery. Since it only does it for a short period of time and then disappears. Usually with an alternator there’s more pronounced symptoms that are consistent and those aren’t strongly present enough to lead me believing that it is the alternator. But with 132k miles now it wouldn’t hurt changing out the alternator as a precaution and stuff the old one in the back for a rainy day

 

[Atrevino0497]

If you're feelin it, you can get an alternator from a '19+ truck with the KW1 option, which is a 220A alternator. It's an OEM high-output alternator that can be had from $90-$150, from low-mileage (wrecked truck take-offs) or brand new. Myself and another member, @mikez71 recently converted to this alternator. He directly bolted his on. I... didn't.

Search part numbers 13534128, 13527173, 13531751 and 13536552.

Interesting . I’ll take a look. Thankyou very much any advice is greatly appreciated