QuestionQUESTION: i have a 2004 dodge stratus SE 2.7 sedan that i replaced a transmission in last year and about 3-4 weeks later the TPS went out, i took it to the dealership and they replaced it then about a month later the battery/charging light came on and the dash lights flicker and the radio shuts on and off but the car doesnt loose any power. i have checked and rechecked all the grounds i can find on the car and have found no bad grounds or loose connections. any ideas?
ANSWER: Hi Randy,
I don't think it is a bad ground or loose connection, at least based upon what you described so far. Rather, the charging light coming on suggests that something in the electrical system is drawing too much current when the light is 'on' and thus pulling down the voltage on the system to a low enough value the engine computer is turning on the light to let you know. Is the light always 'on' from the moment after the engine catches and runs until you shut it off, or does it come on only when the radio is on or only when some other unit is called into service? Is there any 'rhyme or reason' to it? That would be the clue I would try to connect to begin to find what is the faulty suspect. Verify what the voltage is at the battery when the red light is 'on' to see what it reads, and compare that to the voltage when it is 'off'. Let me know what you discover.
Roland
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QUESTION: there really isnt a rhyme or reason to it. the car starts good everyday. but after about 2-5 miles doing over 45 mph the dash lights will flicker a little bit and then the light comes on and then a short time after that the charging light comes on. so i am really confused lol. let me know what you think.
ANSWER: PS: Don't overlook the possibility that the problem is a failing alternator. Try using the ignition key to get fault codes:"on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the odometer window to see if the mileage reading changes to show 4-digit numbers preceeded by a P. A 0622 or 1682 would point toward that being your problem.
What about the radio, do you have it on from the start of the drive. What would happen if you didn't use the audio system at all, will the light still come on after 2-5 miles?. Also, as I suggested, check what the battery voltages are showing when the engine is running and the warning light is off vs when it is on. Then turn off the engine, restart it and see if the light is on immediately or how long before it comes on again. Something is breaking down after you have been running, probably and the trick is to figure out what it may be. I suspect the audio system.
Roland
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QUESTION: ok the trouble code it shot at me was 1594 which i did some research on and it says "charging system voltage is to high". but that doesnt make sense that the car is losing power. or is the radio "tripping a breaker" and shutting itself off because to much power. and, could this be a bad voltage regulator. the regulator is in the altenator so i dont wanna buy one if i dont have to lol at $131+$51 for core lol. thanks guys let me know.
AnswerHi Randy,
I agree that the 622 would be more consistent with your observation. And the voltage regulation is done by the computer not built-in to the alternator. All I can suggest is what I have said before, above. Try those measurement and let me know what you learn. If the regulatory function is 'out' that means a replacement engine computer but I would believe that is unlikely. Try disconnecting the battery to erase the fault code and then see which code come back after a few more days of driving. I wonder if the charge light might actually alert you to too high as well as too low a voltage (check the owners manual) in which case your wire between the computer and the alternator field coils may simply be shorted to ground which would indeed cause an overvoltage situation. So check the voltage also be revving the engine while you take a reading and see how high it goes.
Roland
