Pulsating Dash and Lights

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Fintan
Fintan's picture
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Joined: 30.06.2005
Location: Essex

Hi

Happy New Year

Only recently I have had the distributor cap, wiring and spark plugs replaced. Since then I have experienced intermittent surges in the brightness of the dashboard lights, headlights and heater blower speed. The local garage says it may be the alternator and needs rebuilding, but before I go there has anyone got any input?

Pistonhead
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Joined: 16.12.2006
Location: Loughborough
GWOA Groups: Committee, Members
Re: Pulsating Dash and Lights

Hello James,

I can not see any connection between the work recently done, to the faults you have described.  I think, this is mere coincidence.

The flickering brightness is more indicative of poor earth connections or loose connections. I suggest, you check out your Battery terminals, these, should not be coated grey or dirty, after cleaning the terminals and the connectors; to protect the connections, smear some vasaline on the terminals and connect up.  Check that you do not have any loose terminals on the dash or earth points of the lights circuitry.

Check your fuses, in particular to W460's; with the ceramic fuses, poor contacts at the spring contacts to the fuse are common.  Should, the fuse ends show deep depressions of the contact surface, renew the fuse.

Get the alternator checked out before having it replaced or reconditioned.

Cheers,

M2dxb
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Joined: 27.06.2005
Location: UAE (Dubai)
Re: Pulsating Dash and Lights

Hi there,
when my alternator's regulator (comes as one part with the brushes) failed last year (300GE '91) the lights dimmed (both outside and inside the car) and the engine struggled on for maybe 30 seconds before the battery ran out of charge and it died. Next morning it started up fine and ran for about 10 minutes when the same thing happened again, so I took it to my electrics specialist and got a new regulator, fitted, and it is like new.
Tip if you're doing it yourself:
alt doesnt need to come out, the regulator can be removed with the alt in place.