Battery light on dashbord is staying on

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HotCarl

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'97 Tahoe, battery light stays on after it starts up. This is a brand new battery I installed today. Does this mean I have a problem with the alternator, is it dead?
 

retorq

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Get a multimeter, start the truck, red to positive, black to negative and read the DC voltage. Should be 14ish. If it's 12ish your alt is bad or weak. You can check the alternator similarly and determine if it's a wiring issue or really the alt.
 
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HotCarl

HotCarl

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Would most auto parts stores do that test for free, like Shuck's, AutoZone, etc??
 

99Yukon_Z71

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99.9% chance your alternator is NOT charging. While you are at it, you should get the optional HD 140 Amp alternator! Goodluck
 
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HotCarl

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OK, so i drove it to class today. When I first started it up the battery light stayed on, and the dash gauge went up above 14 volts then stayed steady at 12... battery light then went off for the entire drive to campus which is about 8 minutes.
After class I'm taking it to Shuck's to get it tested and replace it if its bad. What is the advantage of the heavy duty Alt??
 
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HotCarl

HotCarl

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Replaced Alternator and Serpentine Belt, works great!
 

AtomicHoe094

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well glad to hear it all worked out for ya, a ** alternator would of been wise if you would of had some electrical accessories like elec fans, more lights, subs and crap like that, no need to worry with the stock 105amp for you
 
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HotCarl

HotCarl

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Yeah I don't have many accessories, so I went with the regular one.
 

ravingmadman

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You got lucky. My experience has been that when that light comes on, you've only got a matter of a day or two to get your alternator unbuggered/replaced before you're dead in the water. Good job going to the parts house for a scan.
 
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HotCarl

HotCarl

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Yeah the local Shuck's/O'Reilly guys were pretty helpful. Gave me a quick walk-through on the removal of the alt and belt. I had never done it before and it took about 45 minutes. Longest part was aligning the new alt absolutely perfectly so the bolts would slide all the way in.
 

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