Lights Dimming, What's Going On?

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#1 chemical_brother

Pr0813

Group: Members
Posts: 14
Joined: 26-August 07

Posted 11 April 2011 - 04:46 PM

2001 Lumina 3.1, 194,000 miles. The beast lives! For now...

I've noticed that that any lights that are on will rapidly dim and brighten continuously. Headlights, dash lights, interior lights. Not from full brightness to barely visible, but it is noticeable, especially at night, with or without the radio on. For the record, only the CD player is aftermarket, no amps or speakers have been added ever.

The battery was just installed this year. I took the Lumina to Autozone for a voltage test and it stayed around 13.2-13.9 at idle, dipping down to 12.9. Tech said it was normal range that didn't indicate a worn alternator. Suggested it could be a vacuum leak.

Any ideas on what it could be?

White 2001 Lumina, 98% stock

#2 dfinney

Pr0813

Group: Members
Posts: 6
Joined: 09-April 11

Posted 11 April 2011 - 05:16 PM

Still probably the alternator. Or loose connections or grounds. I wouldn't expect it to dip any at idle. I would expect a good alternator to stay pretty steady at idle around 14 to 14.5 volts. Does it idle funny?