Intermittant Charging

[Guest]

I have a '98 with the 4.6. The battery is only being intermittently charged. Driving down the road, you can actually see the lights dim and the voltage meter drop when it stops charging. Anywhere from a second to 30 minutes later it will start charging again.

The alternator tests out OK. To me, it sounds like it may be a loose or broken wire. Is there a separate voltage regulator?

Any help would be appreciated.

 

[bnvus]

When you say the Alternator tested out okay. Was it load tested for Amperage? It may be putting out the volts but when a load is attached to it sounds like the Alt can't hang.

 

[Guest]

Yes, I did have it load tested. Under load, I was drawing 110 amps. I think that it might be an electrical connection problem somewhere. It can actually go from charging to not charging and back again 20 times in 30 seconds. Or, sometimes it will stay charging or not charging for several minutes at a time.

I guess that I don't mind replacing the alternator even if it is still good, just as a preventative measure. I suppose that it would eliminate one possible cause. However, I was hoping to isolate the problem before I replaced the alternator.