Alternator?

[selyse]

Hi everyone,

I posted a question earlier this week about my car. I got that "Charge System Failure" notification on my car. It's a 2006 Grand Prix. I took it to Kal Tire and they said my battery and alternator tested fine but I decided to get a new battery because mine was 7 years old. That was two days ago. I haven't received that message since but this morning (It was -33C) I noticed that my headlights and interior lights dimmed when I tried turning on my rear defrost. I took it to Fountain Tire this morning and they said that they couldn't find anything wrong with my alternator or car in general. The mechanic said that it's possible my alternator belt was frozen and was affecting the output. Has anybody heard of that? If it's not my battery or my alternator what else could it be? I am scared to drive my car right now in fear of it dying.

Thanks for your help!


Shannon

[REDCRAPGP]

Lmao alternator belt frozen... Nope.


Check the grounds and your battery terminals for corrosion and wire brush and replace if needed.

[Explicit_Spade]

I wouldn't go back to the mechanic that mentioned a frozen belt. Belts are rubber and are heated by friction anytime the engine is running.

If the lights dimmed for just a second, it would be a normal power draw, if it was longer than that, something else may be wrong.

What are your volts reading at idle and under throttle?
Is it taking longer than normal to start?
Has anything been done to the car within the past 3 months prior to the Charging System Failure?
Have you hit or run over anything?

[selyse]

Thanks for the replies.

It only dims for a min.

They told me my volts were reading at a fairly steady 14.5. I don't know if that was idle or under throttle. It's starting like normal. The only work I have had done was back at the end of May I had to replace my water pump and left signal light bulb.

I haven't hit anything or had any problems since. The lights only dim when I use the rear defrost, they don't dim when I turn anything else on.

Thanks