Thread: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v

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  1. #1 DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
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    Hey y'all,
    Hopefully a question those of you have an answer for.

    I just got an 07 GP GT a couple of weeks ago and things have been going fine with the car. The other day, I went to the gas station and when I got out noticed the keyfob wouldn't lock the car. Not a big deal I figured since I've heard the stories about these keyfobs being stupid and needing to be repaired/replaced.

    So I lock the car with the key and go inside, buy my smokes and come back out - car starts up fine and I jump on the highway, noticing it's bogging down a bit when getting on it (maybe that was in my mind) - so I put two and two together and hit the DIC to swap from the boost gauge to the voltmeter. DIC is reading 12.6v as I'm driving down the road (at 75mph). I get on the phone and I call a buddy up and start complaining about electrical problems and then I look down again and notice 12.9v, 13.0v, 13.1v, etc --- all the way back up to 14.2v. The rest of the night it gives me no problems.

    This morning I'm leaving for work and it's reading 13.1v - as I start driving it slowly climbs to 14.6v and stays there. On the way to lunch we jump in the car, and just like before it starts reading 13.1v and climbs to 14.2v and hovers there - 5 minutes of downtown traffic later we're at lunch and when I go to turn the car off notice it's at 13.8v.

    As we leave I'm paying more attention to it and it starts at 13.8v and steadily drops (regardless of the radio being on, at a different volume, RPMs, etc) till it hit 12.62v - I idle at a convienence store for 5 minutes while a buddy runs in, still maintaining 12.62v - then as we leave I notice it start climbing back up slowly to the point where when I parked the car (3 city blocks later) it was back at 14.2v

    I'm thinking I'm losing my mind, anyone have any suggestions of things to check or is the DIC display just "wonky". I haven't tested the voltage anywhere yet, since this is only the second time it's happened.

    Thanks guys
    Last edited by unclediesel; 08-04-2010 at 02:10 PM.
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  2. #2 Re: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
    I live here. SlowNA06's Avatar
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    ...uhhhmm... alternator? Maybe a loose connection?
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  3. #3 Re: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
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    After popping the hood leaving work and opening the red cover on the positive battery post I found a sea of blue "gunk" --- so next step is to clean the corrosion from that post - I'll update after I'm done

    Thanks for the pointer! The definately started me in the right direction

    UD
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  4. #4 Re: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
    I live here. SlowNA06's Avatar
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    mmmm... baking soda and water....
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  5. #5 Re: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
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    Yea - cleaned the terminals last night and reattached. Everything was fine for a short drive around the block - went home. Today on the way to work dead steady at 14.4v --- on the way home, 12.6v.......

    Gonna get the system tested and probably end up replacing alternator
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  6. #6 Re: DIC Voltmeter fluctuates between 14.5v and 12.6v 
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    Disconnect the battery after you start the car and see if it keeps running. If it turns off, your alternator is the issue.
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