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Hi,
Got a V5 Bora with about 150k on the clock. Sometimes when it is sitting at idle the headlights and dashlights will flash or pulse badly enough that you notice it where the headlights shine on other cars or the ground or whatever. I mentioned this to the mechanic today when I dropped it in for a service because I thought the voltage regulator in the alternator was on the way out. He sent it to the auto elec who rang me and said he could see the pulsing/flashing and described it as "pretty bad actually" (very technical
) but he tested the charge rate and notice minimal fluctuation (0.2 volts) so he felt that unless the issue was amplified when it got to the computer, the alternatofr was not the cause. I priced getting it replaced anyway and he said that it was the original Hitachi alternator that - because it has a clutch in it - had probably outlived it's life expectancy anyway, but he was not confident that this was the problem and told me he was trying to save me $700 and didn't want to replace it if it wasn't the issue. Can anyone tell me if 0.2 volts fluctuation in charge rate could cause this sort of issue? If not, could there be any other cause for the flashing/pulsing lights? The car is totally stock and the only other issue it is having is that the temp gauge has stopped working - but the mechanic is rectifying this during the service because he thinks it needs a new sender unit, so I don' think this is in any way related to the lights flashing. Thanks, Woo.
Got a V5 Bora with about 150k on the clock. Sometimes when it is sitting at idle the headlights and dashlights will flash or pulse badly enough that you notice it where the headlights shine on other cars or the ground or whatever. I mentioned this to the mechanic today when I dropped it in for a service because I thought the voltage regulator in the alternator was on the way out. He sent it to the auto elec who rang me and said he could see the pulsing/flashing and described it as "pretty bad actually" (very technical
) but he tested the charge rate and notice minimal fluctuation (0.2 volts) so he felt that unless the issue was amplified when it got to the computer, the alternatofr was not the cause. I priced getting it replaced anyway and he said that it was the original Hitachi alternator that - because it has a clutch in it - had probably outlived it's life expectancy anyway, but he was not confident that this was the problem and told me he was trying to save me $700 and didn't want to replace it if it wasn't the issue. Can anyone tell me if 0.2 volts fluctuation in charge rate could cause this sort of issue? If not, could there be any other cause for the flashing/pulsing lights? The car is totally stock and the only other issue it is having is that the temp gauge has stopped working - but the mechanic is rectifying this during the service because he thinks it needs a new sender unit, so I don' think this is in any way related to the lights flashing. Thanks, Woo.
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