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Volt meter gauge bouncing at idle ?

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Old 04-26-2008, 08:25 PM
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Volt meter gauge bouncing at idle ?

The volt gauge on the newest truck I bought is twitching back and forth , about an 1/8th inch each way. You kick the rpms up and it stabilizes.

What causes this ?

Is this somthing to be concerned about?
Old 04-26-2008, 11:08 PM
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Do the lights also pulse in brightness at low engine RPM ??

The most likely culprit is the notorious voltage regulator, providing it has one.

The best cure for this is to replace it with the

Blue MOPAR regulator part #P3690731

About forty bucks.
Old 04-26-2008, 11:14 PM
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Grid heater cycling???
Old 04-27-2008, 07:54 AM
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Originally Posted by BearKiller
Do the lights also pulse in brightness at low engine RPM ??

The most likely culprit is the notorious voltage regulator, providing it has one.

The best cure for this is to replace it with the

Blue MOPAR regulator part #P3690731

About forty bucks.
Yes, lights pulse at low RPM.

I will get One.

Thanks
Old 04-27-2008, 04:40 PM
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Originally Posted by BearKiller
Do the lights also pulse in brightness at low engine RPM ??

The most likely culprit is the notorious voltage regulator, providing it has one.

The best cure for this is to replace it with the

Blue MOPAR regulator part #P3690731

About forty bucks.
Will this Work ? It says Race only?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Mopar...spagenameZWD1V
Old 04-27-2008, 04:58 PM
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Not sure why it says race only, but it will plug in and regulate the alternator.

I recommend hitting a junkyard and grabbing a handful of OEM regulators off old Chrysler products. The OEM regulators are much better quality than the parts store units, and you can probably get 4 or 5 for $20 at your local junkyard. Any Chrysler product too old to have fuel injection will have one.
Old 04-27-2008, 06:57 PM
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I am having the same issue, maybe a weak battery on top of this. Would the pulseing I am noticing cause the battery to grow weak? Also, where is the voltage regulator located?
Old 04-27-2008, 08:43 PM
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That is a regulator with no temp compensation . .i would not use it on a vehicle driven in cold weather . .unless you don't like charging your battery fully in cold weather.
Old 04-27-2008, 09:32 PM
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Just a note mine will do this when the ignition is on with the remote start, and as soon as I turn the key and supply power the pulsing stops. May be due to the weak circuit in the remote starter on mine, yours may be in the wiring to the ignition swich. With a tilt column, over time the wires get stretched and create resistance in the ignition. Chrysler has a repair harness for this if its still available. I replaced mine about 5 years ago.
Old 04-27-2008, 11:57 PM
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Originally Posted by Rampage1967
That is a regulator with no temp compensation . .i would not use it on a vehicle driven in cold weather . .unless you don't like charging your battery fully in cold weather.

That is the same part-number that a bunch of trucks around my area, including three of mine, have been running for quite some time, winter and summer, with no negative issues that I know of.


The ones we have are MOPAR and are bright blue, but that is the number.

They are the only regulators we have found that don't wink the lights and bounce the needle on the gauge.


Please explain what happens with these to not charge in cold weather.

Thanks.
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