the oddest thing is hapening to my soob. it will run showing 18volts most of the time. when i idle down, it will run the normal 14 or so. the headlights also dim when i slow to idle. when i wrap the engine up, the voltmeter climbs up to 18 or so. this short wherever has caused both of my headlights to go out, high and low beam.

 

what is causing this. it has to be in the alternator circuit. by the way. what number fuse would my headlights be. i lost the cover and am now clueless. if somone could count for me, like reading a book left to right, i'd really appreciate it. have to go to work in a couple of hours and don't get off 'til 1 AM.

 

thanks in advance

The VR is inside the alt, so if it's bad, then time for a new alt. The dash guages are notoriously inaccurate, so get a multimeter out, and do a real test. Also tes for AC comming off the alt, as this is a good indication the VR is going out (bad diod's cause AC...).

 

GD

Yeah, time for a new VR. I'd just grab an alternator from a junked car.

is running like this for a few days gonna hurt my battery or anyting?

yes

you can overcharge your battery

 

and it messes with other things in your car because its charging so high

sonofabitch

YES! Don't run it like that unless it is a life or death situation! 18volts will (not appropriate for a family-oriented forum) up.

i'm still a little hazy here. how would the voltage regulator affect my headlights dimming? also, does anyone have some spare time/energy that they would want to check on those fuses for me?

 

thanks again

The voltage regulator can cause your headlights to dim by reducing the voltage available. Simple.

If you are charging at 18 Volts. Your VR is blown

 

a 12 volt car is a 12 volt car

 

not 18 volt