Q: Hello my silverado lights flicker an go very low all my gauges down to 0 then it stalls. The alternator checked out good.

asked by on December 17, 2016

I get flickering lights insidea an out an stalls half to jump it off an as soon as the cables comes off it stalls but seems to me that the alternator isn't chargeing the battery the alternator cheked out good is there anything else that I can check maybe wires or a fuse able link or something an thank you

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Hi there. Check the battery for a full charge. A full charge (100%) on a battery is 12.6 volts and a 75% charged battery is 12.4 volts. Anything under that voltage, the battery would need charged. For your vehicle, the alternator is designed to charge the battery only at a high boost. The newer cars are not like the older cars that do not need the battery to operate due to the conventional theory of electrons operating the computer. The ground on the computer is actually the power supply, so if the ground cable is disconnected, the computer looses power and stalls the engine out. The alternator only charges the battery on the positive side. Check the battery cables and make sure that they are tight and clean. For your battery, if the battery is fully charged, put a load on the battery and see if the battery holds voltage of 11.5 volts for 30 seconds. If the battery drops below 9.6 volts, then the battery has a burned cell and needs replaced. If you need further assistance with your engine stalling after jump-started, then seek out a professional, such as one from Your Mechanic, to help you.

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