2003 Chevrolet Suburban 1500 Logo
Anonymous Posted on Dec 21, 2012

Volt gauge reading low but still charging 14.2 volts

Volt gauge on truck reading around the 12 v mark,have replaced battery,speedometer cluster and have tested charging system and it is charging at 14.2 volts.with this low voltage reading it turns on check brake system lights,service 4wd and won't switch between 4wd modes.not sure where to go from here any help would be great

  • Anonymous Dec 21, 2012

    thank you to everyone who answered,found the problem,was a bad body ground,fixed and now seems to be working properly.

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  • Posted on Dec 21, 2012
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Joined: Dec 21, 2012
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The low charge # @ gauge could be caused by bad ground or high resistence in the wireing harness. Don't think it has anything to do with your 4x shifting prob I would check 4x switch and electric motor on transfere case.

Testimonial: "thank you mr yager,never thought of looking at the grounds,turns out was the ground to the body,which makes sense for everything else,fixed it and now everything is working the way it should.i guess 330 thousands kms would end up having problems with the grounds.lol"

  • Anonymous Dec 21, 2012

    mr yager could the bad ground a fuel guage sending unit be causing the problem?

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5 Related Answers

Anonymous

  • 6982 Answers
  • Posted on May 25, 2009

SOURCE: Charging system malfunction under load

If the condition is present for short times only it will not affect anything. It's possible that the crank pulley is glazed and slipping slightly on a hard pull (everything else depends upon that pulley to be properly driven) You can't really duplicate that on a static test. It's also possible that the battery was a bit low when you bought it and needs to have the charge level topped off with an external charger. Otherwise, the only option I can think of offhand would be to obtain an alternator designed for heavy duty service (police version etc) which may be able to deal with the demand.
As your vehicle gets older, resistance in all circuits increases, making little difference during normal operation but can also influence how your vehicle charges. Cleaning / adding additional ground points can help with this.
If it seems that I'm jumping around a bit, I am, but since the charging system is pretty much operational except at that one point, I'm trying to give you some ideas that either in combination, or one alone will be of some help to you.
good luck

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Anonymous

  • 88 Answers
  • Posted on Dec 22, 2008

SOURCE: Service Charging System

DONT START THE CAR///IGNITION ON//PRESS THE GAS PEDAL DOWN 3 TIMES SLOWLY//THEN START THE CAR. THAT RESETS THE COMPUTER AND THE CHARGING SYSTEM WARNING LIGHT.

Anonymous

  • 90 Answers
  • Posted on Feb 04, 2009

SOURCE: 1998 z71 push button 4wd will not work

Some of these must be reprogrammed.Double check the connections, look for bent pins, with a terminal tool or small pick CAREFULLY bend female connectors tighter to ensure good contact with male pins. The use of a good scanner could help pinpoint the trouble.

motor1258

Mike Butler

  • 6674 Answers
  • Posted on Jan 01, 2010

SOURCE: 1962 CHEVROLET TRUCK with points

If/How long will it crank over before it stops? Are you saying it will crank over, but very slow? Has it been sitting quite a while. Got good spark, and fuel?

355ttrex

Ron

  • 249 Answers
  • Posted on Jul 22, 2010

SOURCE: 2006 Chevy Silverado alternator intermittent charging

Perfectly normal.
Starting with the 2005 model year, light duty full size pickups and utilities are equipped with a new Regulated Voltage Control (RVC) system. This system reduces the targeted output of the generator to 12.6-13.1 volts when in "Fuel Economy Mode" to improve fuel economy. The generator may exit "Fuel Economy Mode" if additional voltage is required. This will cause the voltmeter to fluctuate between 12 and 14 volts as opposed to non-regulated systems that usually maintain a more consistent reading of 14 volts. This fluctuation with the RVC system is normal system operation and NO repairs should be attempted.

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