battery light flickers, but new alternator a week ago

so i was driving home from new orleans today when almost the whole way back my battery light was flickering randomly, it wouldnt stay lit or flash but completely random flicker, then sometimes go off and come back, i just had the alternator and battery replaced last week and no problems since then (here is the story for that one, http://www.tacomaworld.com/forum/2nd-gen-tacomas/187526-electrial-problems-need-help.html )

i read all the battery light threads i could and still am confused as what it could be,

 

the history suggests a short somewhere.

 

thats what i was thinking but everything is back to stock wiring from the fog light ordeal. so im stuck.

 

I would check for a loose (or corroded) ground somewhere. Starting from the battery making sure the terminals are clean and work your way throughout the vehicle.

 

will do. i already looked everywhere in the engine compartment though.

 

disconnect the neg. side of the Batt. and put a test light between the cable and the - battery terminal. If it lights up, you have something drawing voltage. ( something left on OR a short circuit somewhere.) I never seen a bad ground cause a voltage draw or cause a Battery to run down sitting around..

 

I thought the voltage draw problem has been corrected and now it was only the battery light flickering.
Yes if your still having problems with the battery going dead then it would more than likely be something else other than a loose ground.

 

To elaborate on what Steve recommends to determine if you have a parasidic battery drain...make sure you have the ignition turned off and the doors closed when using the test light method

 

Where did you get the alternator from? I worked in auto parts for a few years. Just because it's new doesn't mean it's any good.

 

Autozone

 

Don't know much about them currently, but used to be crap. There are usually two lines of remanufactured electrical in the aftermarket. You get what you pay for. If they gave you two options and you went cheap, it's probably a bad alternator they sold you.

I would pull it back out and tell them the warning light keeps coming on. As long as it starts okay, the battery is probably fine.

 

Is the Alt. new or refurbed? Just changed one in a car friday put in a refurb, car showed up at garage this afternoon deader than a doornail. Has a brand new battery too, not a high quality one though

 

(Nice tip. I had a minor electrical problem with bulbs recently, this would have come in handy. Just so I know for the future,does the key need to be on or anything to do this? If i had a short in a wire and pulled and replugged in the fuse there would be a spark?)


I saw this in your last thread, what was the problem here?

 

It said remanufactured on the box. I just told them my truck and they gave me that. They never told me any other options. I'll put my old one back on because it's still good and just return the "new" one.

 

That was just for future reference if I need to pinpoint a short. But I knew what te prob was there.

I'm sure it's the new alt now. But today when I went to work after letting my truck cool. The light never even flicked

So now I'm still confused lol

 

Return it and get another one. A refurbished part like that will carry a warranty

 

yeah thats what i plan on doing, because my stock still is good