Hello all,

In my 1976 Cutlass Supreme Brougham, I was experiencing the "GEN" light flickering on and off while driving, stopped at a red light, etc. and sometimes just staying on. So, I went ahead and changed the voltage regulator, diode trio, and brushes inside the alternator the other day. This seemed to correct that problem as the light went out as soon as the car started. I took it for a ride and everything seemed normal and no more "GEN" light issue. Fast forward to today and I went to try and start the car and the battery was dead. I was getting a reading on the battery of around 9.98 volts with the car off which I know is not good. The battery seemed strong prior to me changing the alternator components above. Does anyone have any ideas on why this would happen? I should also mention that the battery is almost 7 years old but again, it did seem strong before changing the alternator components. The car only gets driven in nice weather and I usually disconnect the battery in the off season. Any help would be much appreciated!

Thanks,

Michael

 

Charge the battery fully to 12.6 volts after it settles and see if it holds it. It may also be the alternator, I've seen bad parts right out of the box.

 

Thanks! I have the battery charging now. Hopefully, it’ll hold.🤞🏽

 

After much troubleshooting, I figured out the issue. Long story short, the terminals on my battery were worn and I couldn’t get the battery cables to make good contact no matter what I tried. $165.00 later...I purchased a new AC Delco battery from my local Chevrolet dealer. Put it in and it fired right up! I’m also getting a good reading of 14.64 volts on the multimeter with the car running.