skynyrdmh Posted August 19, 2019 Report Share Posted August 19, 2019 Hello all. An issue with the battery light on my 2007 edge has recently occurred. I am hoping to find an answer before I begin to throw expensive parts at it!! I am no stranger to mechanics by any means but this has me scratchin my head. On several occasions now the battery light will glow with no issues seemingly going on at all. If I shut the car off and immediately restart... no light and runs as it should, but a week later... same issue arises. I do know the battery light will glow for 2 reasons.... 1 alternator not charging or voltage regulator failing and alternator is over charging. I did some checking and found that at idle the alternator is pushing between 13.4 and 14.9 volts. It seems to hold steady but last night when I checked again, because light came on, it did spike for a blink of an eye to 16+ volts but then dropped right back down. I contributed this to maybe I moved and cause a little spark action. Anyway, while under the hood I noticed a little smoke coming from the battery cables!! I felt them and the positive cable was blistering hot!! I mean really... you couldnt hold it without a rag!! In fear that I may melt down my entire wiring harness I disconnected the battery. after cool down I hooked up the battery again and no issues what so ever. Even running radio, lights, using windows, seats... nothing. All as it should be. Started the car up and no issues. Runs like a top. After a few minutes I see a little puff of smoke and the cables are blistering hot again. Starter is not hanging up, alternator checked out at 13.7-14.7 volts again. no weird noises. Nothing. Has anyone run into this issue?? What did you find?? Tonight if the rain and storms hold off I am going to try to trace the cables to make sure they are not grounding out against anything and that the connections are ll tight. Other than that I am kinda ata loss. If all looks good I guess I will start with a new alternator. I hate to do it without knowing for sure but...... Any help/insight will be greatly appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted August 19, 2019 Report Share Posted August 19, 2019 Sounds like a classic case of alternator meltdown, i.e. regulator death. Have the battery and alternator tested at an auto parts store with a digital tester. If the cables got THAT hot, I would suspect the insulation on them too. Check them over carefully, replace them if they look suspicious - melted, burn marks, etc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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