Diming headlights, new alternator, horn honked 3 hours alternator hot

[Rig-Life:]

I changed my alternator out on my 2010 Silverado cause head lights were going dim at night and voltage was fluctuating.

24 hours later my horn went off for 3 hours. I could not use my remote to get in truck or stop the honking. Had to unplug battery. Plugged back in 10 mins later it stopped. I know alternators get hot. I started truck up for 40 secs turned off alternator so hot I couldn't touch it. What is going on with my truck!?!?!

[Brianibew]

Measure the voltage output of the new alternator. Should be around in the neighborhood of 14v or so.

[dsr611]

Did you have the battery tested before changing the alternator?

Voltage on these trucks will fluctuate...alternator only charges when it needs to charge

 

From the owner's manual (page 4-16)...

Electric Power Management The vehicle has Electric Power Management (EPM) that estimates the battery's temperature and state of charge. It then adjusts the voltage for best performance and extended life of the battery. When the battery's state of charge is low, the voltage is raised slightly to quickly bring the charge back up. When the state of charge is high, the voltage is lowered slightly to prevent overcharging. If the vehicle has a voltmeter gauge or a voltage display on the Driver Information Center (DIC), you may see the voltage move up or down. This is normal. If there is a problem, an alert will be displayed. The battery can be discharged at idle if the electrical loads are very high. This is true for all vehicles. This is because the generator (alternator) may not be spinning fast enough at idle to produce all the power that is needed for very high electrical loads. A high electrical load occurs when several of the following are on, such as: headlamps, high beams, fog lamps, rear window defogger, climate control fan at high speed, heated seats, engine cooling fans, trailer loads, and loads plugged into accessory power outlets. EPM works to prevent excessive discharge of the battery. It does this by balancing the generator's output and the vehicle's electrical needs. It can increase engine idle speed to generate more power, whenever needed. It can temporarily reduce the power demands of some accessories. Normally, these actions occur in steps or levels, without being noticeable. In rare cases at the highest levels of corrective action, this action may be noticeable to the driver. If so, a Driver Information Center (DIC) message might be displayed, such as BATTERY SAVER ACTIVE, BATTERY VOLTAGE LOW, or LOW BATTERY. If this message is displayed, it is recommended that the driver reduce the electrical loads as much as possible. See DIC Warnings and Messages on page 4‑63.

[BigBadSierra]

I've seen batteries go out with new Alternators.. Have it tested to see if it's still okay.

[Jsdirt]

It's normal for them to get pretty hot. Not hot enough to boil water, but hot enough to be extremely unpleasant to hold a hand on.