Instrument cluster dims under hard acceleration

[kraicekjb]

So after dropping a friend off at the airport today, I hopped on the highway heading home. As I floored it to get passed what appeared to a drunk dumbass I noticed that the instrument cluster along with the rest of the lights on the A/C and doors, dim for 1-2 seconds then return to normal for about 2-3 seconds then will dim again. All while its floored. Once I let off the gas everything is back to normal. Has anyone ever heard of this? Should I be worried about it? Its an 04 Suburban 1500.

[tesnoboy]

Did you straighten out that mess of installed electrical issues you had yet? This could be related to that or a loose belt or failing alternator.

[kraicekjb]

I did find and corrected a short to my dome lights. They tapped the dvd player lights into them and had it all messed up in there. I pulled it all out from the dash to where its mounted and fixed all of that. So it could be a loose belt? I have noticed that when i floor it, alot of the time it squeaks when it gets in the higher rpms. I just thought it needed belt dressing on it.

[tesnoboy]

Belt dressing never cures a worn belt. Just a temporary noise muffler. You need a new belt and I would check out your tensioner and idler pulley for the belt too. I had to change all of those on mine because they were worn and making the belt slip. The age of your vehicle probably warrants it. Good Luck and Merry Christmas fellow Vet!

[MikeNH]

Don't use belt dressing on serpentine belts.

[kraicekjb]

Ok, I'll check them out. How can you tell if a pulley is bad?

 

Merry christmas to you too. It'll be my first christmas home in 2 years.

[tesnoboy]

See if the tensioner and that idler pulley spin freely without binding or bearing noise. If yours are original I would replace them as preventive maintenance especially if you are going to have the truck for awhile. When they seize up they can cause some serious destruction by throwing the belt into hoses, radiator or harnesses. It happened to a friend of mine when his seized and caused his car to overheat and need a tow. He got lucky that no permanent damage occurred.

[kraicekjb]

Damn! Ok, I'm going to check them out. I'll let you know what I find. Thanks.

[tesnoboy]

No problem. Good luck. At least you got a lot better weather to work in than up here. It's 32 degrees today. BBRRRRR!

[kraicekjb]

32? Damn, Yea thats too cold for me. I love Florida.

 

Well they both spin freely and sound good(no sound is good sound..lol) Though, I did notice the belt on the bottom(not the main belt) is old and cracked. So im going to replace this today. Do you know what its called? And what it runs? Thanks.

[tesnoboy]

_{The second belt should be for the AC compressor. So replace both belts and your noise should go away. Make sure you check the tensioner for the AC belt too. Mine was causing additional noise form being old and worn. Is this a 5.3 motor? Just curious.}

[kraicekjb]

Ok, it is a 5.3. And thats what I thought it was but wasnt sure. The main belt looks good. Should I still replace it? Also, the tensioner for the A/C seems pretty easy to pull down (release tension), is that normal?

[tesnoboy]

_{If you can afford it I would just to be safe. You have to take it off anyways to get the AC one off. It should move, but not be too loose to maintain proper tension. Does it spin freely?}

[kraicekjb]

Ok. It moves but seems to maintain tension. It does spin freely, quietly, nice, and smooth. I'll replace both belts and let you know how it goes. Thanks man.

[tesnoboy]

You're Welcome. Sounds like you might have lucked out and only need belts. Definitely need AC down there. ;-)