Headlights always flickering

[Bldragon41]

So I have purchased a 2013 Silverado. About a month after I purchased it, I started having some issues. I would go through a certain area and then for no reason it would say that the traction and stabilitytrk are off. I took it to where I bought it and they said that my alternator was bad. Had that changed. That was two years ago. 
 

Fast forward to today. Now my headlights are always flickering. Not so much when I am driving, but the moment I slow down they start flickering again. I have taken it in to a dealer, they said my alternator was bad again. I took it to a mechanic and they test the alternator and they say it’s fine. But they did find dirty grounds. So they cleaned up the grounds. Even after they cleaned up the grounds, my lights still flicker. According to them, it’s because of the way the alternator is designed.

 

So I was wondering if there could be something else going on that nobody is seeing or finding. It’s getting rather annoying always seeing my headlights flickering all the time. 

[swathdiver]

19 hours ago, Bldragon41 said:

So I have purchased a 2013 Silverado. About a month after I purchased it, I started having some issues. I would go through a certain area and then for no reason it would say that the traction and stabilitytrk are off. I took it to where I bought it and they said that my alternator was bad. Had that changed. That was two years ago. 
 

Fast forward to today. Now my headlights are always flickering. Not so much when I am driving, but the moment I slow down they start flickering again. I have taken it in to a dealer, they said my alternator was bad again. I took it to a mechanic and they test the alternator and they say it’s fine. But they did find dirty grounds. So they cleaned up the grounds. Even after they cleaned up the grounds, my lights still flicker. According to them, it’s because of the way the alternator is designed.

 

So I was wondering if there could be something else going on that nobody is seeing or finding. It’s getting rather annoying always seeing my headlights flickering all the time. 

Look up RVC and EPM to understand how your system works.  Your battery is going bad.  Also check your grounds and the cables for corrosion.  Make sure you only use OEM parts, especially the alternator.

 

Now you can unplug the RVC system and the alternator will go to full output, it is the 3-pin connector just off the battery on the negative cable right off the terminal.  That should stop the lights flickering until you get the battery replaced and or grounds and wires cleaned up and replaced too.

 

Merry Christmas!

[Bldragon41]

26 minutes ago, swathdiver said:

Look up RVC and EPM to understand how your system works.  Your battery is going bad.  Also check your grounds and the cables for corrosion.  Make sure you only use OEM parts, especially the alternator.

 

Now you can unplug the RVC system and the alternator will go to full output, it is the 3-pin connector just off the battery on the negative cable right off the terminal.  That should stop the lights flickering until you get the battery replaced and or grounds and wires cleaned up and replaced too.

 

Merry Christmas!

Thank you! When I took it to the mechanic, they did clean the grounds. They were corroded. They did test the battery as well and they did tell me that my battery was less than half of its life. So once I change the battery, the flickering should stop, correct?

[swathdiver]

35 minutes ago, Bldragon41 said:

Thank you! When I took it to the mechanic, they did clean the grounds. They were corroded. They did test the battery as well and they did tell me that my battery was less than half of its life. So once I change the battery, the flickering should stop, correct?

It should but you could have corrosion inside of your cables.  If it is really bad on the ends, it usually gets bad inside the insulation.  You can look up how to measure the resistance of the cables and what numbers to look for.  I've had two vehicles with RVC and notice that as the battery weakens, the flickering becomes more prominent and mine is flickering more often now and the battery is three years old which is ancient for Florida!

[Bldragon41]

On 12/24/2019 at 9:44 AM, swathdiver said:

It should but you could have corrosion inside of your cables.  If it is really bad on the ends, it usually gets bad inside the insulation.  You can look up how to measure the resistance of the cables and what numbers to look for.  I've had two vehicles with RVC and notice that as the battery weakens, the flickering becomes more prominent and mine is flickering more often now and the battery is three years old which is ancient for Florida!

So I looked on the battery.  I didn't see anything right off of the negative terminal.  But I did see something that was on the cable that goes to the negative terminal.  Is that the same thing?

[swathdiver]

5 hours ago, Bldragon41 said:

So I looked on the battery.  I didn't see anything right off of the negative terminal.  But I did see something that was on the cable that goes to the negative terminal.  Is that the same thing?

Yep, that's it.

[Bldragon41]

On 12/26/2019 at 9:01 PM, swathdiver said:

Yep, that's it.

Cool!! Thank you very much for your help. I greatly appreciate it.