Electrical issue on 02 1500 with 5.3

[Black02Silverado]

Just notice it more now that I have to drive my truck, the jetta is down for tires awaiting for them to come in. While I drive into work the one road is only 25mph and has some turns in it. When I give the truck some gas and then let up fast on the throttle the lights dim for a second and then get bright again. I noticed that my volt gage goes from 14.5 volts to 12 and then back up to 14.5 when the lights dim. It doesn't do it every time but it does do it every day. The truck has 71k miles on it. I'm not an electrical person. Seems like something could be going out in the voltage regulator in the alternator. Does that sound right?

[Black02Silverado]

Bump.

[bossier62guy]

You might want to have your charging system checked out. Are you still using your original battery?

[Black02Silverado]

No, just installed an Optima Red top.

[bossier62guy]

That's what I'm running in my 02 as well....you might want to get that alternator checked out. Just curious, was your old Delco battery leaking when you removed it? If so you might want to check that positive connector real closely as well.

[Black02Silverado]

Yep, the Delco battery was leaking. The dealer replaced it even though it wasn't under warranty anymore. So when the battery in our Venture started to leak, also out of warranty, I put the new Delco in the Venture and put the Optima in the Silverado. I checked and cleaned up the positive and neg leads really well. They didn't get much acid since I caught the leak really early. I guess I can go back under there and check them again in case they did get hit more than I expected. You never know. Thanks.

[Newfydad]

"There is a small diaphragm-like actuator that touches the throttle linkage called the deceleration dashpot. The purpose of this is to allow the rpm of the engine to come down to about high-idle before slamming the throttle plate shut and causing a near stalling behavior."

 

Sorry I had to borrow this quote from another article - I didnt know how to describe the dashpot and its function in 100 words or less.

 

I'm going back a few years, and I dont know if the newer gas engines still use the physical dashpot or if its all electronic nowadays.....but if you have a dashpot or the electronic equivalent, it sounds like it isnt functioning properly and probably needs adjustment or repair to prevent that near-stall condition.

 

I dont think you need to worry about your charging system if the dimming lights only occur when you quickly let off the gas at relatively low speed.