should i get alternater/battery checked?

[ztlonewolf]

ok,i drive a 08 3dr,it has 34,000 miles on it,lately i have been noticing at night that when i apply the brakes,all the lights go dim and then brighten back up,is this a problem i should have checked, or am i just being a worry wart seeing how the warranty is almost done,there are no warning lights whatsoever and i have no problems starting the car,any ideas?

[jambo101]

Something sounds like its not working right,could be defective alternator or battery,i'd definitely bring it to the dealers attention..

[supmet]

sounds like the alternator... and yes you should have it checked

[talnlnky]

sounds normal to me... unless the dimming is HUGE or you notice your engine start to hiccup/drop rpm's at the same time.

go ahead and have your bat and alt checked cause its winter.... but really... lights dim... its what they do... a .5 volt dip can cause noticeable light dimming.

Upgrade the alt to chassis ground, and battery chassis ground cables to 4awg or 1/0awg to help improve your electrical system's efficiency. Shouldn't cost you more than $20... buy your cable at a welding supply store, its much cheaper and just as good, if not better than the wire you'll buy anywhere else.

[chongopants]

yeah when it engages the other lights that increases the load on the system, and at the same time the RPMs are dropping considerably, you should see a serious drop in voltage. If you wanna be sure measure the voltage while this is occurring, you will see it go from as high as 16v to as low 12v, depending on the variance in your alt....

[Black Yaris]

just take it to the dealership and tell them you have a concern, that is what a new car warranty is for

[ztlonewolf]

i appreciate all the help guys,definetly gonna take to the dealership,although i took the time to check it tonight and what is causing the lights to dim is the drop in rpm when i depress the clutch to stop,not the brake engaging,it drops below the idle speed and the ecm brings it back up,it just started doing this recently

[supmet]

i appreciate all the help guys,definetly gonna take to the dealership,although i took the time to check it tonight and what is causing the lights to dim is the drop in rpm when i depress the clutch to stop,not the brake engaging,it drops below the idle speed and the ecm brings it back up,it just started doing this recently

That's definitely the alternator going bad, and its not normal.

[Sir A.Y. Atoyot]

Definitely not normal. Could be the alternator, the battery or both. Unless it's still on warranty, get it checked at a proper auto electric shop where they can do a load test. If it is on warranty, the dealer is your friend.

[gonzo452001]

Try cleaning your battery cables. my alternator started whinning when it went bad cost $780.00 at the stealer

[b_hickman11]

ok,i drive a 08 3dr,it has 34,000 miles on it,lately i have been noticing at night that when i apply the brakes,all the lights go dim and then brighten back up,is this a problem i should have checked, or am i just being a worry wart seeing how the warranty is almost done,there are no warning lights whatsoever and i have no problems starting the car,any ideas?

Take it to the dealer ASAP since you are close to the 36,000 mile mark...Unless you have the extended warranty.

[ztlonewolf]

ok,i finally got it to the dealer,they ran a check on everything (so they say) and found nothing wrong,told me it was normal for the yaris to do that,which i find funny since it just started doing it about a month ago.

i would like to ask,anyone that has the time or thinks of it at the time,to check to see if your yaris does this,i have no mods,everything is stock and i'm usually just running the heater,radio,headlights(bright or dim) and the driving lights,thanx

[schleppy]

I would take it to another dealer, that doesn't sound like normal behavior at all.

[yaris-me]

Buy a new battery, cheap insurance.