blinking 'check guages' light 91 LeBarob

Hello All:

My 1991 LeBaron and I celebrated 16 years together and 90K miles on
October 2nd; it has been a good relationship, so far! Even the original
a-sick-o-four is shifting smooth!

Anyhow, I noticed back in the summer when idling in drive, and the AC
on, when the fan+compressor cycled on, the check guages light would
blink. This is the little triangular light that has the combination of
oil, battery, and hot signs in the lower left corner of the dash.

Now, I noticed last night that shifting from park into reverse with the
headlights on caused the same blink.

Codes as of this morning are 12 and 55, and my battery is a one year
old DieHard gold. It is a 3.0V6+A604 car.

I just checked the battery voltage tonight; 13.8V at idle in park with
headlights, radio, and blower motor on high.

I guess it is probably the alternator starting to go, but perhaps it
could be a 'delay' in the loop of the voltage regulator, too. That
could be the computer, or corrision on a harness somewhere, I guess?
Anyhow, replacement of the alternator looks straightforward. Pop the
serpentine belt, and two bolts, right?

This is the original alternator. From past experience with other car's
alternators, I want a quality rebuild. NAPA maybe, no AutoZone, or
Kragens. Does MOPAR have rebuilds?

So, any suggestions? I assume this is an early warning that something
is about to break.

Thanks for any advice!

Bill

 

Been a long time since I worked on that model, but normally when the check
gauge lite turns on, it wants you to do just that...CHECK THE GAUGES. What
makes you think its a alternator problem? When you have all the accessories
running at idle that's putting a load on the engine. Have you checked the
oil level or even oil pressure? That's a gauge.

Just a thought
Glenn Beasley
Chrysler Tech

 

Oil seems to be fine on the dipstick, but no guage. I have voltmeter
and temp only as guages. The voltmeter seems to be mid-scale, and the
temp guage is generally always 1/4 scale.

I figured alternator since it seems to blink whenever there is an
electrical change. For example, when the radiator fan begins to turn
on, the link will blink. When the AC compressor cycles, the light will
blink. At idle, with many accessories on, even the cycling of the turn
signal will cause a faint blink of the check guages light.

You are a Chrysler Tech that commented that you do not see many of
these; I wish my local Chrysler dealer would work on this car, they
always treated me right.

Thanks for the reply,

 

What you described sounds like the voltage goal has dropped below specs. A
good alternator output test and battery test should be done.
Have you asked you local dealer to work on it?

Glenn

 

Thanks again for your reply.

I had the car at the local dealer two years ago for the famous 3.0V6
oil leak problems. They did a great job at a fair price. When I picked
up the car, the service manager said the car was getting old, and MOPAR
parts are starting to become scarce, and I should start looking for an
independant mechanic to work on the car.

I may take the alternator off this weekend and have it bench tested at
AutoZone. I just do not like their cheap rebuilt parts.

Take care,

 

That's one of the biggest reasons why we don't see them anymore. Most parts
are not available thru Chrysler and we cant warranty after market parts,
they will not stand behind the part and labor for 12/12.
If im not mistaken that vehicle had a circuit board that was behind the dash
that made that lite go on. If the circuit board failed it would make the
lite turn on as the accessories were turned on. You may want to look into it
more.
Just a thought

Glenn

 

There used to be a regular poster named *spikey* that had a 1991 Le
Baron convert. He ran a website that had lots of useful information
regarding typical problems and repairs with this vehicle. At the time,
he was a student at Arizona State.

If anyone knows if he still has a website up somewhere, it was very
useful.

-KM

 

Hi...

http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?action=info&ring=lebaronconvertible

Take care.

Ken

 

Well, I do not know what to do next. AutoZone tested the alternator,
and it passed the load test and diode test. I guess I'll lte a shop
look at it next week.
Thanks for all of the advice, and have a nice day,
Bill

 

The alt may have tested out good. The engine controller is what determines
the output of the alternator by trying to maintain a certain voltage goal by
grounding the field circuit of the alternator. Did you check to see if there
were any fault codes stored?

 

I just checked the fault codes tonight; 12 and 55.

Again, I put on the high beams, fan blower to high, hazard flashers on,
etc. Voltage at the battery is 14.0V.

Put the car in drive, and the battery voltage is 13.3V, an dthe check
guages light comes on.

Should I just try a rebuilt alternator?

Thanks again for your help,

Bill

 

<snipped 'cause it was getting awful long, and now top posted>

Hi Bill...

Not a mechanic, just an old retired electrical guy who loves
cars... but I can tell you that 12 and 55 aren't "faults";
they're the beginning and end markers of the fault test, so
you have no faults recorded.

And I can tell you with certainty that replacing your alternator
at this point would just be a waste of your time and money.

A thought... have you checked the various and sundry ground
points on the engine block and frame? I'm guessing the
mechanics here will tell you where the likely suspects are
on your car.

Good luck, and take care.

Ken

 

An alternator would be a waste, I wish I could answer your question. I still
think on that year/model there is a circuit board behind the cluster that
controls that lite. If I remember tomorrow when I go to work I will see if
there are still books around for that model. In the mean time you may want
to have a scan test done on the BCM to see if there are any fault codes.

Glenn

 

Forget about the BCM thing

Glenn

 

You know, the light was on on my way home from work, and I pulled into
an auto parts store for a charging test. They rolled out their machine,
and tested the system. The "diode pattern" was good, and the charging
system showed 97 amps available. The battery tested good with "95%
predicted life" left.

Now I am wondering if it is an oil sender unit, or low oil pressure? I
do not hear lifter noise, but it seems that three conditions must
exsist to turn on this light:

1) Car has to be warm.
2) Car must be at idle.
3) Car must be in drive.

If I shift to N, the light will go off, if I gently raise the idle with
the gas, the light will go off.

I'm taking tha car into a shop tomorrow, against my better judgement.
It has been my experience that Chrysler products are actually more
reliable the further you keep thme from the shop.

Thanks again for your time, Glenn.

Bill

 

I think that is what my first reply was. Checking oil pressure/replace oil
sending unit

Glenn

 

Glenn, you were right on the money. Tonight I put the car up on ramps,
and noticed that the connector to the oil sender was soaked in oil.
When I unpluged the connector to the oil sender, OIL SQUIRTED OUT. The
oil sender was leaking badly out it's connectors.

Local Checker had one in stock for $25.49 tax included.

A little advice, remove the oil filter first before tackling this
sensor; I arced the wrench across the starter; lots of sparks. With the
oil filter out of the way, it is a 1 minute swap.

Drove the car around for almost 17 miles tonight, in traffic. NO IDIOT
LIGHTS!

Glad I can keep my trusty LeBaron!

Thank you for your time; you are an asset to this newsgroup. I wish
ther was something I could do for you, kind sir.

Bill

 

Well im getting ready to go on a golf trip for a week in about 20 min. I do
need a new golf cart, my irons haven't been doing well on the fairways
either...a new set of those would be nice.
No seriously, Im glad you got it fixed. it is a fairly easy repair and a
common one too. I see it all the time. Just make sure you take the connector
apart or the lite could come back on.

Glenn