sorry for the lack of info. here is the whole story. when i first go to crank the car it turns over but then cuts out. the second time i crank it, it turns over and i apply the gas pedal and it comes to life. if right after that i take my foot off the gas pedal, the rpms go from about 10 to below 10 and back and forth, sputtering a bit, and the battery light comes on. if i give it gas again the light goes off and i usually keep it between 10 and 20 rpms. after a few minutes when the engine warms up, i can take my foot off the gas and it stays at 10 rpms and idles fine. so then i put it in reverse, and it does what it did in the beginning, until i give it gas and back up. after that i put it in drive and go. while driving there isn't a problem. the volts stay at about 13 (also 13 when in park) when i come to a stop light, the volts drop to about 11 or 10. and sometimes (not all the time) the engine will sound like it's skipping a beat and the battery light will fade in and out. as soon as i go again when the light turns green, the volts go back up and it's fine. i thought it might be the alternator on account of the volts moving with acceleration. the thing about the battery light is that it will sometimes come on when the volts read fine. but i'm not entirely sure about the gauge accuracy. deff need to hook a voltameter and read it myself. --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "Harold McElraft" <hmcelraft@...> wrote: > > There are soooooo many things that could cause the light to come on at > idle, in gear, that it is too much to take a shot. It could be as > straight forward as your idle is too low - but that is a whole set of > other issues. > > We need much more info. Like what is the rpm in gear and at idle? What > are the volts - at idle and driving? Anything else noticeable? Has the > electrical system resistance been checked? > > Harold McElraft - 3354 > > > > --- In dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, "rydelo81" <rydelo81@> wrote: > > > > hello. sorry to keep perpetuating the battery/alternator > discussion. > > just having a problem. i just put in a new battery. now i notice > that > > whenever i put the car in reverse or drive, at times the rpms drop > and > > then go up and the battery light comes on. as soon as i start > driving > > it's fine and the light goes off. i'm sure i need a new alternator. > > but just wanted to check and see if any of you think it's a different > > problem causing this. sorry if this is stupid, but does putting the > > car in drive or reverse put more strain on the alternator, and will > > getting a new one fix the problem? in park or while driving it's > > fine. thanks for any help you can offer. ryan the newb out. vin3932 > > > To address comments privately to the moderating team, please address: moderators@xxxxxxxxxxx For more info on the list, tech articles, cars for sale see www.dmcnews.com To search the archives or view files, log in at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews Yahoo! Groups Links <*> To visit your group on the web, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/ <*> Your email settings: Individual Email | Traditional <*> To change settings online go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/dmcnews/join (Yahoo! ID required) <*> To change settings via email: mailto:dmcnews-digest@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx mailto:dmcnews-fullfeatured@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to: dmcnews-unsubscribe@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx <*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to: http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/