JC05GXP

So, i've been getting this frequently for the last week or so "Charging system failure" on the DIC. I looked at the voltage in the battery display and it is over 15v when this message appears and after the message it drops down to normal 13-14v. The battery is a 1.5 year old optima and I checked the battery voltage at rest and its 12.65 and it has no trouble starting. My guess is the voltage regulator on the alternator is going flaky but I wanted some opinions. Thanks!

Hawkins04

iTrader: (4)

I would take it to autozone or where ever and have them test the battery and alternator. Then go from there

Brian396

iTrader: (3)

This happened to me from time to time. It hasn’t happened in a couple of months so I wouldn’t worry about it if it doesn’t get worse.

JC05GXP

Well that's the thing, I've had this before once or twice, but its happened 4 times this week. Can autozone test it in the car?

rm08gxp

Ive seen autozone pass bad parts and fail good ones, monitor your charging voltage with a multimeter and make sure its within range with the dic. if ur barely going into 15's i wouldnt worry about it. a good charging system will run 14.6-14.8vdc all day. In the electrical world you are alowed a +/- 10% so like 13.2-15.5v is ok in my book.
What was your purpose for the optima? Do you run any hid's or audio?

autozone can test your charging system in the car but a bench test should be done on the alt with it removed should they say your reg is going. That way you have 2 tests saying its a problem.

I have found my dic to be off half the times i tested and . Not that its off per say, just that it seems to be behind and laggy which leads me to have concern with the accuracy.
HTH

Brian396

iTrader: (3)

Yeah I’m almost sure we have the same thing going on. I’ve had it happen 3 times in one day, and it always dropped back down. My Optima is about 2 years old.
I don’t know what AutoZone could test?
I’m thinking it’s the voltage regulator also.

spydog

My car did the same thing a month ago 4 times on a trip since than it hasn't happened agen

JC05GXP

rm, I have HID fogs and headlights, but mostly I just didn't want to change the damn battery again if I didn't have to. I'll check the voltage running and compare to what the DIC says.

JC05GXP

So the DIC is within .1V of my multi-meter, not bad. On a whim I put the car on the battery charger a couple days ago. It wasn't dead but wasn't fully charged either. I sometimes do a lot of short trips around town running my girls to dance class and what not. Since then, no messages and voltage has never gotten above 14.9, usually 13.8-14.8. Maybe it was just trying to charge it as much as it could? I dunno, but I think I'll keep an eye on it for now and see what happens.

twomorestrokes

Ours flashes the warning about once a week for just a second on the highway. (?}