flickering lights

[GHedger]

My 2008 Sterling Chassis is experiencing fluttering or flickering head lights, dash lights, marker lights. Has any one dealt with this issue? This is what Im experiencing when it starts to happen. All lights will be fine and the I will notice the headlights(or dash or marker lights) start to flicker, at that time my voltage guage will start to drop from normal to just below 14 volts. I have found that when I turn the blower motor on high, the voltage will go back to normal and all lights will also go back to normal. I have checked grounds under hood, cleaned battery connections and tested batteries. After cleaning batteries the issue appaired to worsen just a bit. Through my research I have found it to many possible causes such as alternator,TIPM, Headlight switch, grounds and connections at TIPM. This issue is completley separate from the normal headlight dim/heater grid cycle.

 

[lpennock]

Have you check your Battery Crossover cable especially since it got worse when you cleaned the connections?

 

[GHedger]

I did not see anything out of the ordinary with that cable.

 

[lpennock]

You need to do voltage drop measurements under load. That cable has a tendency to go bad with out external indications. Since the truck charges on the passenger battery but reads all the voltages on the drivers battery if it goes bad it causes all kinds of problems.

 

[MLee]

Could it be corrosion on the driver side of the cable lug? Mine is 20 yrs old and is still working fine but it needes to be addressed, looks like corrosion is starting.

 

[lpennock]

Could it be corrosion on the driver side of the cable lug? Mine is 20 yrs old and is still working fine but it needes to be addressed, looks like corrosion is starting.

Not sure about 1st or 2nd Gen but on 3rd Gen corrosion on either end is a problem waiting to happen. When the cable goes bad it cooks the passenger battery.

Leonard Pennock (AD7AS)
Sent with Tapatalk

 

[GHedger]

The cable has checked out to be ok. I did however replace the headlight switch and after two nights of driving around I have not experienced the issue yet again. It would usually happen within 10-20 minutes of driving. I did also check and clean connections at the TIPM. My fingers are crossed at the moment in hope of the problem being solved. I will update soon.