P01682 came back on after about a month.
I was driving at night with wipers an lights on an after starting it back at the gas station ,about a mile driving ,the check guage light comes on an i look an see the battery guage dropping fast ..I cut all the lights an things off as driving an still dropping..I parked it an checked codes ,that same one ,an I disconnected battery cables a few minutes ,hit the alernator a few times ,hook it back up an started it an it read 13.6 an stayed there -even as going home-1 mile ..
I had already replaced alternator though old one said "good " on bench test.
I thought the alternator wire may have been a factor too but now i see its not.
Im hoping its not the dreaded voltage regulator inside the pcm.
Besides connectors an grounds what else shpuld i check? Is there a battery temp reading that factors it?
An if i were to look at a external voltage regulator what steps an which one would I need ?
Any info is appreciated!

 

Yeah, there should be a battery temp sensor under the battery. If you have a scan tool that can read live data, checking that sensor when the problem presents itself might help.

 

Thanks..i will surely look at that sensor .
i saw a video that showed how to use a digital meter to test it an they put the sensor in the freezer 1st an tested ohms changes .I did that test with a AC defrost switch once..
Will that work? ,i dont think my Elm has that reading on the program ..
Or is there another way to test it ?
I may just throw a used on it an see if it happens again ..
Any info is appreciated.


QUOTE=HeyYou;3517138]Yeah, there should be a battery temp sensor under the battery. If you have a scan tool that can read live data, checking that sensor when the problem presents itself might help.[/QUOTE]

 

Yeah, that test should work as a baseline at least.

 

Is there any fusing in that wire that goes from tbe alternator to battery area.I see a lot of dakotas have a different wire attatched before battery like its fused ,Can that be a culprit also.
Pics show better



Looks like its on a lot of dakotas !
Not just a single straight wire..
I wanted to check all my grounds an that odd looking couple of wires .
[ These are from many other dakotas an mine is similar]
Gonna try that battery temp sensor soon too..
So far its doing great again ..after a lot of alternator test but i still dont trust it wont happen again at night when wipers are on an the system is more stressed.
Thanks

 

That looks a lot like a fusible link......

 

That is a fusible link, and the nice thing about them is they're either working 100 percent, or they're open. When the fusible link gets over loaded the wire melts through.

I think I'd just replace the alternator with one that has an internal voltage regulator.

 

Yes thats a great idea on replacing alternator with one that has a voltage regulator ,but will the pcm no longer see a error in voltage an remain in check every cycle when you restart ,or can it still get a voltage regulator code ?

An which alternator should I look at getting with regulator built in? Would the ones on a ram or a newer dakota work or do those too all have the regulator in the pcm?
Im hoping its just a ground or battery temp issue though..
Thanks

 

Think I would be more inclined to go with an external regulator, and stock-style alternator, to avoid the constant check engine light whining about the alternator.....