Altenator
Asked by Alex716534 Aug 20, 2019 at 11:54 AM about the 2006 Dodge Magnum SE RWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My alternator just totally failed, caused my car to
die in an intersection. i was able to get it home
with a new battery then disconnected it until i can
install a new one. Just wondering if that would
cause my speedometer to not function at all and
cause my brake light to stay on? Thanks for the
help.
1 Answer
lincolnscott49 answered 5 years ago
First of all let me explain why your alternator failed. It failed due to lack of charge in the battery or bad battery. If a battery is low on charge the alternator will work overtime trying to keep the car running and charge the battery. Basically an alternator is designed to put out about 14.5 amps to recharge your battery from what was used to start the car. this takes about 7 miles of travel to accomplish. If the battery is low on charge or needed to be jumped due to a dead battery the alternator will increase amperage output to try and overcome the low battery. Thus the internal voltage regulator inside the alternator will burn up. Never run a vehicle with a low or faulty battery. If a battery goes dead or needs to be jumped have it charged and tested before cranking the car . The answer to your question is no but is the cause of the battery draw and low battery. As far as the brake lights staying on it is most likely the brake light switch or actuator. ..... https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-brake-light-switch ........ this is how to find it ......https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=barke+lights+stay+on+problem&view=detail&mid=A8A222A9F74492C77662A8A222A9F74492C77662&FORM=VIRE...... Remember after you make the repair charge the battery fully or get out your wallet to buy another alternator. as far as the interment cluster problem in the speedometer that's controlled by a different circuit. Try to reset the cluster watch this video .... https://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=2006+Dodge+Magnum+SE+speedometer+failure&&view=detail&mid=5F5B6FD792D99DC7ACB45F5B6FD792D99DC7ACB4&rvsmid=F052EF2C8A191574CB9DF052EF2C8A191574CB9D&FORM=VDQVAP