Dim interior lights
#1
03-15-2008, 01:27 AM
Dim interior lights
I own a 2000 seville sls(71,000). Evertime I start the car up ,the interior dash lights are very dim in the beginning. As soon as I start driving the lights go back to there normal bright state. Is this the battery or something much more serious?
#2
03-15-2008, 04:59 AM
RE: Dim interior lights
Details are important, when diagnosing problems. Are the lights dim before, during, or after the car starts?
A healthy battery that is not being significantly drawn upon will present very close to 12.0 volts DC to the system, when your car is off. When current is drawn from the battery, series resistance will cause a voltage drop, which impairs the ability to perform work. Even the healthiest of systems has series resistance; it's normal and inevitable. But dirty contact space (thus high series resistance) between battery terminal and battery cable, etc., can cause problems that are not obvious to the uninitiated. An old battery, furthermore, will develop inordinate INTERNAL series resistance, which is manifested by excessive voltage drop IMMEDIATELY BETWEEN the battery terminals when the car is being cranked, or, to a lesser extent, when the headlights are on AND THE CAR IS OFF.
A normal automobile electrical system will operate at 13.8 +/- 0.2 volts DC when the car is on. Notice that this is NOT a "12 volt" system, except nominally. As such, the lights will be brighter, and the electric windows will operate more vigorously, when the car is on, than when it is off.
My guess is that your battery is old, IF the problem you speak of is more pronounced than it used to be. If your battery is of the "wet" variety, with vents, you might have someone check to see that the plates are covered with water. Investigate the age of your battery; they die right on schedule, even under the best of cir***stances.
You can never have a battery that is "too capable." So, unless you want to ask for trouble, verify that your battery is in very good shape. Cadillacs are electrically complex, and cannot be "roll started," like stick-shift vehicles. No, I have not seen any elderly Cadillac drivers roll-starting their El Dorados...ever. A healthy battery, and charging system, is vital. It is a good idea to have someone verify that, when the car is ON, 13.8 volts is present across the battery terminals, to get minimal assurance that your battery will be charged while you drive. (Repeat: This is only the minimal test; it is necesary, but not sufficient, to assure proper charging.) Then, to get a bit more assurance, turn on the headlights and observe that the voltage returns promptly to that 13.8 level. Allow +/- .2 volts, without the least concern.
Too much voltage will cook your battery. Too little will leave you stranded, and, as Murphy said, at the worst possible moment.
A healthy battery that is not being significantly drawn upon will present very close to 12.0 volts DC to the system, when your car is off. When current is drawn from the battery, series resistance will cause a voltage drop, which impairs the ability to perform work. Even the healthiest of systems has series resistance; it's normal and inevitable. But dirty contact space (thus high series resistance) between battery terminal and battery cable, etc., can cause problems that are not obvious to the uninitiated. An old battery, furthermore, will develop inordinate INTERNAL series resistance, which is manifested by excessive voltage drop IMMEDIATELY BETWEEN the battery terminals when the car is being cranked, or, to a lesser extent, when the headlights are on AND THE CAR IS OFF.
A normal automobile electrical system will operate at 13.8 +/- 0.2 volts DC when the car is on. Notice that this is NOT a "12 volt" system, except nominally. As such, the lights will be brighter, and the electric windows will operate more vigorously, when the car is on, than when it is off.
My guess is that your battery is old, IF the problem you speak of is more pronounced than it used to be. If your battery is of the "wet" variety, with vents, you might have someone check to see that the plates are covered with water. Investigate the age of your battery; they die right on schedule, even under the best of cir***stances.
You can never have a battery that is "too capable." So, unless you want to ask for trouble, verify that your battery is in very good shape. Cadillacs are electrically complex, and cannot be "roll started," like stick-shift vehicles. No, I have not seen any elderly Cadillac drivers roll-starting their El Dorados...ever. A healthy battery, and charging system, is vital. It is a good idea to have someone verify that, when the car is ON, 13.8 volts is present across the battery terminals, to get minimal assurance that your battery will be charged while you drive. (Repeat: This is only the minimal test; it is necesary, but not sufficient, to assure proper charging.) Then, to get a bit more assurance, turn on the headlights and observe that the voltage returns promptly to that 13.8 level. Allow +/- .2 volts, without the least concern.
Too much voltage will cook your battery. Too little will leave you stranded, and, as Murphy said, at the worst possible moment.
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