Newbie Questions - What is normal?
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 645
From: Oklahoma
Well, it may be somewhat common on the H3, but I still maintain that it is not "normal", as evidenced by the fact that only some do it. Mine does not. Many others' who posted also do not. Even the link you provided showed an owner that did extensive testing, while driving, under varied conditions, and saw only a 0.1 volt variation; not enough to cause dimming. THAT is normal behavior.
My Alpha has the same engine and trans as my wife's '06 4wd Tahoe LT. The computerized systems are no more or less complex on either vehicle. Neither exhibits dimming behavior, nor has any vehicle I've ever owned in nearly 40 years of driving, from a 1967 VW Baja Bug to a 2015 Corolla, unless there was a problem.
And the claim (in one of those posts) that the H3 alternator "turns off" during low demand periods is also wrong; output dips, but never stops. NO vehicle is designed to run off the battery only; a battery is there for starting. Once running, 100% of any vehicle's electrical needs are provided by the alternator, and if anything, a newer vehicle should be more consistent with providing the required voltage than an older vehicle. Computers react much faster than the human eye can discern.
If the headlights are dimming noticeably, something is not quite at 100%. Will it cause problems (other than minor annoyance)? Maybe not, but it is not right.
Failing battery terminals on the H3 are common, but they are not "normal". TRACTION FAILED/SERVICE STABILITRAC errors are common, but not " normal ". PO651 CEL codes are common, but... So unless you can point me to a printed response from GM saying it's normal, I guess we'll still have to agree to disagree.
My Alpha has the same engine and trans as my wife's '06 4wd Tahoe LT. The computerized systems are no more or less complex on either vehicle. Neither exhibits dimming behavior, nor has any vehicle I've ever owned in nearly 40 years of driving, from a 1967 VW Baja Bug to a 2015 Corolla, unless there was a problem.
And the claim (in one of those posts) that the H3 alternator "turns off" during low demand periods is also wrong; output dips, but never stops. NO vehicle is designed to run off the battery only; a battery is there for starting. Once running, 100% of any vehicle's electrical needs are provided by the alternator, and if anything, a newer vehicle should be more consistent with providing the required voltage than an older vehicle. Computers react much faster than the human eye can discern.
If the headlights are dimming noticeably, something is not quite at 100%. Will it cause problems (other than minor annoyance)? Maybe not, but it is not right.
Failing battery terminals on the H3 are common, but they are not "normal". TRACTION FAILED/SERVICE STABILITRAC errors are common, but not " normal ". PO651 CEL codes are common, but... So unless you can point me to a printed response from GM saying it's normal, I guess we'll still have to agree to disagree.
Senior Member
Joined: May 2012
Posts: 2,005
jfwiw,, i took a 20 mi round trip to shop,under 50 mph,watched the volts on sg2 go from 13.2 to 14 .2 without my help!, at random. at best a .2v change on speed up/dn.
when i came to a quik complete stop the volts didnt change much,no dimming,BUT, as the nose dipped it appeared to dim as the light dropped on the road.
at times a light touch on brakes seemed to cause a brighter light but that is not for sure,my eyes!
the gen control makes a lot of decisions quickly/constantly for what reason??, who knows.
i dont feel that i have any elect trouble with my h3,,,normal!
oh, ugly solid brass batt terminals.
when i came to a quik complete stop the volts didnt change much,no dimming,BUT, as the nose dipped it appeared to dim as the light dropped on the road.
at times a light touch on brakes seemed to cause a brighter light but that is not for sure,my eyes!
the gen control makes a lot of decisions quickly/constantly for what reason??, who knows.
i dont feel that i have any elect trouble with my h3,,,normal!
oh, ugly solid brass batt terminals.
Last edited by happythree; Dec 18, 2015 at 11:36 PM.
Senior Member
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 101
From: Suffolk County, New York
Having common problems with a vehicle, is not normal. If this was the case, there would not be any CEL or messages flashing across the board. RE: Heating resistor recall. GM sees it as a common problem so they issued a recall. It is not normal for the truck to catch fire, it is not normal for all the error codes to flash because of the battery terminals, its PARANORMAL. LOL!!
Senior Member
Joined: Jun 2015
Posts: 794
From: SoCal
You are correct.
????? That's exactly what I said. They are common. They are not normal.
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