voltage issue

My trucks voltage indicator keeps maxing out on me,by voltage indicator i mean the stock one located in the instrument panel of my dash on my 2003 dodge ram .It has never done this before up until now any one have any ideas of what it might be and how i can fix it ?

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-A vision without a plan is just a hallucination-

Has anything been changed/or added to your vehicle, also have you recently had it serviced, new battery, etc..?

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Chadillac

Yes my entire audio system was redone over the last 2 months but it was completed about 2 weeks ago and the problem is just now occuring. No new battery or any kind of service recently done

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-A vision without a plan is just a hallucination-

i am an idiot wrote:

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Have you used a volt meter to verify that there is even a problem with the charging system?

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No i have not,what would be the best way to test my electrical system.It only happens now and then no pattern as of yet.Also does not do it on initial start up.

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-A vision without a plan is just a hallucination-

A voltmeter across the battery (to check if battery overcharging) or across the alternator (to check if your electrics are being fried).


I'd suggest to check (undo & re-tighten) all heavy grounding points - ie alternator to bracket to engine to chassis/body, and to battery-.
If these are bad, the alternator can increase voltage to compensate (unless it's a single-wire D+ alternator... usually).

Alright, so I tested the battery with the truck running a it ran pretty stedy @ 13.9 volts ,this is normal corrrect? That is with the charging indicator reading normal,i will test next time indicator maxes out to see if there is a change in voltage.

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-A vision without a plan is just a hallucination-

13.9 at the battery is fine. Typical range is up to 14.4V; 13.8V is an "ideal" long-term voltage with fully charged battery (aka float voltage - often used for 12V equipment ratings); and anything lower may still be charging but not ideal... (13.6V ok; under 13V bad....).

If your "charge indicator" (is that a voltmeter in the dash?) is maxing out (going high > 15V, 16V etc), it may be a faulty indicator...
...or there is a bad connection between the alternator and battery so that the alternator output increases to ensure the battery gets its 13.8-14.4 Volts.

The latter is bad - if the alternator goes to high (typically above 16V), various loads can fail (audio etc; electronics).

I'd check the ground paths. Or unbolt & remove, clean and reassemble. (Metal to metal contact isn't always clean with low resistance!)