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  1. Today
  2. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    @Black92GS those harnesses make it to where it plugs poeer straight from the battery rather than the fuse box. In theory if its hooked up like that it should not see a dip since the power wont have to go through the alternator first, right? Or am I mistaken
  3. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Okay sounds good, all of that makes sense! I am going to do the LED bulbs and im looking at a relay kit on ebay! I will update in a few weeks to see if I've gotten any better results.. thank you both for your time and insight. You guys have helped a lot!
  4. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    I don't think that would make a difference here. It's not a headlight specific issue, it's the overall system voltage dropping momentarily and noticeably affecting incandescent/halogen light output and the audible tone from the blower. You can sort of duplicate it by leaving the lights on when you shut the car off. There is a slight but noticeable dim that takes place as the overall voltage drops from ~14 volts to ~12 volts.
  5. primergray

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Maybe you'll want to look into something like this: https://www.summitracing.com/search/part-type/headlight-conversion-harnesses/product-line/united-pacific-headlight-relay-harness-kits
  6. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    I don't believe you have an issue that warrants any concern if i'm being honest. I couldn't see the dimming, but I did hear when it took place. What I think is happening there is this: As you're coasting down, the engine cuts fuel and is freewheeling. Once you drop below to a certain speed/RPM, it will switch back to feeding fuel and to the IAC for idle speed control. The PCM is likely cutting the alternator output momentarily at the same time to make the overall transition smoother and to prevent stalling, but this will also result in a drop from charging voltage to battery voltage and then back. Non PCM controlled alternators monitor the voltage and self regulate based on that. PCM controlled alternators have the PCM monitor the voltage and the draw, and can adjust the alternator output as required. It also means they can reduce or cut the output completely in certain states to prevent other issues. If the alternator output is completely cut momentarily, you will immediately drop from charging voltage to battery voltage and then back once the alternator ramps back up. Halogen lighting output and blower speed will change along with this voltage change.
  7. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Between the 6 and 7 seconds in this video you can see it if you zoom in. Unfortunately lots of light pollution from the other cars so kind of hard to spot 20251218_182451.mp4
  8. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Okay 10-4. After I looked into i saw they were different fuse boxes anyways. So last night took the car for a drive and the wheel speed sensors are all reporting accurately from what we could see. I had a friend monitor while I drive. And of course she didnt wanna actually pulse a whole lot so I couldn't catch a video. I am probably getting some black headlights with LEDs for Christmas.... maybe the LEDs will be the fix since they dont need as much power lol. I am also planning on adding a ground from the engine to the chassis so we shall see. If it still does it after all that im sure ill be back picking your brain thanks again for all fhe great info guys
  9. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Nope. As long as it's all tight and clean it should be OK. The loose aux post was more of an issue on the 1st Gen cars. Those used a brass post and nuts that were very easily stripped out and could cause issues.
  10. Yesterday
  11. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Yeah I cant see a second one on the box and the top post appears to be fine. Its definitely zinc though, do you think a brass replacement would do anything?
  12. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    That's the one. It looks like you took care of it with your wiring upgrade though.
  13. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Okay I will look into it! And are you referring to the post that is on the top of the under hood fuse box? The pics in the forum thats what it looks like. Not the positive battery terminal itself right?
  14. primergray

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Check how hot the auxillary battery terminal gets...mine would get hot and cause voltage drops until I replaced it...previous owners thought it was just going through alternators. I had one of the zinc ones (and one with the bottom threads stripped so it was had a couple of washers for spacers and what appeared to be a Delco radio post nut as well) and replaced it with brass...common issue on the B bodies too, and it's the same process and part number for replacement. Might not apply on a 2000, though... Replacing the Auxiliary Battery Post | Page 3 | Chevy Impala SS Forum
  15. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Please do. That slight voltage sag (dimming/fan speed drop) that took place above when the AC compressor kicked in is 100% normal operation for these cars in my view, and its just a byproduct of how the charging system is programmed to function. It can happen whenever a large electrical load comes on line at low RPM, and It is definitely visible in the headlights when they are on. My 2000 Regal did this all the time, and the factory alternator and the 6 year old battery were still fully functional when I got rid of that car in early 2015.
  16. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Okay 10-4, gonna try and get a video of the lights doing it tonight so you can see!
  17. pwmin

    1995 Monte Carlo No Heat

    I will warm it up later today and check the temp of the tubes again.
  18. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    I'm going to be honest, I don't see an issue there. It cranked just fine, and the dip sounded like the AC compressor kicking on. The slight electrical dip is likely just a product of a slight lag between a large electrical load kicking in and the duty cycle of the alternator being increased adequately to compensate.
  19. mikeytcarter

    new member with 2002 Buick Regal GS

    Hey man I know this is super late reply so you may not even see this, but where did you get the puddle lamps? And were they plug and play or did you have to fab anything to get it mounted?
  20. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Good morning! So last night I took out the ABS fuse while I eas driving around. Unfortunately the headlights would still do the same thing I am still going to look into the sensors today as I do have a random grinding sound that will come and go from the rear, so maybe a bad wheel bearing. That being said do you think its something else since it still did it with the fuse out? I am also attaching a video of what the interior lights do at first start up. The noise and the way the lights act are very similar to the what the headlights do when slowing down. I had my park brake on this morning so didnt check the headlights unfortunately. Thanks in advance for the help, im still new to electrical so excuse my ignorance on next steps! 20251218_072241.mp4
  21. Schurkey

    1995 Monte Carlo No Heat

    Seems unlikely that it would air-lock and then work properly, then air-lock again. Same with plugging the coolant flow path--I can only think of one thing that would plug the heater core sometimes, and not other times. So I'm at a total loss as to why both heater hoses are not "hot" whenever the engine is fully-warm, unless you have a faulty heater-control valve, or heater valve control mechanism--dash controllers, faulty vacuum hoses, etc.
  22. Last week
  23. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Man thank you so much for all the info! Going to dive into this tonight and see what I find. Ill post tomorrow with the results
  24. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    You don’t have to. I did because I was I was too cheap to fix it properly at the time. No ABS was far safer than unwanted activation. Sometimes, there is a bit of rust scale that builds up and lifts the sensor (rust jacking), changing the air gap and making the signal weaker and less reliable. Other times, the wheel hub begins to wear internally and can cover the sensor with metal filings, making the signal weaker. The sensors themselves can also go bad. If your scanner is Bidirectional, then the odds of it being able to read ABS data is pretty good.
  25. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Ah dang, so you just run without ABS then? My scanner is bi directional so I am going to try and drive it later maybe pin point a bad wheel speed sensor
  26. Black92GS

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    I seem to recall my Regal doing that as well sometimes. I always attributed it to a delay between an increased electrical demand and the PCM increasing the duty cycle of the alternator to compensate. If your scanner can read ABS codes, you should be able to monitor individual wheel speeds. If it's just a generic OBD2 scanner, those usually can't read ABS data. That's how mine started. The odd random ABS pulse, or the occasional ABS light coming on that would disappear after a restart. Eventually, I had to pull the fuse because the ABS began activating randomly at lower speeds and made things dangerous.
  27. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Also just remembered when I first picked the car up one morning the ABS light did come on. All I did was shut the car off and it went away. Definitely think youre onto something now
  28. mikeytcarter

    2002 Buick regal intermittent headlight pulsing

    Hmm I am not positive but that does seem to make sense given when its happening. Im not necessarily on the brakes when it happens, but sometimes just letting off the accelerator causes it. I have an Autel scanner. Would there be a way for me to watch for this using live data in some way?
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