Flickering lights fix clarification question.

[Nick Buol]

My headlights and interior lights (dash, overhead, etc) flicker when driving. Not horribly bad, but enough that it gets annoying. I've had this problem for a while and have a new alternator as of a few months back (old alternator failed, so it wasn't a replacement because of the flicker).

Anyway, I was looking at the old "wiring fix" threads, and it seems straight forward, but I have a question.

Here is what I've found elsewhere here (questions below picture):

1. cut red wire from 3 wire plug from alternator.
2. extend the red wire STILL HANGING from the connector to the main CHARGING wire.
3. the red wire going into the harness is no longer used. TAPE IT UP!!

Heres a Pic of the final wiring. The PINK wire is your new extension.

OK, but there are TWO red wires in the diagram. I am assuming that the larger red wire is going to somewhere else under the hood, but I wanted to get clarification.

So you cut the small red wire, tape off the area marked with a black 'X', then add the "pink" wire and connect up the small red wire to the same connection as the large red wire via the pink wire?

Is that black, rectangular piece at the top of the picture a resistor?

Sorry, but I am not in front of the vehicle. I am hoping to try this tonight at home, and want to plan ahead.

Thanks for the insight.

 

[hotdimmes]

You got it right. I'm pretty sure the top black rectangular part is not a resistor, but a sheathing of sorts for the two wires coming out of it.

 

[BrApple]

if the lights are flicking off idle then you have another problem. does the flickering increase with engine rpm? if so its the diodes in the voltage regulator on the alternator not working correctly.

 

[Nick Buol]

This morning, for example, I pull out of the garage, and sit at idle, and no flicker. I lightly touch the gas to get up to about 1700RPM and they start flickering. I notice it when driving, not at idle. You mention diodes on the alternator itself, but the flickering has happened with the last two alternators (the old one and the new one)...

 

[BrApple]

ok, then that would lead me to something else. there are diodes in the interior fuse panel.

from my experience I put a 100% new alternator in and my lights and voltage started flickering off idle, put old alternator back in and it didn't do it ...

I suppose the wiring fix might make a difference but I am unsure.


where all the alternators remans or from Ford, it could be bad remans as they are normally very poor in quality

 

[Nick Buol]

The "old" one was from Ford, the current one is a new 3rd party (I'll have to check the brand) that was put in by a trusted mechanic (I was out of town for work when it failed, and my wife needed the vehicle, so I couldn't do it myself).