[LoveJoy]

Now ive replaced the generator in my miata twice and it was running pretty good until last night... The dash lights are flickering AGAIN :fp:... Now I cleaned the terminals and braced the battery and it was all cool & the gang... Now I know there's a gel type thing they sell in the packet that u can put on the terminals to keep them from building corrosion. Now all my ground straps are OK cleaned them a few weeks back, I just want a solution to this gremlin that rears its head ever so often......:fp:

 

[CheezyPoofs]

If you keep frying batteries it's likely they're getting too much juice. I'm sure there is some sort of regulator thingie that's more likely not working properly.
Oh, and I don't know much but I do know modern cars have alternators, not generators.

 

[amptramp]

If you have a '99, then the regulator circuitry is built into the ECU. This has been done on a number of cars where the set point of the voltage regulator is determined by the intake air temperature. But in the NB, the battery is not in the engine bay, so the main effect is just to make diagnosis more difficult and repair more expensive.

It sounds like the OP has a problem with insufficient alternator output, not excessive. My car is currently on the disabled list with voltages at the battery of over 15 with the engine running and the battery light on. I have cleaned the contacts on the ECU and the alternator sense / control connector to no avail. I am going to have to see what is on the sense and command lines. If the power switching transistor in the alternator was shorted, it would discharge the battery, but the dark current remains around 20 mA, so that can't be the problem - it would be three amps if it was.

 

[brontosaurus]

Perhaps someone can answer my question then.

My cluster lights flicker (LED) when the car is running. This had gotten progressively worse over the span of about a month or so prior to winter and not driving the car. The bulbs worked perfectly for about a year prior to that. The LEDs do not flicker when the car is off, but the interior lights are on. Still a bad alternator? I know it hasn't been replaced -- it's a 1990 with some 90 thousand miles on it.

 

[horribleR]

afaik, the alternator is the source of all power when the engine is running.

 

[LoveJoy]

Well the last time this happened, I cleaned the cables and we were all good, Im figuring its a connection issue for the soul fact that the alternator is brand new... So i'll clean the cables, check to see if the alternator is tight also and coat the battery posts with some dielectric grease so that it keeps oxidation from occurring which is probably the main issue i'm facing. As far as the ECU if thats the case i'll order one on wednesday....

 

[amptramp]

Well the last time this happened, I cleaned the cables and we were all good, Im figuring its a connection issue for the soul fact that the alternator is brand new... So i'll clean the cables, check to see if the alternator is tight also and coat the battery posts with some dielectric grease so that it keeps oxidation from occurring which is probably the main issue i'm facing. As far as the ECU if thats the case i'll order one on wednesday....

I wouldn't order a whole bunch of parts until you have some diagnosis of what the problem is. Get a multimeter and put it on the 12 volt line. In some cases (where there is flickering as you have mentioned), an analog meter is better than digital as a digital meter may not respond in the appropriate time to momentary events. Are you getting any other indications than dash lights? Maybe there is corrosion on the lighting fuse terminals in the fuse block. Follow the schematic here:

http://www.mellens.net/mazda/mazda_miata_extra_manual/1999_wiring.pdf

 

[LoveJoy]

The wiring is all OK, I remember checking this the last time it happened.... Its gotta be the connection at the battery because it corroded and such, so i'll clean it and see what happens, as of right now its the CHEAPEST way out lol....

 

[JO]

fwiw, all it was in my car was the connection to the alternator. the clip had broken, but it still stays. i guess slight movement makes it flicker. doesnt bother me though, its not excessive.

 

[LoveJoy]

I cleaned and insulated the battery terminals, flickering is gone....