Idiot lights all flashing sometimes, along with the radio screen?

Tiny
TOTALMC
  • MEMBER
  • 1999 GMC JIMMY
  • 4.3L
  • V6
  • 115,000 MILES
Intermittent electrical issue

Idiot lights all flashing sometimes, along with the radio screen and the little screen in the console that shows temp and direction goes to all ----

They will all light up for a few seconds, and then it goes away. Most of the time without any effect on the way it drives

I cleaned and reattached the 3 ground connections coming off the battery

Alternator putting out 14.5v

Battery fully charged

Not sure where to look next

Thanks for any and all help
Saturday, February 14th, 2026 AT 1:34 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 54,872 POSTS
The first thing I would do is use a volt meter switch to AC, start the engine and raise the idle, then test at the battery for AC voltage, there should be none. If it shows AC voltage the alternator is bad and needs to be replaced because of a bad diode. This guide can help you

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

Please go over this guide and get back to us.
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Sunday, February 15th, 2026 AT 9:38 AM
Tiny
TOTALMC
  • MEMBER
  • 127 POSTS
Ok. That test is new to me

The AC volts side of my meter only goes down to 200 scale. Will that be accurate enough to read the amount of ac voltage I'm looking for?

And if the alternator passes the test, what would be my next move?

Could the ECM be suspect?
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Sunday, February 15th, 2026 AT 9:52 AM

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