When you drive your Jeep, you use various electrical components like light, wiper, brake light, etc. To keep them working correctly, there is a component in your Jeep called Voltage Regulator. The voltage regulator controls the electrical power flow to your battery.
Jeep voltage regulator problems can arise in different ways. When it fails to transfer the electricity to your vehicle correctly, you will face many problems because your jeep battery won’t work normally. That’s a very risky problem, especially when you are driving. It might even cause an accident. There are many sides to this problem as well.
Today, we are going to let you know all the problems that you will face because of the voltage regulator problems and how you can avoid those. Also, we will share how you can test the regulator.
So, keep reading, and let’s get started!
Jeep Voltage Regulator Problems That You Might Face
Driving your Jeep with a faulty voltage regulator is very risky. It can cause many problems like the fuel pump and ignition system, not working the way it’s supposed to be. Many problems may arise because of Jeep voltage regulator problems.
- The Battery – The number one problem that you will face is a dead battery problem. Without a working voltage regulator, your Jeep battery won’t charge, and the battery will go bad. So if you notice that the battery is continuously going bad, you need to take your vehicle to the local mechanic.
- Dim Light – Another problem that you will face is a dimming light. The voltage regulator’s work is to keep the electricity flow to every electrical component in the vehicles. So with a faulty voltage regulator, it’s no surprise that the lights on your Jeep will not work correctly. So if you notice that your headlight is dimming or flickering, then immediately contact your local mechanic.
- Various Engine Problems – A bad voltage regulator can’t provide the right amount of electricity to your Jeep. As a result, your Jeep’s engine starts to have different types of problems like engine sputters, engine stalling. Even sometimes, you will feel that the engine wasn’t able to deliver the required acceleration.
- Problems with Instrument Cluster – As we have mentioned earlier that a voltage regulator’s work is to keep the electricity flow to every electrical component in the vehicles. That includes instrument clusters too. If you notice that your instrument cluster isn’t working or it’s giving wrong information, then it is likely that your voltage regulator isn’t working. Without a working voltage regulator, you will be able to start the car, but you won’t be getting any information like how fast you are going, how much gas you have, etc. So it’s best not to drive with a faulty voltage regulator.
- Irregular Voltage Regulator Reading – If you notice various bad voltage regulator symptoms, you can check the voltage regulator to see if it’s gone bad or not. While testing if the voltage regulator is gone bad, then you will notice that the numbers on the multimeter are changing erratically. That is one other symptom of a bad voltage regulator.
Remember that if you notice only one or two symptoms, it doesn’t mean that your voltage regulator is indeed gone bad. It could happen for many different reasons. So it’s better to consult a local mechanic for further testing.
How To Test A Voltage Regulator?
Every vehicle has a Voltage regulator to recharge the battery, so the other components like light, wiper, brake light, etc. can run without any problems. If you face any issues like your battery is not charging or the lights are pulsing, then you can check the voltage regulator to see if it’s broken or not.
To test the voltage regulator, you need a multimeter. You can find it in a hardware store or online, and it’s very cheap. Here are the steps to check the Voltage Regulator Problems.
- Open the Hood – The First thing you need to do is open the hood of your Jeep. You will find the lever to open the hood inside your vehicle.
- Multimeter Settings – On the multimeter, you will find a dialer. Turn the dial and set it to voltage. If you feel confused, then you can check the manual on how to set it to test the voltage.
- Battery Voltage – Now, you need to check your battery’s voltage to see if your Jeep’s battery is working or not.
- Check the Voltage – To check your battery’s voltage, you need to attach your multimeter’s red wire to the positive terminal of your battery and attach the black wire to the negative terminal.
- Read the Multimeter – While the vehicle is off, you should have a little over 12 volts. If you see the reading is below 12 volts, you need to change the battery, this suggests that your battery is weak.
- Check the Alternator – To check the voltage regulator, you need to park the car and turn it on. After turning it on, if you notice that the voltage reading increased to around 13.8 volts. It means that the alternator in your Jeep is charging the battery.
- Check the voltage – Now, with the help of someone, rev the engine to 1500- 2000 RPMs. You should see reading at 14.5. And if you notice that the output is over 14.5, then you have a faulty regulator.
Can a Faulty Jeep Voltage Regulator Damage my Battery?
The Jeep voltage regulator’s job is to regulate electricity to your vehicle, including your battery. So if the regulator provides more or less voltage than it is supposed to, it will severely damage your battery and many other components in your vehicle. It can even burn the electrical circuit in your vehicle.
The alternator produces the electricity, and the voltage regulator regulates the electricity throughout the vehicle. So when it goes bad, it starts to regulate the wrong voltage to your vehicle, and as a result, you begin to face various problems. One of them is a damaged battery.
So whenever you notice that your Jeep voltage regulator is damaged, try to replace it as soon as possible to avoid further damage to your vehicle and your battery.
Can You Drive With a Bad Voltage Regulator?
The voltage regulator problems don’t happen suddenly. It goes terrible slowly over time. So yes, you can drive with a bad voltage regulator, but it is highly recommended not to drive with a bad voltage regulator. A bad voltage regulator can permanently damage your car, and to fix that, you might have to spend way more than the cost of changing a voltage regulator.
As we have mentioned the symptoms of a bad voltage, let’s hear about the damages it can do to your Jeep. a bad voltage regulator can damage your Jeep in many different ways. A voltage regulator’s job is to transfer electricity to your vehicle’s various components. If the voltage regulator is faulty, it will deliver the wrong voltage to your vehicle. As a result, it might damage your Jeep components.
So it’s up to you whether you want to drive with a bad voltage regulator or not. But we highly recommend you change the voltage regulator of your Jeep as soon as possible to minimize any potential electrical damage.
Can I Change a Faulty Voltage Regulator on My Own?
Every vehicle nowadays comes with a voltage regulator, including your Jeep. Over time, the regulator tends to go bad and starts to damage your vehicle. To avoid further electrical damage to your vehicle, you should change the voltage regulator as soon as possible.
If you notice any bad voltage regulator symptoms, you should test the voltage regulator by yourself or contact a local mechanic. This way, you will be a hundred percent sure whether your voltage regulator is bad or not.
If you are sure that your Jeep’s voltage regulator is bad, then you can either contact your local mechanic for changing the regulator, or you can do it by yourself. Please know that it is not an easy job, and we highly recommend that you change your Jeeps voltage regulator with a professional mechanic.
To change the voltage regulator, you need a couple of items like a Screwdriver, wrench, and obviously a new Voltage Regulator. After you have this item, follow the steps that we are mentioning. Also, it is a good idea to have a self-repair guide with you. It will help you a lot.
- Step 1 – Before doing any electrical job in your vehicle, you should always unplug the battery first. Otherwise, it might damage your vehicle. To unplug the battery, all you need to do is detach the positive cable first, it will be the red cable. Then remove the negative cable. You will find the battery under the hood.
- Step 2 – After unplugging the battery now, you have to locate the voltage regulator. To make things easy, you will find the voltage regulator’s location inside your self-repair guide for your specific model.
- Step 3 – After locating the voltage regulator, you need to remove it. Before removing the voltage regulator, you need to unplug every cable attached to your regulator. If the regulator is attached to your alternator, you will have to remove the alternator too. However, if your vehicle comes with a remote voltage regulator, then you need to remove this too.
- Step 4 – now that you have removed the Voltage regulator, make sure that you bought the exact same one. Now align the new regulator exactly where the old voltage regulator was. Install the mounting screws and tighten them by turning them clockwise.
- Step 5 – Now plug the cables into your voltage regulator. There should be four cables that go into the regulator.
- Step 6 – After attaching the voltage regulator, check again for any unplugged cable. If there is any, plug them in. and now plug the battery.
You are almost done. Now start the engine and check with a multimeter that if you are getting the correct reading or not. If you follow every step carefully, you should now have a perfectly good Jeep. and you just saved more than 100 dollars. However, we highly recommend that you change the voltage regulator with a professional mechanic.
Voltage Regulator Replacement Cost:
If you are sure that your Jeep has a bad voltage regulator and you need to change it, or you went to a local mechanic, and he/she said that you need to change the voltage regulator, and now you are worried that how much it’s going to cost then you are in the right place because we are going to discuss it.
A voltage regulator for your Jeep will cost from 40-140$. It depends on the market and the model of your Jeep. the cost of the parts isn’t that much, but as the voltage regulator is housed inside the alternator, it is a lot of work. You can expect to pay around 150- 250$ for labor.
If you are going to change it in a dealership, then you will have to pay more, but if the regulator is mounted outside of an alternator, then it won’t cost you much. So you can expect the replacement cost is about 200 – 450$. If there is any electrical damage due to a faulty voltage regulator, the cost will be more.
As it seems the majority of the cost is labor cost, you might want to change the alternator if you have driven more than 100K and can save some money. It is true that the alternator can last as long as the car, but they do fail, and if that happens, you will have to pay hefty labor rates again.
Closing Words
We really hope that you learned everything that you need about Jeep Voltage Regulator Problems. The examples that we have shared will help you understand the problem and help you decide what you need to do. If you notice any symptoms that we mentioned above, test your voltage regulator and contact your local mechanic.
We hope that the information we have provided will help you identify your Jeep problems. So that you can understand what is wrong with your vehicle, but don’t do anything by yourself as some of the above-mentioned problems can be caused by other problems too.
So whenever you face any of the mentioned problems, contact your local mechanic immediately.
