New alt. not putting out enough volage, suspect other issues?
 

1997 Ram 1500, 5.9L

Brand new alternator and battery. Both test OK.

An alternator test done while the truck is running (by Autozone) sees 12v going into the battery, not the 13.5v they're expecting. We think there's a drain somewhere.

Possibly related issue: recently the "maint required" light came on. Checked and there's no error code. AC compressor and radio stopped working recently, but no blown fuses.

My Question is: what could the "maint required" light mean, and could it be related to these issues?

I'm no expert, but on some vehicles, maint required is just a trigger light that comes on at certain mileage intervals in order to tell you to change the oil. my honda was like that. It was completely different than the check engine light.

I hope this helps a little?

When you checked for code were you able to reset, clear your "maint required" light?
If so, did it return?

If your battery is already at full charge your alternator's built in voltage regulator is only going to put out the required 12vdc to maintain that full charge

I'm unsure why your Maint Required light came on... it could be related to your charging system. or related to you AC system failing..
Or as GMCSierraFan said above. It could be related to a predetermined service schedule interval ie Oil change

it is an pcm controlled alternator....try checking the voltage output with all electrical loads on and the engine at 2000rpm.


start with voltage drop tests of the insulated and grd circuits