battery light

[LanceB]

So I think I have everything done to drive for the summer. New alternator, new battery, new printed circuit for the center gauges, brakes all serviced, etc. Now I have a bright battery light that stays on after it starts, which has never happened before I checked the battery and its fully charged. I got the alternator at autozone, could it be faulty? What else should I check and what does this mean? All connections look good at battery and alternator and the belt is tight. I may take the alternator back and exchange for the heck of it to be sure.

Lance

 

[skitch]

You should drive the car down to Auto Zone and they will check your charging system for free. Does you gage so its charging or discharging?

 

[LanceB]

gauge looks low way below 13 even when driving. I will run to autozone and have them check it. Could be a bad cable somewhere too.

 

[Phill]

you can check if the battery is good and if the alternator is charging with a volt meter. ive also heard inproperly adjusted alternator belt could cause charging problems.

 

[22229stingray81]

Does the electric choke disengage? When two of my alternators crapped out, there wasn't enough current for the electric choke to "kick off". Also, I had a bright battery light when there was a break in the cables behind the battery box. My money is on the alternator.

-Tatortot

 

[LanceB]

I go to autozone first and they say it is the battery. I called AAA because they just put the battery in when I replaced it when it went dead while I was at work last summer. They come to the house and say the battery is good and won't exchange. He said it read 12.6V The man was too big to fit in my Vette or my garage so I didn't test anything further with him. The alternator is new from autozone. Belt looks tight (I guess, it doesn't have a lot of play and I drove it awhile after I put it on and the light never came on with the new alternator. Connections look good. I suppose I could clean all the ends of the battery cables, etc. What should I do next?

 

[Yoda]

Check the 2 wire connection to the alternator. I changed out an alternator on one of my cross country trips to Bowling Green one year, only to find about 100 miles down the road the battery light came on again :eek Short story it was a broken lead in the 2 wire connector. About $2.00 for the new connector and life has been good since...

Unplug the 2 wire connector and wiggle the wires around, also check to see that your battery light goes off with the 2 wire connector off I'd bet either faulter alternator or connector..

Bud

 

[LanceB]

OK, I unplugged the two wire connector and the light goes off. Should I go to Autozone and have them check the alternator and if good, then replace this connector? Can I just cut the old connector off and attach a new one? What exactly is this two wire connector and why does the car run with it unplugged?

Lance

 

[gmjunkie]

OK, I unplugged the two wire connector and the light goes off. Should I go to Autozone and have them check the alternator and if good, then replace this connector? Can I just cut the old connector off and attach a new one? What exactly is this two wire connector and why does the car run with it unplugged?

Lance

It energizes the alternator,a alternator needs energized to start Charging after start up!!(There are some that energize there self internally,But this one is not 1 of them!!) The car is running off battery power when it's unplugged!!

 

[LanceB]

Thanks, I found a new plug at Autozone, I will slice and dice it when I get home and hopefully make this light go away. So I drove the car today to work....bad idea? Should I unplug the battery when it is sitting or something?

 

[JohnZ]

Put a voltmeter across the battery terminals - with the engine off, it should read 12.4-12.6 volts if it's fully charged. With the engine running at 1000-1500 rpm, it should read 13.5-14.5 volts - if it doesn't, the alternator isn't charging.

 

[LanceB]

Got it fixed! It was the two lead plug on the alternator. Thanks for your help guys, hopefully I will be more knowledgeable and be able to chime in more soon. All I have left maintenance-wise this spring is to change the rear end fluid, trans fluid and filter, a real good lube job and I feel like I am ready to just drive for awhile. Hopefully any more maintenance I do is by choice and not necessity.