Alternator warning light.....

[bill mateer]

Hello all:

recently the alternator warning light on my 79SC stays lit for sometimes upto 10 secs on a cold startup, ie. only in the morning, after that all day it is OK, goes out right after start..
Iwill check the v-belt to make sure it is tensioned properly, but other than that what are some symptons for an alternator or voltage regulator getting ready to bite the dust ???


[or is this fairly normal on cold startup, now that it gets cooler at night]....


thanks for any help....

[MBAtarga]

I didn't have any alt warning light symptoms, but I did witness periodically:
- tach "bouncing" wildly
- headlights flickering from dim/bright/dim, moreso after engine was warmed up

Get a voltmeter reading - I used the cigarette lighter jack and witnessed voltage surges beyond 15V.

I had the alternator rebuilt and replaced the regulator to solve my problems (well, the problems above anyway.) I still have others

[Sean Hamilton]

Originally posted by bill mateer
......alternator warning light on my 79SC stays lit for sometimes upto 10 secs on a cold startup.........

Have got Wayne's 101 book - in there he explains several warning light symptoms and the diagnosis for each.

[Jdub]

You might try cleaning your ground at the battery. That's the cheap "fix." If that makes not difference, use the Search function to determine how to hook a voltmeter to the battery and load the car to check for voltage output.

Alternator AND Early_S_Man will get you great advice.

John

[Ove]

Bill,
Have a look at this thread:

Flickering alternator light