View Single Post
  #6  
Old 11-15-2012, 07:16 PM
Diesel911's Avatar
Diesel911 Diesel911 is offline
Registered User
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Location: Long Beach,CA
Posts: 51,038
Quote:
Originally Posted by psaboic View Post
Ok folks....I got her home. She started ok and I managed to get home with minimal use of any electrical accessories. Checked the voltage with a meter at the battery a few minutes ago. 12.21 volts. That is after over an hour of running time after starting it. Rev the motor and the battery voltage never changes.

Now to troubleshoot.

1.What would cause the battery light, the brake warning light and the reserve fuel light to come on and stay on all the time?

2. I know the battery warning light ties in with the charging circuit somehow, but how? Is there anyway if I pull the instrument cluster to jumper around the battery warning light to see if I can get the thing to start charging again?

3. If I take the instrument cluster out, does anyone have a list of what each pin on the big connector goes to or the signal/voltage it carries? I can start checking for shorts or bad grounds.

4. Lastly, since everything else works just fine (signals, tach, heater/blower, lights, radio, etc.....what would be common to the brake warning light, the battery warning light, and the reserve fuel light. If I can find that common point, I have a place to start.

Many thanks for any help/assistance
The Battery Charging/Warning light needs to have a good light Bulb in order excite the Alternator to start Chaging. In your case since the Light itself lights up your Bulb is OK.
The No Charging Warning Light connects to the Blue Wire on your Alternator Connector (the single small Slot) passes through the Ignition Switch to the Ignition Switch to the Alternator.

If you pull out the Connector and stick your + Meter Probe into the Small Slot and gound the other Probe you should get no Voltage with the Key off and slightly less than Battery Voltage with the Key On and the Engine not running.

On the 2 large Slots on the Alternator Connectory you should always have Battery Voltage.

If you remove the Alternator and take it for a free test that will tell you if it is Charging or not. If it is OK it is a good bet you have a Wiring issue with a small chance the Ignition Switch is shot.
The Alternator has to have a good Ground to function. Some have clipped one Jumper Cable onto the Negative Battery Terminal and somehow attached it to the Alternator Case. If it starts charging when you do that you have a bad Ground connection somewhere.

On gas Cars I have seen a similar thing happen to the Warning lights and even the Seat Belt Buzzer went one when the Alternator stopped charging and the Battery Voltage got low.

I actually drove like you did. The Alternator stopped charging, Warning lights on and the Seat Belt Buzzer on. I continued to Drive to where were were supposed to go a Lake; we left the Car running and got out an viewed the lake for 5 minutes or so and got back into the Car and drove off.
About 1/2 way back We pulled over and had the Battery Recharged while We got something to eat.
After that We drove to a Friends House that was closer and used His Battery Charger and eventually drove Home.
__________________
84 300D, 82 Volvo 244Gl Diesel
Reply With Quote