battery light ??

On my 1986 defender 90 whilst the engine is running is the battery light supposed to be on in the dash sorry if sounds abit stupid just unsure. Thanks.

nope - does it ever go off ?

I think it goes off after few mins does this mean anything bad??

yes

It's had a new battery a few months ago, what does it mean if the light stays on then?

how tight is the alt belt ?

and do you have a multi meter ?

Its tight on there, and Yeh I do what do I need to test on there

MaxyMan said:

Its tight on there, and Yeh I do what do I need to test on there

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set it to DC volts and measure across the battery terminals - with the engine running and without

Ok thanks for the help will do it in day light, what should it be reading when off & on ?

12 ish when off 13.987887 ish when running

Ok ta for help will sort it tomorrow.

MaxyMan said:

Ok thanks for the help will do it in day light, what should it be reading when off & on ?

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Sean said:

12 ish when off 13.987887 ish when running

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Depends on the alternator.

Mine reads 14.4v when charging (engine running) and 12ish v when not.

When charging anything between 13.6v and 14.5v is ok, above and its overcharging, less and its undercharging. When off 12v is ok, below and possible battery issue. It might read above if you've not long switched the engine off.

Dave_M0YAA said:

Depends on the alternator.

Mine reads 14.4v when charging (engine running) and 12ish v when not.

When charging anything between 13.6v and 14.5v8v is ok, above and its overcharging, less and its undercharging. When off 12v is ok, below and possible battery issue. It might read above if you've not long switched the engine off.

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Corrected for the sake of accuracy .

Also, for interest these figures may give an indication of the state of the battery without the use of a battery tester:

Battery No-load test
Voltage Percent charge
12.60 V to 12.72 V 100 %
12.45 V 75 %
12.30 V 50 %
12.15 V 25 %

I have my smug face on 'cos mine reads 12.7 :smug: