Battery Warning light

sniggib · Feb 20, 2010

Hi,

i have just (literally today) replaced the altenator on my 1989 land rover 90. This was due to the alternator (im assuming) failing to charge the battery.
However i have driven the landy around today and the battery light is still on, but only very dim, however it brightens when putting window wipers etc. on. It also flashes on intermittently every so often.

My thinking is that it is a fault in the wiring between the alternator and the dash light (the wire looked old and it was difficult to put the spade connector on) or that the belt is slipping.

Could anything else be wrong?

Cheers

ratty · Feb 20, 2010

sniggib said:
Hi,

i have just (literally today) replaced the altenator on my 1989 land rover 90. This was due to the alternator (im assuming) failing to charge the battery.
However i have driven the landy around today and the battery light is still on, but only very dim, however it brightens when putting window wipers etc. on. It also flashes on intermittently every so often.

My thinking is that it is a fault in the wiring between the alternator and the dash light (the wire looked old and it was difficult to put the spade connector on) or that the belt is slipping.

Could anything else be wrong?

Cheers

What is the alternator charging at? It should be 13.8-14.5v. If it's less than this it's fooked. If it's around this mark then it sounds like the wire is at fault.

gcoo8154 · Feb 20, 2010

mine has the same symptoms so i did a battery and alternator check both fine so i just ignore it

more than likely a bad earth or sumthing

sniggib · Feb 20, 2010

I have no idea what its charging at - I shall get a voltmeter/tester asap to check it.

Is a multimeter used for this?

thanks

If this helps the diagnosis the battery light pulsed/flashed more when i set off from stationary, mainly when i got to the higher revs in 1st or 2nd, it then calmed down when the revs were lower.

Slipping belt?

Cheers

ratty · Feb 20, 2010

sniggib said:
I have no idea what its charging at - I shall get a voltmeter/tester asap to check it.

Is a multimeter used for this?

thanks

If this helps the diagnosis the battery light pulsed/flashed more when i set off from stationary, mainly when i got to the higher revs in 1st or 2nd, it then calmed down when the revs were lower.

Slipping belt?

Cheers

Yes it does sound like slipping belt.

A mutimeter set to 20v will be fine.

sniggib · Feb 20, 2010

Cheers guys, I will invest in a multimeter

Also when i put the alternator back i just used my stength to tension the belt by lifting the alternator then i tightened the bolt at the same time. Is this right? reading busters guide he states he used a lever?

Thanks

wiltshire landyman · Feb 20, 2010

gcoo8154 said:
mine has the same symptoms so i just ignore it

not the best thing to do...i warning light is an indication something is wrong?...and could be a simple fix which will save ya wonga if summit goes ignored

gcoo8154 · Feb 20, 2010

wiltshire landyman said:
not the best thing to do...i warning light is an indication something is wrong?...and could be a simple fix which will save ya wonga if summit goes ignored

i do agree with you but my battery and alternator both came back fine and has not yet failed to start, so it must be a faulty light/earth maybe

i will investgate wen the sun comes back out

wiltshire landyman · Feb 20, 2010

gcoo8154 said:
i do agree with you but my battery and alternator both came back fine and has not yet failed to start, so it must be a faulty light/earth maybe i will investgate wen the sun comes back out

ya may have a long wait

sniggib · Feb 20, 2010

how tight should the alternator belt be?

Cheers

wiltshire landyman · Feb 20, 2010

sniggib said:
how tight should the alternator belt be?

Cheers

i tend to use a crowbar or similar to move the alternator to get some tension on the belt and then tighten bolts

tombardier · Feb 20, 2010

you should be able to push the belt in about 12mm in the middle between the alternator pulley and the crank at the bottom from memory. It might be 12mm between the alternator pulley and the fan. <refers you to workshop manual>

sniggib · Feb 23, 2010

This may seem like a very silly question:

I have just got a multimeter so where do i put the prongs to? red one to the alternator casing and black one to the engine block?

I think the belt may be loose, so im gonna try and lever the alt and tighten the belt, then test it.

Cheers

tombardier · Feb 23, 2010

just put them on the battery terminals, red on the positive etc

sniggib · Feb 23, 2010

i Meant to test if the alternator is charging the battery

cheers

tombardier · Feb 23, 2010

yes, that's correct. it'll be ~12v normally, and when you rev the engine, the voltage should go up, indicating that the alternator is charging

Sean · Feb 23, 2010

tombardier said:
yes, that's correct. it'll be ~12v normally, and when you rev the engine, the voltage should go up, indicating that the alternator is charging

even on tick over it should read over 13v - and not much more than 14.6 when doing around 3-4k

sniggib · Feb 23, 2010

ah ok, nice one, ill give it a try.

Cheers

sniggib · Feb 23, 2010

ok, just tested it

On tickover - 14.25 ish volts

Reved engine (not sure what rpm) - 14.10

Higher revs - 14.20

I therefore uess that the belt is slipping a bit;

1. Is that right?
2.Does it matter if im getting 14.10 volts anyway

cheers

Sean · Feb 23, 2010

that's fine

Battery Warning light

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