no it shouldnt. check alternator.
Land Raver
Well-Known Member
Yes, or at least not charging sufficiently.
dominicbeesley
Well-Known Member
Also, check the charge light wire isn't shorting on chassis or any other poor connections
OZAWOZA
Active Member
sorry to hijack this thread.... but what does the charging light actually tell me? sometimes I see mine come on in varying degrees of brightness as I am driving - normally just a very dull glow that disappears when I accelerate...should I be worried (to be honest I've just ignored it until now)?
Simply put, the light is in the wire that switches on the alternator to make it charge. If it flickers it could be a faulty connection, a dodgy alternator or a slipping drive belt. What it DOES normally mean is the your battery isn't being charged properly. Look at it or get it looked at. Halfrauds do a free check. Get a printout.
dominicbeesley
Well-Known Member
It will flicker if you're not revving fast above about 700-800rpm depeding on alternator or dynamo. My new one needs me to give it a good >1000rpm rev then it will charge at 600rpm for a while before starting to flicker.
If it is coming on when you are doing anything other than a slow tickover/crawling in a high gear its time to check:
-fan belt (state, tension, cleanliness)
-connections between battery, solenoid and alternator
-connection from alternator to light
-short between alternator light wire and chassis/engine
Do all that before suspecting the alternator. Twice I've replaced alternators (different vehicles) and its turned out to be crap wiring. The worst one I carried a very heavy alternator 10 miles round a Hungarian town in 40 degree heat trying about 20 different shops until I found a very nice bloke who did a re/brush, re-wind and new bearings for about £20. Put it back in and it still didn't work...then I saw that the charge light wire had worn through!
If it is coming on when you are doing anything other than a slow tickover/crawling in a high gear its time to check:
-fan belt (state, tension, cleanliness)
-connections between battery, solenoid and alternator
-connection from alternator to light
-short between alternator light wire and chassis/engine
Do all that before suspecting the alternator. Twice I've replaced alternators (different vehicles) and its turned out to be crap wiring. The worst one I carried a very heavy alternator 10 miles round a Hungarian town in 40 degree heat trying about 20 different shops until I found a very nice bloke who did a re/brush, re-wind and new bearings for about £20. Put it back in and it still didn't work...then I saw that the charge light wire had worn through!
