battery light staying on

[mdschurtz]

so after putting my engine back in the battery light decided to stay on once the car turns off. once the car starts it goes off but when the car isnt running and the key is out of the ignition it's on and it kills the battery

[Greg323i]

It's probably the ignition switch, but it could also be the flippin' hazard switch. When it happened to me it was my hazard switch, but it seems the ignition switch is more common.

[mdschurtz]

ok thanks i will check it out

[epmedia]

I've never tried this, nor do I know what would happen, but did did you plug the excite wire into the correct spade on the alt?

[mdschurtz]

wasnt there only one spade to plug it in? any pics of the alternator for an 83 and the correct hookup?

[Unique320]

+1 on checking the correct spade, this has happened to me before and that was the problem for me.

[mdschurtz]

ok i will check that thanks guys

[epmedia]

The correct spade for the blue excite wire is the one closest the the charge post.
The other spade is for a capacitor (reduces radio noise), which is not required/sometimes missing.
I'd post a pic but my image server has been down a few days

[mdschurtz]

ok i will make sure of that tomorrow.

[tomscat1]

That is a logical place to start, since you have apparently been working in that area and could easily have connected it wrong. If so, relax, you aren't the first guy who has done that!



I had a similar symptom when I first got my Baur running, and it turned out to be a bad resistor or capacitor (I am no electrician) in the voltage regulator, which is on the back of the alternator. The automotive electric shop diagnosed it on the phone. I pulled the alternator, and they fixed it quickly.

Good luck, and let us know how you make out.

[99silteg]

I just had this issue yesterday and mine was an alternator. I had issues over the weekend and thought it was my alternator so I swapped out one from my parts car. Ended up that one was bad and a had a wiring issue but once the wiring was fixed and my alternator was in it had the battery light on so I swapped my old on back in and it fixed the light and the car fired up.

[mdschurtz]

sweet thanks guys i will let you know if it fixes it

Sweet the light has gone off. Thanks guys. Now I need to figure out why my temp guage isnt working and that's it. my car will be back to 100%

[mdschurtz]

bump answer to the above question that seemed to but put on my last post:

"Sweet the light has gone off. Thanks guys. Now I need to figure out why my temp guage isnt working and that's it. my car will be back to 100%"

[epmedia]

bump answer to the above question that seemed to but put on my last post:

"Sweet the light has gone off. Thanks guys. Now I need to figure out why my temp guage isnt working and that's it. my car will be back to 100%"

Maybe the connector on the wire, at the temp sender is broke?

[lightsmith]

I read this thread yesterday and this morning went out to the car and found the battery light on! Pulled the air box, found the wire (red). As I removed it the wire fell out of the connector. clean cut, new connector, box in and zoom. Wasn't even late for work. Thanks forum!