no battery warning light, no charge help needed fast

[bongomaan]

if you do need to remove that big blue fuse dave remember that it is bolted in to the holder at the bottom....unlike me that spent an hour trying to get the bugger out...i was saved by the fury....bless em all....thinking on though if that fuse had gone you wouldnt have power anywhere or i didnt anyway....

[fordavefreda]

having checked all visible fuses to find they are fine and done a check with my multimeter i am getting no charge to the batteries. thing is the battery warning light doesn't illuminate signalling a goosed alternator, are there diodes or something in there that i may have damaged which i can replace? mot due very soon don't want to cancel it in the fear they won't be able to start it! i also have read summat about regulators what are these and would this effect owt?

rescued freda batteries now charging from mains on drive

cheers dave

[missfixit70]

I don't think the battery warning light always tells you the alternators goosed, my second time it didn't. Sounds like you've just blown the bulb if it doesn't come on with the other lights when you turn on the ignition.
More importantly you know the alternator is goosed -you need to get it fixed or changed. the battery will be slowly draining if you're driving it especially with lights etc. once it gets below a certain level the the fuel solenoid will shut off & this could be while you're doing 70

[dandywarhol]

The alternator is an earth for the bulb when the alternator isn't charging and the bulb then illuminates - whenever the alternator starts producing power the bulb gets voltage from either side and the bulb goes out.

IF the bulb has blown, the alternator may not be receiving a field supply and the alternator will not charge - in other words, on SOME alternators the bulb is an essential part of the circuit to make the alternator work.

Worth checking the bulb........................

[fordavefreda]

that would be a good result, i may have blown the bulb arcing across to the alternators earth! i think i may have heard this too i will investigate this aft and let you all know, is getting the dash out easy? i could fix my sticking speedo cable while i'm at it!

cheers dave

[missfixit70]

Dash comes out easy Dave, drop the steering wheel to its lowest adjustment, undo the 4 screws around the cowl, firkle it out, undo the 4 screws around the clocks, easy .
Didn't realise that about the bulb Dandy.

[francophile1947]

i could fix my sticking speedo cable while i'm at it!

cheers dave

I thought the speedo was electronic - don't remember seeing a cable. If you've got a chip to convert to MPH, it's more likely a problem with that.

[teenmal]

This Might help you.


The field windings are initially supplied via the ignition switch and charge warning light, which is why the light glows when
the ignition is on but the engine is not running. Once the engine is running and the alternator is generating, a diode feeds the field current from the alternator main output, thus equalizing the voltage across the warning light which goes out. The wire supplying the field current is often referred to as the "exciter" wire. The drawback of this arrangement is that if the warning light fails or the "exciter" wire is disconnected, no excitation current reaches the alternator field windings and so the alternator, due to low residual magnetism in the rotor will not generate any power. However, some alternators will self-excite when the engine is revved to a certain speed. You can check for a faulty exciter-circuit by ensuring that the warning light is glowing with the engine stopped.

Cheers

Malc..

[missfixit70]

Do we know if this definitely applies to the bongo?

[dandywarhol]

This Might help you.


The field windings are initially supplied via the ignition switch and charge warning light, which is why the light glows when
the ignition is on but the engine is not running. Once the engine is running and the alternator is generating, a diode feeds the field current from the alternator main output, thus equalizing the voltage across the warning light which goes out. The wire supplying the field current is often referred to as the "exciter" wire. The drawback of this arrangement is that if the warning light fails or the "exciter" wire is disconnected, no excitation current reaches the alternator field windings and so the alternator, due to low residual magnetism in the rotor will not generate any power. However, some alternators will self-excite when the engine is revved to a certain speed. You can check for a faulty exciter-circuit by ensuring that the warning light is glowing with the engine stopped.

Cheers

Malc..

Well said Malc - I'm almost "excited" thinking about it.................................

[fordavefreda]

had a tinker last night, got dash out and switched on ignition to see where charge light was and it illuminated!! i started up the van and proceeded to see if there was a charge goin to batteries, there wasn't but the charge light does not illuminate! turn off van and switch on ignition again to find charge light not illuminating again. seems i have a difunct exciter circuit?!? checked all wires from alternator etc... everything seems ok. dont want to fork out for a new alternator to find it to be this problem seems i may have disturbed some wires? does any one elses do this? does the battery light illuminate each time the ignition is turned on or is just the once say after being stood for a while? auto electronics so confusing

[fordavefreda]

bump!!

[missfixit70]

If the light illuminated the first time, & the alternator still wasn't chucking anything out, it's looking more & more likely to be the culprit .
May be worth disconnecting (carefully, after disconnecting battery earths) all the connections to the alternator & cleaning them up to ensure decent contact, if you haven't already.

[Nevets]

If you earth out the thinner wire on the body of the alternator with the ignition on(using a piece of wire with a 3 or 5 amp fuse for safty) NOT the thick bolted on one..

That will complete the warning lamp circuit..

If the light then come's on the dash then it's gonna be a internal alternator fault my friend

If it stay's off then it must be the warning lamp circuit ie fuse,wiring etc...

P.s might even be two wires on a multi-plug connected into the alternator,it will be one of those which is the warning lamp wire or ind wire as we call it...
somebody may know of the wiring diagram to be s
certain.

Cheers Steve

[Nevets]

Checked the multi plug in the side of the alternator this morning and it is the thinner wire which is the ind warning circuit,it's a buleish kind of colour and significantly thinner than the other wire in the plug(a thicker brown wire)

As before all you need to do is earth the ind wire on the body of the alternator with the ignition on

Hope this helps

Cheers Steve....