82 Toy Charge Light?

[e rock]

I searched, but didn't find what I was looking for. I thought I read somewhere that a charge light coming on intermittently was an indicator that the brake fluid was low? Or maybe I got that backwards?

Anyway, a buddy has an 82 pickup and over the past two weeks, the charge light has been flashing occasionally. At first, it was only when braking downhill offroad, and now it's on all the time even though the volt meter never moves. The alternator is recent and the regulator is brand new. And like I said, the volt meter is solid, so I don't think it's an actual charging problem.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[pappy]

Your volt meter won't move until your battery starts to drain. Just because it's a new alternator doesn't mean something isn't wrong with it. This is especially true with aftermarket product. It the alternator had some mileage on it I would suggest brushes as the problem. I would seriously consider a Toyota reman.

 

[e rock]

Your volt meter won't move until your battery starts to drain. Just because it's a new alternator doesn't mean something isn't wrong with it. This is especially true with aftermarket product. It the alternator had some mileage on it I would suggest brushes as the problem. I would seriously consider a Toyota reman.

OK - I should have clarified - the volt meter stays just below 14 volts when it's running. The battery puts out just under 12, so I don't see an insufficient charge anywhere. I thought he had a loose wire for sure, but the fact that the volt meter stays so high seems weird.

 

[Bob_Garrett]

Does the brake light come on? Check the connections on the alternator carefully for loose, corroded or broken wires.

Could also be a bad charge relay. If you have the factory service manual, it tells you how to test the relay. If you don't have one, let me know and I'll send you the steps to test it when I get home this evening.

Bob

 

[e rock]

The brake light does not come on and neither of us has a FSM for his truck. He did have a corroded wire that was causing another issue, but it's been repaired and all the others are believed to be in good shape - as far as I can tell anyway.

He just left for out-of-state college this morning, but I'm intrigued by the charge relay idea as I'm not familiar with it. If you wouldn't mind posting the test procedures, I'll forward them on to him.

Thanks,
Eric

 

[Bob_Garrett]

PM me with your e-mail and I'll send you a pic of the page from the FSM. I'd post it here but it's too large.
Bob

 

[e rock]

PM sent


Eric