My car did exactly what you describe. Light never changed and battery
never died...UNLESS...The car was being driven with the headlights on and
the stereo (non stock) on loud. The alt was making some juice, enough to
keep the engine running with the lights or radio on but not both. I
replaced the alternator a year or two later once it died for good, and
this solved the problem. IMO your alternator is only 'mostly dead' I got
nearly two years out of it after that point, but YMMV. At that stage the
car was a toy for me (not primary car). If you depend on the car in any
way for transportation you should replace the alternator.
James Nazarian
'71 B roadster
'71 BGT rust free and burnt orange
'74 BGT going by-by soon
'63 Buick 215
On Tue, 7 Mar 2000, Craig D. Niederst wrote:
> Had my '71 B out on the road for a couple of short rides yesterday (about 10
> miles each). Ever since I purchased the car, the red ignition light glows
> all the time (always the same intensity, never dims, etc). Doesn't matter if
> the car is at idle or on the road at higher rpms. I think the battery is
> charging because the battery does not run down if the car is left running
> for awhile (probably had it running for an hour straight yesterday while
> checking over some things before taking the first trip). I pulled the
> connector off of the alternator and cleaned it up, but it made no
> difference. Any ideas on where to check next? Bad ground?
>
> Craig
> '71 B
>
>
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