OMG, somebody please help me. I am out of money now and out of patience. Here is the short version.

1 Battery went dead but the battery is only 8 months old. So I took it back to them and they tested it and said it was fine.

2 After putting battery back into my car (1985 Jaguar XJ6) I noticed the charge indicator needle was only in the middle red.

3 Drove the car to see if it would charge better but it wouldn't.

4 Bought new alternator and had it installed at a very high price due to the location of the alternator on this model.

5 Now my battery light is on all the time. The charge needle shows it to be charging fine after it runs for a few minutes. When I first start it, the charge needle stays down in the red for a minute or so.

Post Script: Before I bought this new alternator I notice that the old one would charge randomly. Like, some times I would jump in my car to go to the store and it would be charging just fine. 3 hours later I go back to the store...(because i forget things) and the charge needle would not move out of the red. Now this new alternator is charging, it just takes it a minute or so to actually start charging. It's the "Red Battery Light" that I am worried about.

I live in Arkansas, I'm a hillbilly, I am broke....please help me.

 

When you say the light is on "all the time" does that mean it's on even if the key is turned "off" ? If so it's almost certainly a bad diode in the alternator.

If it "stays on all the time" *while the engine is running* it imight be a loose drive belt. Easy to check and fix.... but you'd probably hear the belt screeching. Worth checking, though.

If the big output wire was broken or left off then it wouldn't charge at all....but it IS charging, at least according to your dashboard voltmeter. So that wire is probably OK

If the little "exciter" wire was broken or left of the warning light operate, period. Since the light does work, the little wire is OK, too.

Sounds like a faulty alternator to me. Sorry.

Good luck,
DD

 

Hi Doug,

The battery light goes off when I turn the car off. Sorry I didn't say it right. My friend just put this new alternator on for me about 12 hours ago. But when I was driving home it was making a squeeling -- high pitched whine sound like it does when a belt slips. So maybe that it what is wrong. My friend is not a mechanic either so we just did the best we could. I would love it if this is just because we didn't get the belt thing tight enough.

And Doug, I can't thank you enough for taking the time to respond to my request for help. I read the new member information and realize you don't get paid to help people. (I actually thought you got paid by this site before I read the new-members page). So if I can do anything for you please let me know. I am an Information Technology Consultant so if you have any problems with your computer, please feel free to shoot me a question. I would love the chance to help people that donate their time to help others for free. And of course my help would be totally free

I will have my friend check that belt next weekend. I can't do anything like that due to a car wreck that broke my back, but my friend will help me again.

Nice to meet you and thanks again... He won't be able to help me until next weekend or the weekend after that...but as soon as I know something I will follow up on this and let you know. Im not sure how to put my post on standby or whatever because they said not to leave a post hanging or leave it open for a long time???

 

Don't worry about leaving the thread open, we just like to see some feedback when a result has been achieved.


Paid; wow, what an idea!
Like you say, there are some great folk around here, that freely give their time to help others in distress, you met one of them above.

From your description of screech with a new alternator and that it does charge when the belt heats up and sticks to the pulley, I would have your friend look at the belt tension and tighten it.

Also available are anti squeal products (but I have never bothered with them myself).

Best of luck with your back, that's the tough one to deal with.