The battery light on my 1985 xj6 is on, but it is dim, it's not a bad bulb, and I just replaced a bad alternator and battery, what does this mean?

 

Does it stay on even with the key off?

Cheers
DD

 

Usually its the diode trio in the alternator, but could also be feedback from another circuit. Alternator as you undoubtedly know by now is pretty buried, at a minimum i would drive it to a shop and have alternator tested while still on car just in case it is something else

 

No, when I turn the key off, all lights go out as they should

 

I go to school at UTI, and my instructor told me to turn on all electronics and hold engine at 2000 RPM and check the battery terminal to terminal and it should read around 13 ish volts. I did this and it started off around 12.06 volts and after a couple minutes, was at 11.96 volts, I don't wanna kill my new parts so I stopped.

 

I suspect the alternator is defective but check the connections and belt tension just on general principles.

Also, there have been some reports of the alternator output wire becoming developing high resistance due to corrosion. I've seen and repaired this myself on a Series III. Under the insulation the wire strands were loaded with green and white crud. Replacing the wire fixed a rather perplexing problem.


Cheers
DD

 

I recall those days of hidden corrosion. Not uncommon in 6 volt battery cables when the batteries were buried under the floor boards.




Carl