Posted by PeteR on 2/19/2008, 6:41 am, in reply to "Maintaining a charge problem"
24.62.176.182
Something is probably really fried in the alt. The way the light on the gauge works is.. power goes through the key to the light and grounds in the alt. This is also the excite circut for the alt. The alt won't turn on with out current from there. When the alt starts charging it changes the field that was a ground to a posotive.. and the light goes out.
Now if the light stays on even with the car off something is really messed up. Either the key circut isn't "opening" or power is running "backwards" from the alt (something shorted) to a ground (another short).
I would disconnect the "excite" lead on the alt and see if I can figure out if and how it's getting power with the key off. (from the alt or car)
ps I've had really, really bad luck with rebuilts. They never seem to work for very long. Between me and my buddies car we went' through 5-6 rebuilts (different occaisions) before just buying the new ones.
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