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JimNNN · 08-05-2019, 06:02 PM

Thanks for the input, everyone. Okay, here's what I just did for initial diagnosis (beyond the light staying on):

I hooked up the meter to the battery with the car not running,& disconnected - 6.11 volts.

Meter reading with car cold and running, ( this is when the gen light comes on as engine speed increases, but goes off at normal idle) - right at or just under 6 volts. Voltage does NOT increase or decrease with engine speed.

Took a meter reading again with the car running, but AFTER the car was driven up to hiway speeds (50+ mph) so that the gen light stayed off - 6.78 to 6.8 volts.

I think the voltage should still be higher than this, given that all the components have less that 500 miles on them. I checked the fan belt and I measured the slack at just over 1 inch play in the middle of the belt. I'm told the ideal is 3/4 inch...I don't think that's probably enough to matter, but I'll tighten up the belt when I get a chance.

I'll also clean the contacts as Don suggested, but the regulator is practically brand new...and everything seemed to work fine for the first few months.

08-05-2019, 06:02 PM	#5
JimNNN Senior Member Join Date: Apr 2014 Posts: 522	Re: 6 volt generator light question Thanks for the input, everyone. Okay, here's what I just did for initial diagnosis (beyond the light staying on): I hooked up the meter to the battery with the car not running,& disconnected - 6.11 volts. Meter reading with car cold and running, ( this is when the gen light comes on as engine speed increases, but goes off at normal idle) - right at or just under 6 volts. Voltage does NOT increase or decrease with engine speed. Took a meter reading again with the car running, but AFTER the car was driven up to hiway speeds (50+ mph) so that the gen light stayed off - 6.78 to 6.8 volts. I think the voltage should still be higher than this, given that all the components have less that 500 miles on them. I checked the fan belt and I measured the slack at just over 1 inch play in the middle of the belt. I'm told the ideal is 3/4 inch...I don't think that's probably enough to matter, but I'll tighten up the belt when I get a chance. I'll also clean the contacts as Don suggested, but the regulator is practically brand new...and everything seemed to work fine for the first few months. Last edited by JimNNN; 08-05-2019 at 06:56 PM.