Swoop

thanks for all the help are you in western nc by chance??

jim(at)jimallred(dot)com

rebuilt should work just fine

the belt is nice and tight

thanks for all the help, i guess i need to have the alternator checked

would you suggest buying a new or having it rebuilt

find the longest section of the belt between the pulleys and press against it, it should not deflect more than 1/4 inch. I'd say apply moderate to light-moderate pressure on the belt.
I guess if you could translate the pressure into ft-lbs it would be around 5 to 10 ft-lbs.

I just loosen the alternator screw, use a bar and apply pressure against the alternator till the belt gets all the slack out of it and then use my freehand and feel the belt, while pressing on it, i tighten it till it only moves about 1/4 inch and then lock it down there.

how tight is the alternator/fan belt?

jim

generally when you put a meter on the battery you will get static voltage (example:12.7v)
then once you start the engine and rev it up the alternator should kick in somewhere just over idle speed and start recharging the battery, you should notice it start to climb.
Lets say after you start it it starts out at 12.7v, then start the engine and it may drop some to lets say 12.3v.... then once you rev up the engine it should jump to lets say 13.2v and will start climbing from there.

as a general rule a normal charging alternator should charge between 13.2v to 14.8v, anything between that is considered satisfactory.

Since you say the meter is not changing when you start the engine tells me there is something wrong with the alternator, is why the light is on. Even if it is charging a little bit there is still something wrong inside the alternator making the light come on. Also could be a loose belt or worn pulley causing it to slip, check that first.

meter did not move, 13.4 at idle and 13.4 at 2000+ RPS

thanks jim

When you restarted the engine- meter reading was 12.7? If you raise engine rpm to about 2000 does this change? Voltage should raise to about 14 volts minimum. If it doesn't - alt is bad.

did the test, meter on the battery was 12.7 ater i restarted

i will do that, let you know the results

thanks jim

That warning light is for the charge circuit. I'd test the circuit by running the engine out of fuel, then cranking the starter for about a minute with the fuel shut off- then starting the engine & check the charge rate- should be in the 14 V range.