I RECENTLY HAD PROBLEMS WITH MY CHARGING SYSTEM, SO I CHECKED MY ALT WAS READING 12.09 V SO I REPLACED IT WITH MY GOOD SPARE, CHECKED THE VOLTAGE STILL AROUND 12V, SO I CHECKED ALL MY WIRES, NOTHING LOOKED BAD OR BROKEN, ANYWAY SAT DOWN AND THOUGHT WHAT I RECENTLY MESSED WITH AND CAME TO THE DECISION TO TRY AND PUT MY SPEEDO CLUSTER IN, GUESS WHAT? ITS CHARGING!! MUST BE AN OPEN CIRCUIT OR SOMETHING. HONESTLY, HOW MANY WOULD OF THOUGHT THAT?

 

Mental note - dont buy low-mileage car from nasdstang.

 

so wait a min are you trying to tell me that a circuit has to be complete to charge? huh who woulda thought of that.

 

BOY! you guys are funny!!! i never thought something as simple as your cluster would jack up your charging sys
ok jeff you got me :bbb: was gonna put a new cluster in but it wasnt the right one

 

I know that if you pull the flux capasitor out of the discomboblulator the car will run faster......

 

The "Battery" light and it's resistor are part of the circuit. Bad bulb or resistor (or no dash cluster) = no charging. Funny thing is, in my last car, I was doing some underdash work and had the cluster out for almost a week and drove it to work like that every day. I didn't know about that bulb thing at the time but it never did run down the battery. Ignorance is bliss.

 

There needs to be a 510 ohm resister in parallel across the alternator charge warning lamp ( large red with green wire and the small green with red wire in the instrument cluster connector)

It provides the 'exciter' current the alternator needs to charge and without it, it won't charge. Depending on the year of your altern resister will be on the back of the cluster or incorporated within the lamp in the cluster. 3rd gen single wire alternators don't require this.

 

if you grease your muffler bearing it makes it sound better too!!!

 

Yeah, was messin with ya. I knew you couldnt have gotten around for many miles at 12v