Darn old van electrics!

And cooling, of course.

Mike

On 1/22/03 10:38 AM, "gary hradek" <hradek@yahoo.com> wrote:

> Mike,
>    This is my read on what is going on.   Your foil
> is as good or bad as my foil which is a poorly
> designed piece of the instrument cluster.   You might
> be able to mess with the foil to get your alternator
> light to work but I would not mess with it as you
> might create addition problems as the foil is brittle
> with age.   The O2 light is giving you all the
> information that the alternator light should be giving
> you which to me suggest that you are on the senior
> side of the alternator.   The o2 light which is now
> performing like a alternator light should turn off as
> soon as you speed the engine up, not 10-15 second
> after.   This suggest that your brushes are worn down
> so that they are making poor contact and takes some
> time to rub hard enough against the moving part of the
> alternator to generate the 12.6 volts required to turn
> the light off.   You can go some times this way.
> What may happen next is you may notice the 02 light
> may start to glow dimly as you are at an idle.   Next
> it may get brighter and dim in cycles.   At some point
> it may stay on all the time.   In my case the 02 light
> came on and the alternator light which had been dead
> for years also finally turned on.   You also may
> notice during this progressive alzhiemers of the
> alternator that the battery does not seem quite as
> robust.   There is little chance you will every
> overcharge the battery with this system.   If you have
> a westy with the light indicator on the stove use that
> to track the state of your battery.   If it goes green
> to yellow rather quickly, you know that you are not
> really charging it very fully.   Also carry battery
> cables and remember that if the alternator fails you
> can always recharge the battery from another vehicle
> to get a few miles further down the road.   If it is
> cold and you avoid using the heater blower and lights
> you can make it quite a ways.   After the replaced my
> alternator my alternator light began working again.
> They had to mess with that foil to get the thing to
> charge right.   David explained that there is a
> circuit that send voltage back to the alternator from
> the instrument cluster to cause the alternator to
> charge.   many full charges to you, gary
> --- Mike Miller <mwmiller@cwnet.com> wrote:
>> Output is fine.  Every once in a while the charge
>> light will come on with
>> key on, engine not running.  Not consistent in
>> anything it does.
>>
>> Mike
>>
>> On 1/22/03 8:10 AM, "gary hradek" <hradek@yahoo.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Mike,
>>>   When you say the charge light never comes on any
>>> more do you really mean never?   even when the key
>> is
>>> in the on position and the motor is not running?
>>> Have you measured the voltage output?   How old is
>> the
>>> alternator?   gary
>>> --- Mike Miller <mwmiller@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>>> Charge light never comes on any more.  Revving
>> seems
>>>> to put out the O2 light
>>>> but that's what happens after 10-15 seconds
>> anyway,
>>>> I drive away.
>>>>
>>>> Mike
>>>>
>>>> On 1/21/03 1:03 PM, "gary hradek"
>> <hradek@yahoo.com>
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Mike,
>>>>>   Does the o2 light off if you speed the engine
>> up
>>>>> before the 10-15 seconds?   Do both the 02 light
>>>> and
>>>>> alternator light come on if you turn the key but
>>>> do
>>>>> not start the van?   gary
>>>>> --- Mike Miller <mwmiller@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>>>>> Oh.  Thanks.  O2 light is coming on at start
>> and
>>>>>> going off after 10-15
>>>>>> seconds, battery light is not coming on at all?
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>
>>>>>> The Sacramento gizzard
>>>>>>
>>>>>> On 1/21/03 12:17 PM, "gary hradek"
>>>>>> <hradek@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Mike,
>>>>>>>   The 02 light acts as sort of a backup light
>>>> for
>>>>>>> the alternator light.   It does little for the
>>>> 02
>>>>>>> sensor but act like a counter, turning on
>> after
>>>> a
>>>>>>> certain number of miles and staying on.   If
>>>> both
>>>>>> the
>>>>>>> alternator light and o2 light come on or
>> flicker
>>>>>> on
>>>>>>> and off together this indicates a charging
>>>> problem
>>>>>> or
>>>>>>> something wrong with that circuit.   If only
>>>> your
>>>>>> o2
>>>>>>> light comes on and stays on you need to reset
>>>> the
>>>>>>> light with the counter box near the spare
>> tire.
>>>>>> This
>>>>>>> is a bit understated as to actual function.
>>>>>> David
>>>>>>> the east coast electrical wizard has a more
>>>>>> refined
>>>>>>> explanation.   I am just the west coast
>>>> electrical
>>>>>>> lizard, davids long lost cousin, gary
>>>>>>> --- Mike Miller <mwmiller@cwnet.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> I thought the O2 and charge lights were
>>>>>> different?
>>>>>>>> I have an '85 if that
>>>>>>>> makes a difference.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Mike
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> On 1/21/03 10:36 AM, "gary hradek"
>>>>>>>> <hradek@YAHOO.COM> wrote:
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Joe,
>>>>>>>>>   I think this is all about money and time
>> and
>>>>>>>> which
>>>>>>>>> you have more of.   In my case I too was
>>>> puzzled
>>>>>>>> by an
>>>>>>>>> alternator that was still working with a bad
>>>>>>>> whine.
>>>>>>>>> Trust me when I say that it is whining to be
>>>>>>>> replaced.
>>>>>>>>> If you choose to replace the bearing this
>>>> could
>>>>>>>> work.
>>>>>>>>> By the time you get to the 02 light coming
>> on
>>>>>> and
>>>>>>>> off
>>>>>>>>> you are living on borrowed time.   You are
>>>>>>>> basically
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>
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