Mongo

I think I'm in trouble. About 2 nights ago I noticed the battery light come on dimly in my car. I assumed the gauge lights were illuminating it a little so i didn't worry. Today the light was still on, but I noticed that my battery was leaking a little acid! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Eek!]" src="eek.gif" /> It could have been from the water I added a day after that....but I added the correct amount. But tonight was strange, while driving home i heard this strange whining noise and the pitch of it didn't change with the engine speed either...i think i may either have a bad alternator or a bad voltage regulator...if that is what caused the battery to leak...any thoughts???

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SidViscous

Overcharging could do it.

Get a sealed bateery first. Then what voltages do you have across the terminals while running?

Does your battery light glow brighter with more revs? Mine does.

Well it did until I pulled the bulb.

wa944

Sounds like an alternator issue. Get it checked out, many shops and some part stores will offer a free charging system check.

Predator

My 83 944 had a dim bulb at night when a/c, lights, etc. were on. This went on for years. I assumed it was normal. Then I replaced it with an ac delco unit. Now I travel faster than the speed of light, so can't tell.

User 41221

Sounds like what happened to me with my '84 about a year ago... it was the alternator on my car. I replaced it with a unit from Advanced Auto for $125 that came with a lifetime warranty. So far, so good...

Regards,

Tom Carson

I had this same 'dim light' with my early 85. That poor 90 amp alternator is often stretched to the limit.

Then, while trying to solve a 'hot starting - no spark' problem, I replaced the battery cable clamps, removed & cleaned (w/dielectric tune up grease) ALL the connections to the battery and starter, and added a ground strap from the negative battery terminal that engine to firewall copper strap connection.

No more dim light...plus all my electrical stuff seems better. And what a speed difference with my wipers after I took the wiper switch apart & gave it a good 'tune-up!.

IceShark

As Sid noted, battery acid coming out of the top could be overcharging although that doesn't fit with your battery light condition which would indicate too low charging rate. My guess is you overfilled the battery level so when the hydrogen bubbles formed on the plates when charging in, more or less, a normal fashion there wasn't enough room in the battery for the acid. And out the top it went.

The voltage regulator wouldn't squeal (well, I suppose the brushes could be aligned in some crazy way to squeal, but very unlikely) although the regulator could still be going bad. The squeal is most likely from the belt or the alternator bearings are going bad. But usually the squeal will change in pitch as engine RPMs vary.

So, first thing is to pull the battery, wash off the acid, put baking soda all over the battery box to neutralize remaining trace acid and let it sit for half a day or day. Then wash off the baking soda. The battery may now have an acid concentration problem, so keep this in mind as you fix things. I'd also re-check the acid levels and suck out a little with a turkey baster to get it down to correct levels.

Then examine your alternator belt for cracks on the inside ribs and glazing of the rubber as well as for tension. If you crawl under the car and push fairly firmly with your thumb in the middle of the belt it should deflect 5mm.

Once you have the belt taken care of see if the squeal is still there and if you can isolate to the alternator itself (just listening or using an automotive stethoscope or even a long screwdriver with the tip on the alternator and handle pressed against your ear). If it is the bearings you can either get a new alternator or get new bearings pressed in if the shaft isn't worn out also.

If the alternator is OK, you probably should replace the voltage regulator as the brushes are probably about shot and/or the regulator is on its last legs.

Then as noted clean up the battery cable contact points and see how you stand.

With a pre 85.5 car, you have the old style negative battery cables which are pretty bad, especially after all these years. No matter what the problem(s) turns out to be, you should replace them.

I sell the voltage regulator for $16.50 and an upgraded later style negative battery cables for $44, plus shipping. Drop me an e-mail at wraydan@msn.com if you are interested in buying them.

85944na

I used to have that dim light too, not sure if I still do or not. I upraded to Dan's negative battery cable and it is a lot better, my car used to shudder when returning to idle, and now it is hardly noticable. My stereo seems to get more power too I'll check the battery light to see if it still comes on dimly, but I can't drive the car for a couple weeks as I'm at school and it's at home. Either way, the cable is a really good idea.

sm

FYI, my light was coming on and off for a few weeks before the car finally left me stranded 130 miles from home. It was the brushes of the regulator being completely worn out that was the culprit. And I bought a new one from IceShark.

Jay W

Yes I had the same thing happen. The dim light got brighter over the course of a couple of days. I pulled the regulator out of the alternator while it was still installed on the car and replaced it. The brushes had worn out on the old one, very obvious when comparing to a new one. Only two bolts to change the regulator and cost less than $20. Works great after 8 months of daily use.

Mongo

hey guys thanks a lot, I've got a supplier for an alternator and regulator at a dirt cheap price. So when the paycheck comes in I'm gonna pull it myself, thanks again everyone <img border="0" alt="[thumbsup]" title="" src="graemlins/bigok.gif" /> <img border="0" alt="[cheers]" title="" src="graemlins/beerchug.gif" />

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triscadek

Sid, if that light is coming on the 1st thing I would do is check the grounds.

Tremelune

My battery light was bright as all hell, thought it was the alternator. I ended up cleaning up the contacts on the battery posts and the starter (disconnect the ground first!). Problem went away completely (for a while).

With all headlights on, it lights up dimly. I'm not worried, but I'd like to get some new wiring.