Date:         Thu, 28 Apr 2011 16:25:20 -0400
Reply-To:     David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         David Beierl <dbeierl@ATTGLOBAL.NET>
Subject:      Re: Strange Blinking Light on my battery light indicator - seems
              erratic
Comments: To: Robert Stewart <robertmstewart@mac.com>
In-Reply-To:  <56950BC7-45EA-4A4A-BA9C-59CC5A6F4847@mac.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"; format=flowed

At 02:14 PM 4/28/2011, Robert Stewart wrote:
>I went back to the alternator which is only a couple of years old. I
>checked all the connections on the alternator itself and they were
>all on tight. All the wires are new since I just had the engine
>rebuilt a year ago and only have 6,000 miles on it.  Could it be a
>ground wire in the engine bay? I checked the grounds there and it
>seemed fastened tight with no rust.
>
>I am wondering if it's a connection in the front, under maybe a
>ground under the left of the dash?
>
>I can't put a volt meter on it since it only happens when I am on the road.

This isn't the typical problem, which people call a short but is
really an open.  This - if it's trouble in the D+ line - is the line
being actually shorted to ground through an insulation fault
somewhere.  A poor connection won't give this problem.  However I
think it's more likely that the alternator is faulting, and you'll be
able to tell by hooking up a meter and watching the system voltage
when the light goes on.  If system voltage drops to battery voltage
then it's an alternator problem, period.  You can get little dinguses
that plug into the lighter socket that have LEDs on them...

If the alternator is not dropping out then I don't see what it can be
other than a chafed D+ wire grounding on something.

d