Here's another one. While tinkering around yesterday I found two tiny
light bulbs hanging out from under my dash not connected to anything. I
was working on soemething else so didn't think about it until I was
upstairs. Then it dawns on me. My battery ran dead apparently due to
alternator failure with no warning. Could one of the hanging lights be the
ignition light? Yep. Sure was. It's acting very strangely too. First
nothing. Jiggle the wire and it lights up with ignition key on. Sometimes
it doesn't. Start car, it comes on and stays on. Uh oh. No charging?
But then I turn off the car and turn it on - no light. Ok, you get the
idea. It's very erratic. Then I plugged it back into its holder behind
the little red lamp lens and found after that it won't light at all no
matter what I do. Oh, another perhaps salient fact. When it was still
working erratically, seems turning on the hazards would turn the ignition
light on or off. The bulb looks like the filament is ok. I'll check it by
running wires to it off the battery, but I'm thinking it may be something
else light connectors or shorts or something. This is going to be a bear
to figure out, isn't it? :) Tempting to take the car to a shop and say,
"Please check my charging system and while you are at it, get the ignition
light to function correctly." This after I put in a new alternator. I
don't want to ruin the alternator testing it incorrectly. <wimp factor here>
While we are at it, anyone have any idea what the other light is? Seems to
me I have lit instruments all the way across the board. This other light
is always on when I turn on the headlights no matter whether the ignition
is on or off. And it isn't the high beam lamp. That works correctly.
Courtesy light also works - or are there two bulbs for that and maybe one
is out?
Thanks for any advice.
Philip
1974 Damask Midget - Arioch, Lord of Chaos
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