> we finally figured out he had
> supplied a positive ground generator for a negative ground car, flashed
> the generator, and the light went out.
That's actually normal, new generators are usually supplied unpolarized.
Polarizing is a standard part of the installation procedure.
> i'm thinking it could be the ammeter, or possibly when we were messing
> with the fuel gauge, we caused something to short or loosened a
> connection. this car has a heater, so all that stuff is really crammed in
> there.
Not likely on either front, IMO. If the ammeter was open, nothing would
work (not just the generator).
As a first step, I would connect a voltmeter to the ground post at
the battery and check the voltage at the E, D, and F terminals at the
control box (with engine running at fast idle). E should be ground, less
than 0.1 volt different than the battery post. If you find battery voltage
on D, there is a wiring problem to the light. If the voltage on F is
different than the voltage on D, the control box has a problem, which may be
only dirty contacts. (Cleaning and adjusting the contacts is a normal part
of installing a new regulator; and also required from time to time as normal
maintenance.)
If D and F have the same (within 0.2 volts) low voltage, there is a problem
with the generator itself, or the connections between it and the control
box.
If those simple tests don't show the problem clearly, there is a much more
complete set of tests given in
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2H2NJt34OffNTc3ODkwYzAtYjRlYS00NDNmLWI0YTY
tNjY5ZjQxZTA2NGFm/view?usp=sharing
-- Randall
** triumphs@autox.team.net **
Archive: http://www.team.net/archive
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