Generator Faults and their Elimination

The red ignition warning light on the combination instrument should light up when the ignition is switched on and should go out after the engine has started and the engine speed has begun to rise.

The possible causes of trouble are summarised below:

Fault	Cause	Remedy
Warning light does not come on when ignition is switched on	a. Battery flat	a. Charge up battery
	b. Battery defective	b. Renew battery
	c. Bulb burned out	c. Renew bulb
	d. Battery terminal corroded or loose	d. Clean connections and if necessary tighten up
	e. Cable loose or broken	e. Tighten cable or repair
	f. Ignition switch defective	f. Renew ignition switch
	g. Generator brushes are not running on commutator	g.Free carbon brushes or renew or replace pressure springs. Do not oil carbon brushes!
Ignition warning light does not goout when engine speed rises or flickers, glows	a. V -belt loose or defective	a. Tighten or renew belt
	b. Regulator switch defective	b, Exchange regulator switch
	c. Charging lead loose or broken	c. Check cables and connections
	d. Generator defective	d. Check generator
	e. Ignition switch lead has bad connection	e. Tighten connections
Ignition warning light only goes out at high engine speeds	a. Generator defective	a. Check generator, repair
	b. Regulator switch defective	b. Exchange regulator switch
Ignition warning light continues to burn after ignition switched off	a. Short to earth in cable or warning light	a. Eliminate earth short

Last modified: Mon, 17 Jan 2005

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