Charge Warning Light

[KEBOOM]

Hey,

About 5 days ago the 'charge' warning light light on my dash suddenly lit up. A little bit disturbed, I tested the battery only to find it in perfect health (it should be, it's almost brand new and wasn't cheap!). Charge was a solid 12V and did not drop whilst car was running.

Now I'm at a loss to explain what the light means (car is a KE70, so probably nothing to sophisitcated...). Could it be a broken wire or such?

Cheers,

Alex

[Hiro]

The CHARGE light doesn't refer to battery voltage, it refers to the output from the alternator. If the CHARGE light is coming on, then the alternator isn't charging the system and the battery is draining (which isn't a good thing). As a sign, the battery should be reading 13-14V when the car is running, not 12V - if it's reading 12V with the engine running, then the alternator is stuffing up. It could be something as simple as worn brushes in the alternator, or a loose wire, or it could be worse.

[crowncustom]

Sounds like the voltage regulator has started to die.You will get 12 volts across the battery even if its charging or not.Check the voltage at the output terminal on the alternator to see if it is actually charging.If its a healthy alternator and regulator then you should see voltage readings from 13.8 up to 14.4.
Cheers Brett.

[timbosaurus]

You will get about 13 volts or more across the battery if its charging, and 12 volts or less across the battery if its not.Check the voltage at the output terminal on the alternator to see if it is actually charging.If its a healthy alternator and regulator then you should see voltage readings from 13.8 up to 14.4.
Cheers Brett.

Just clarifying that point, as it was written like you'd expect to see a different voltage at the battery compared to the alternator. The B+ terminal on the alternator output is physically wired to the positive battery post, so unless you have a blow ALT fuse, they will be the same voltage.