Decurion

It sounds like everyone who has posted is correct, check the alternator itself to be sure its putting out what it should, then the voltage regulator, make sure the belt is in good shape and tight enough, that you have good grounds between the alternator to engine, engine to frame, frame to battery, then when that isnt enough, upgrade to a 3g alternator. [sm=signs007.gif] I put a 100 amp 1 wire alternator on my Comet because I accidentally fried the orginal wire harness, and its the worst alternator ever. It doesnt charge at all at an idle (no thanks to underdrive pulleys ) and the headlights constantly flicker, even at highway speeds. Later, when I built my Falcon, I put a used late model (3g) alternator on it and got rid of the voltage regulator harness, and it charges great at an idle, and has rock steady voltage. The alternators are pricey new, but I got mine for $15 from my local U-pick yard. The donorcar had about 145k miles on it, andthe alternatorstill works like a charm, bearings dont squeal at all. Wiring is pretty simple, even for an electrical oaf like me. Im sure there is a diagram in the FAQ section here.

EDIT: one more thing, if you still have a mechanical regulator, those are notorious for sticking and not working correct. Spend $15 on a new solid state regulator if you dont plan on doing the 3g upgrade.

bradleyb

grounds can be a concern - use star washers to get a good contact on metal.

kalli

all above posting plus:

check the connectors at the firewall (those sockets).
Disconnect them and give em a good clean. if they're rusty you might end up with the same problem

Kalli

hammerit

Thanks for all the input. The problem has been solved. It was the ignition switch. The switch had been non responsive or slow to respond at times for quite awhile. I finally decided it was time to replace it. The new switch also fixed the radio power problem. Got to love a "twofer".