Batter Light On??

OK,

So my engine was looking kind of oily, so i decided to spray some degreaser in there. after letting it soak a bit and then thuroughly washing my engine down, i went for a drive and my battery light, brake light are on, and my volt battery meter thing is reading lower than usual.. what is going on??

 

I saw your other post about this.....

I would have the alternator checked. Perhaps it's not charging the battery.
In the process of washing the truck - you could've dislodged some dirt/mud that relocated itself inside the alternator. You might wanna have the alternator brushes checked also (I think they still have brushes).
If the alternator is dirty inside - they don't work well.

 

I say both the above posters are right.
But i wiould try the cleaning the battery and Alternator thing first.

See if that helps.

then go for the test.

 

nope, alternator was fried, water did it in.

$500 installed with new belt, from mechanic

 

is this because of the wash?

 

allegedly

but it did happen the first time i started it after the wash

 

btw that was my buddies 90 not my truck. he used me account for some reason...

 

That's news to me...why do you keep the engine running?

 

Works for me, thanks. I had washed off engines in the past, never had any issues, but that makes sense. Good to know that one can still learn stuff at a ripe old age...

 

the only thing with the engine on is if the water does get to it, it can short circuit. thats what happened the my buddy(the guy who started this thread). if you wash it when it's off and give ti time to dry, there may be less chance of a short circuit. my .02

 

Wiring & connections aren't sealed. You have to be careful around anything that's electrical.

 

I prefer to keep the engine running when I wash the engine bay also. But if you insist on washing it with the vehicle off, wrap a plastic bag around the alternator, just for some added security.