Initial Inspection - Charging System

When the charging system is operating normally, the charge indicator lamp will come on when the ignition switch is turned on and will go out when the engine starts. If the lamp operates abnormally, or if an undercharged or overcharged battery condition occurs, diagnose and repair the charging system. Remember that an undercharged battery is often caused by accessories being left on overnight, or by a rear compartment or instrument panel compartment lamp that stays on.

Noise from a generator may be caused by:
- Improper routing of hoses, wiring or shielding against the generator housing.
- A loose drive pulley.
- Loose mounting bolts.
- Worn or dirty bearings.
- A faulty diode.
- A faulty stator.
- Brush/slip ring friction.

IMPORTANT: To avoid damage to the electrical equipment, observe the following precautions:
- Do not reverse the connections to the generator.
- Do not short across, or ground any of the terminals in the charging circuit, except as directed by the instructions.
- Do not attempt to hot wire the generator by connecting B+ voltage to any of the generator 4-way connector terminals. Use only an approved test harness as described in these instructions.
- Never disconnect the output terminal while the generator is operating.
- Use only approved Metri-pack terminal probe adapters to connect the meter leads and the jumper wires to the connector terminals. Using improper adapters will damage the concrete terminals and cause charging system or test harness failure.
- Before connecting a charger or a booster battery to the vehicle battery, refer to Battery Charging.

Before testing the generator inspect the following:
- Battery. Make sure that the vehicle battery is in good condition and fully charged. Refer to Battery Load Test.
- Built-in hydrometer in the battery. The green eye must be showing in the hydrometer.
- The voltage across the battery terminals with all loads OFF should be above 12 volts. Refer to Battery Load Test.
- Make sure that the battery connections are clean and tight.
- Drive belt for damage or looseness. Refer to Drive Belt Replacement in Engine Mechanical 2.4L or Drive Belt Replacement in Engine 3.1L.
- Wiring harness at the generator. Make sure that the harness connector is tight and latched. Make sure that the output terminal of the generator is connected to the vehicle battery positive generator lead.
- All charging system related fuses and electrical connections for damage or looseness. Refer to Starter and Charging System. Starting and Charging