Is The Alternator On Its Way Out?

[Rob Thomson 6]

The separate thin cable will be the excitor/battery light wire.

As above, it's very important to remember that the warning light circuit is also what initiates the alternator. A lot of alternator problems are due to dodgy wiring in this circuit, especially on a 205 as that wire passes through the infamous brown multi-plug connector that lurks under the thermostat.

 

I had similar symptoms a couple of years ago and the fix was to renew that connector. It could be something else, but it's always worth checking the excitor circuit.

[humanz 3]

Will replace this connector while I'm trying to figure out how to change the belt then. Cheers.

[humanz 3]

Changed the belt. Haven't tried the car since nightfall, so not sure if the light's still glowing or not. Didn't have any more connectors to replace the one on the excitor cable, so will do that tomorrow. But I have a question. If you look at the last photo I posted, you'll see the tension adjustment mechanism shown in the Haynes is missing from my setup. So what I did was loosen the big bolt near the top of the alternator and the smaller bolt on the bracket and had a friend pull the alternator as far up as they could while I retightened the bolts. The belt is much tighter now, but there's still a little play in it. Is the missing tension adjusting mechanism a big deal?

[Rob Thomson 6]

No, it just makes it easier to adjust the belt tension but doesn't do anything once it's been adjusted. As long as the belt's tight it's tight.

[humanz 3]

The light's still glowing...so...will replace the connector tomorrow, then see if i can get someone look at the alternator if that fails.

[humanz 3]

Update: took the car to the mechanic. The alternator appears to be in working order, putting out roughly 15 V. Turns out the lightened pulley was part of the problem. It's too thin for the bolt that pinches it to the crank, so there was excessive movement of the pulley. So...the battery light no longer glows when the electrical circuits are activated, except when the indicators are switched on. Then it glows for a few seconds after the indicators are switched off. Any other likely culprits I should check? And how should I check them? I'm thinking possibly hazard light switch, light stalk, connections to the indicator bulbs, connectors to the grounds (I previously cleaned up all the grounding points). Anything I missed?