OT 88 alt light

[fordman]

88 F150 4.9l 5 spd. with full factory gauges. this truck has had a loose positive battery cable for some time. and it has always started up after a try or two. tonight i left the door open while i was waiting on something or another. anyway the truck wouldn't start. the battery was dead or i lost connection with the cable end. so i took the end off and cleaned the post and the cable end. put it back on. no start. so i drag out the battery charger. and it wont start it up. so i decide to check the water level in the battery because the charger doesn't seem to be working correctly. it looked bone dry. so i added some acid. and then topped that off with tap water. (thats all i had). and rehook the battery charger. it still wouldn't start. so i jump it off my truck and the charger. and it fires right up.

so while the truck was sitting there running the charge warning light wouldn't go off. even if i reved up the engine. that made the light brighter. now this truck does have the discharge and charge gauge. but it also has the light that comes on when you start it up. so after i was ready to come back in the house just now. i shut it off and then tried to restart it. nothing again. so i figured out the cable to post as well as the cable to terminal end were both loose. i fixed all of that. and the truck gave me a slow turning over. which meant the battery hadn't been charged but my connections were now good.

am i correct in thinking that the charge light was on because the cable to post connection wasn't on there good enough to charge the battery? or is the alt bad. i really don't think it is bad but i cant be sure of anything about this truck. i haven't drove it enough to know how it acts.

[Thunderfoot]

Yes, the light could have been on from the bad connection as the voltage regulator was not able to see any output from the alternator because of the bad connection.
Also, usually when you run a battery low on fluid (exposing the plates to air) the plates oxidize over and wont work even if you refill the fluid...

[fordman]

ok thanks i need to get out there and try to recharge the battery with the good connections i have on it now. this deal has been a pain in my head since i bought it. for yo uprevious owners out there dont cut any wires off. and if you do dont cut them off even with the plug.