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Here's an odd one:

When I turn my '79 4x4 (stock engine) off - the GEN light stays lit, even with the key out of the ignition. (I've disconnected the battery for now).
When it first occured, I thought it ran a little choppy at Idle on the way home, though that may be an unrelated points/timing problem that's been getting worse.

So.. when I connect the battery, the regulator immediately clicks the lower contact even without the key in....
Also, with the engine running, the GEN light is out.
does this sound like a regulator/condenser problem? or a shorted wire elsewhere? If it's a short, do these symptoms point to a likely place to start looking?

Thanks for any pointers
-William

I'd guess regulator problems or perhaps a bad diode in the alternator. My wife's 83 pup used to do exactly that, and rapping on the alt with a wrench would make it go away for a while. Ended up replacing the alt eventually. That was an internally regulated alt though, so a bit different.

Shorted wires is always a possibility to consider. The GEN light is hooked to ground, so if power is running through any of the keyed circuits that light would be where it would head with the motor not running. I once had the main alt wire melt inside the harness on my 79 years ago. It shorted to the feed wire for the reverse light switch. You could not tell anything else was wrong except that when you turned the key off it kept running. I would be suspicious of the alt in your case, regulator a close second, and wiring not far behind.

You might try taking it to a battery shop or parts store that will do free diagnosis/testing. They might be able to tell you a bit more.

I have had the same problem twice and thought it was the regulator or maybe a relay under the cover on the pass side , but both times it was a bad diode in the alternator. Heck I even ran it with the stuck points held open. Replaced the alt and all was ok. I believe the Haynes tells you how to check and what readings you should have.

my light has been flickering/ barely lit when running since i've owned it. when its everything else with the charging system works ok. I figured if it aint broke dont fix it