Hi Steve,

I've lots of experience with remote help for the kids at school, but all on 240s. So with that grain of salt, have your said family member grab a sympathetic friend to watch the battery light with the key in position II, as the small red wire is removed from the alternator (I think the small one is red on a 740...), stress SMALL, not the fat red one, and have it make contact with something that is grounded. The dash light will come on, verifying the bulb and the wiring to the alternator.

If you have the voltmeter in hand, you could check the end of that small red (exciter wire) has battery voltage on it with the car not running but key on. In the case that it does, that again, for the most part, verifies the wire and idiot light.

Then your suspect is the alternator, or possibly the (blue?) ground wire it uses from the case to the isolated mounting bracket. In my "remote help" experience, it was the alternator (field winding open) so the trip was made with spare battery and brush assembly along. The battery was needed as the brush assembly (regulator) was not the cure for this one.


--
Art Benstein near Baltimore

Duct tape is like 'The Force'. It has a light side and a dark side, and it holds the universe together.