Your reply to Noel Smith said, "Alternator is not putting out enough - most likely worn brushes."

I agree that he has an alternator problem, and was running off the dieing battery. But I wonder about "worn brushes". I always thought the brushes were in the "ground path" for those 3 lights (4 on some cars).

If that's true, could bad brushes make the alternator fail, but still allow the warning bulbs to light?

I know those 3 bulbs provide the "pre-exitation" current to get the alternator started, but have never seen the "Battery" light on by itself as an Alternator "warning" (which is what most people seem to expect of it).

Am I totally screwed up on this?
--
Bruce Young,
'93 940-NA (current)
'80 GLE V8 (Now gone)
'83 Turbo 245
'73 142 (98K)
'71 144 (track modified--and still here)
New 144 from '67 to '78
Used '62 122 from '63 to '67