Cars.com

I have a '79 Datsun B210. Two or three months ago I noticed that the dashboard brake light was flickering, as if it were a turn indicator, while I was stopped at a red light. I immediately drove to my trustworthy mechanic. They decided the brake fluid was a little low, filled it, and that solved the problem -- for a few days. I noticed that the flickering only occurs at prolonged stops when the idle speed became very low. I noticed that revving up the motor in idle or stepping on the brake pedal stops the flickering. They rechecked the brake fluid level, and there are no leaks. This week, when I was stopped for a VERY long time at a railroad crossing, the battery light also began to flicker. Do you have any suggestions? I love my little car and expect to keep it as long as I continue to drive (I am 76). I love your column and your radio program. Thanks! -- Sara

Ray: Well, Sara, we don't see many B210s anymore (mercifully), but if I remember correctly, the brake light and the battery light on this car are somehow intertwined (ancient Japanese custom, I guess). And what you probably need -- believe it or not -- is a new alternator.

Tom: When the brake-light circuit is tied into the alternator, a problem with the alternator can make the brake light come on. And in our experience, fixing the alternator almost always makes the brake light go out.

Ray: And output of the alternator would be at its lowest at prolonged stops, especially at low idle. So the problem could be something as simple as an engine that's running poorly and on the verge of stalling at idle. If that's not it, I'd look for a bad diode in the alternator, or a bad ground (between the block and the chassis, for instance) that's causing poor charging.

Tom: When you find out what's wrong with the alternator and fix it, that brake light will go off. Then you and this B210 can motor around happily together for at least another 20 or 30 years. Good luck to you, Sara.

It's NEVER cheaper in the long run to buy a new car. Want proof? Order Tom and Ray's pamphlet How to Buy a Used Car: Things That Detroit and Tokyo Don't Want You to Know. To order, send (check or money order) to Ruin, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL 32853-6475. You can also order online.

© 1996 by Tom and Ray Magliozzi and Doug Berman Distributed by King Features Syndicate, Inc.

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