Good morning and thanks for the add.
I have inherited my Dads 79 RX7. 118k miles. Quite happy to have this car.
Drove it about 15 miles yesterday and parked it for about an hour. Started it up and the Gen, Add Coolant light, oil warning lights were on. Checked coolant oil and voltage and all were ok.
Any Advise?
Thank you

Update....tach is indicating volts while engine is running at all RPM as well. Checked all fuses, checked belt tension, cleaned battery lugs and clamps, checked alternator at parts house(passed). Battery is ok. 12.2 volts running or not. Thought the tach only operates with keyon engine off.

 

Check the alternator belt's tension to make sure its tensioned properly. A loose or broken alternator belt will cause the warning lights to illuminate.

 

What was the actual voltage,checked at battery terminals with car running?

Do dash lights go out when you rev engine couple times?
Possible you have worn brushes in alternator or voltage regulator is having problems or a relay called a choke/check relay is having some issues.

Do two tests...1 battery voltage with engine off
2 battery voltage with car running at idle
Record results and post back. Dependent on what you find a direction can be given to further isolate the problem.

 

Tach is indicating volts while engine is running at all RPM as well. Checked all fuses, checked belt tension, cleaned battery lugs and clamps, checked alternator at parts house(passed). Battery is ok. 12.2 volts running or not. Thought the tach only operates with keyon engine off.

 

tach is indicating volts while engine is running at all RPM as well. Checked all fuses, checked belt tension, cleaned battery lugs and clamps, checked alternator at parts house(passed). Battery is ok. 12.2 volts running or not. Thought the tach only operates with keyon engine off.

 

Your alternator is not charging...at all,when battery voltage when not running and running is the same. Yes, the voltmeter works key on, When the alternator begins to charge,it switches to tachometer.The fact it does not is a clue,same as all warning lights on dash being illuminated.
The moment alternator initiates charging,all warning lights go out and voltmeter switches to tach operation.
How are you measuring the battery to get the 12.2 volts? Do you have a multimeter and know how to use it?
Maybe get alternator tested at another place. I don't trust a lot of these places machines...and operators using them. I prefer to test the alternator in the car.

 

Since you stated its a 79, I forgot to mention that the voltage regulator is a separate unit from the alternator. If the voltage regulator fails, your tach will not switch to a voltmeter and will remain non functional. I suspect that you have a faulty voltage regulator after reading your last posts. The alternator can test fine independently of the voltage regulator, I would suggest testing the voltage regulator before replacing it, but I would feel confident enough after reading your posts that I would just replace it personally.

 

Thank you for helping out with this. It passed the off vehicle checks at a parts house. I started up the car after reinstalling the alternator. While running, I removed the negative battery terminal and the engine died immediately. Doing this in the past with other cars has told me that there is a charging issue...yes...thinking the regulator is toast.

 

I do think the external voltage regulator is shot. Its bolted to the body behind the drivers side strut tower.

 

Thank you again. Changed the regulator and still the same.

 

This is very perplexing. When the voltage regulator fails, the tach will not "switch over" to a tachometer from a volt meter and warning lights will remain on when the engine is running. The wiring look good with no breaks going into the voltage regulator? The connector's pins free of corrosion and does the connector have a nice tight fit?

 

I had an issue where none of my dash warning lights would illuminate with the key on.
Ended up being one of the main relays... could also be the source of your problems??

 

Thank you all for the tips, especially mazdaverx713b and GSLSEforme. It surely was the regulator...My girl is up and running. SO appreciative of the help. This was my Dads car and I inherited it from him and REALLY need it to make a trip to Wyoming to spread his ashes from his favorite little sports car.

 

Glad you got it sorted.That's going to be a memorable trip for you,good on ya.

 

So very glad you got the issue sorted out. How did you figure out the regulator was at fault? Did you get a faulty regulator from the parts store initially?

A very honorable thing you're doing for your father!! Do you have memories in that car as a child? Let us know if we can help with the car in any other way!!

 

suddenly all the dash warning lights came on, car continued to work fine. I noticed the + battery terminal has hair (oxidation). Removed the battery for charging from a battery charger, it looks like it was low.

Is the external (from the alternator) voltage regulator the problem ?

I remember replacing the alternator in 1994.