Stuffed Alternator?

[TUFFRANGIE]

Gday everyone, i hooked up another 2 driving lights to my car tonight (4x100watt) + normal high beam. When i was aiming them smoke started to come out from under the bonnet (not usually a good sign) obviously i switched the car and lights off but could not find the source of the smoke.

This has happened to me before when a wire was arcing to the body but that time the wire burnt out(in my old car-no it didn't burn down). There are no scorched wires and all the wiring seems to be in place, i have run the same lights on the roof before with no issues. I have wired them up to the same relay (cos i am lazy and don't want to re route the roof light wires) is this bad(bad enough to cause smoke?)?

Now when i drive the battery warning light stays on at idle but higher in the revs it goes out. Coincidently the handbrake light comes on at the same time.

Does this mean i have a stuffed altenator? Could the altenator have been smoking? The belts wern't slipping either.

My engine bay was muddy but i have cleaned it now(especially the altenator) and the problem is still there.

As far as i can tell it is a standard altenator and the car has previously had a winch

Thanks
Rob

[ozy1]

i get the same proiblem with the battery light comming on, and the handbrake light as well, only on first start up, i have a voltage indicator, and it only happens when the voltage is at arounf 11.4 volts, which is where mine is on start up, but after about 5 seconts, voltage kicks up to 13.4 or so

[TUFFRANGIE]

It does only occur when the voltage is around 12 at higher revs it increases to around 13-14 and the light goes out

[ozy1]

when my voltage hits about 12, the lights go out, it has done this, for the past 8 months, and nothing has changed