suspension update, and an alternator light Q

[tereed2 at gmail.com (T. Reed)]

Hi guys,

I am feeling much better after discovering what really happened with my 
suspension. It turns out.. I did not stupidly leave off the threaded cap 
that keeps the strut insert inside the tube.. it just came unscrewed, and 
got stuck inside the upper spring perch (!). And, this only happened on 
the passenger side. The cap was still there on the driver side. I guess I 
didn't see it somehow when I checked it out without taking anything apart 
a few weeks ago.

So I take back my previous comment- I am not an idiot, I just need to 
learn how to tighten things properly.

I got two new Bilstein front strut assemblies from potterman and put them 
in this afternoon. The handling is vastly better, and for those that were 
curious- there /was/ a lot of wear on the shock body and (less so) in the 
tube itself. I'm still happy with my decision to replace the struts and 
not just the inserts. I also changed out the upper strut bearings which 
was a good idea since the old ones looked rather beat up after they came 
out.


So on to my question--

I have the classic glowing alternator light problem going on. I installed 
a brand new regulator, and that did not solve it. What I noticed tonight 
for the first time, though, is that the glowing gets brighter if I turn 
more accessories on. Is this known to be indicative of anything in 
particular?

Thanks

-Toby