Battery charging issue on a 90 Justy

[Mandelbrot5]

I changed my oil last week. While I was trying to get the filter off, I had to reach around behind the alternator with my left arm and jam it down in-between all the crap back there so I could hold the crappy filter wrench on the filter while I tried to take it off with my right hand. (The numb nuts who changed the oil filter last time tightened it down with the wrench, so I had to resort to a screw driver into the filter to get it off.)

 

Now my battery won't charge, and the charge light on my dash is on, as well as my parking brake light will only dim after I take the parking brake off. Any suggestions on what wire I may have broken off, or how to fix this? I can't afford to take it to a shop and say "I'm having electrical issues, can you find it?"

 

The car is a 1990 Justy, 5-speed, carb, with A/C crap in the way.

[Snowman]

You probably just pulled out the little connector that goes into the alternator. It should be pretty obvious which one it is if you can get a good look at it.

[Cougar]

I agree with Snowman. Look for a loose or disconnected wire to the alternator. The reason the brake light will not turn off is because some of the warning lights are in series with the alternator exciter lead. If the alternator has trouble or, a bad connection in this case hopefully, then those warning lights will turn on.