Ok, the truck is up and running, charging with the voltmeter reading about 14 volts. The rebuilder replaced the voltage reg., rectifiers and bearings. And the idiot light works now; comes on when you turn the key on and then goes out when the engine starts. Everything is as it should be.
Moral of the story:
Be aware that there are certain scenarios where the charging system can fail and you will have no indication that anything is wrong. The idiot light will NOT come on and you'll be fat, dumb and happy until the engine just quits. I know that from experience. The first time it stranded us in the outback about 30 mi. from Cheyenne, Wy. This time it didn't get that bad because I had added a voltmeter after the first problem. I think Nissan designed a faulty system here
and the best way to protect yourself is to install a voltmeter.
Hope this helps somebody!
