Xantia "brownouts"

skog77 · Post by **skog77** » 01 Feb 2010, 13:47

I'm experiencing someting i havent experienced on any other car.

When i am driving, sometimes the power in all the electrics will drop. Not completely go, but the lights in the dashboards, fans, headlights etc fades for just about a second and then comes back. There is no change in how the engine is running. I've never experienced anything like this before, my experience is that when an alternator goes, it goes.

While it is happening, no warning lights appear on the dash. It does not happen in conjunction with bumps, it can happen while on a red light, or while i'm driving. There is no rythm to it, and seems independent from outside sources.

What is going on?

spider · Post by **spider** » 01 Feb 2010, 13:51

My initial thought is to check the condition and security of your battery leads, paying special attention to the earth leads (both ends)

Post by **Peter.N.** » 01 Feb 2010, 14:12

I would agree, also the alternator connections and if its a diesel the glow plug relay.

skog77 · Post by **skog77** » 01 Feb 2010, 14:54

hmm after inspection i can see that the - lead on the battery isn't that tight. I can move it around with my hand if i apply a bit of pressure, the weird thing is, the screw is tightened all the way. Seems like the battery is actually too small (or the clamp too big). I can't see where it - cable leads do i need to take the battery out?

Deanxm · Post by **Deanxm** » 01 Feb 2010, 20:51

Hi

Im guessing the clamps are lead and that they have stretched with age, get down Halfords or similar and get a pair of new bronze battery clamps, cut the old lead ones off the cable's and fit the new ones.

The cables can also have a bad contact within the lead clamps which could cause a problem and not be noticed.

There could also be a bad short somwhere on the main loom between the battery and starter but you may well smell burning if that is the case.

D

citroenxm · Post by **citroenxm** » 02 Feb 2010, 10:11

Is there such thig as Halfrauds in Oslo?

Paul

spider · Post by **spider** » 02 Feb 2010, 10:55

There's plenty of other places to get replacement battery clamps from. Your local Ebay will probably have vendors with some (that's where I got mine)

Post by **Peter.N.** » 02 Feb 2010, 11:13

You could try just pushing them further down the posts, that may open them up a bit.

skog77 · Post by **skog77** » 02 Feb 2010, 14:30

No worries, we've got something called Biltema, they have everything there and pretty cheap. It's like a candy store for car guys

Xantidote · Post by **Xantidote** » 02 Feb 2010, 17:07

I had similar problem on a BX, with the soft lead clamp stretching, as suggested by Deanxm - it was giving me intermittent starting problems. The clamp was already as far down on the terminal as possible.

All I did was grip/clamp the clamp so that the clamp's gap/opening was fully closed, and ran a coarse hacksaw blade through it, to remove a bit of metal. Then prised gap open to refit over the terminal. No further problems