Ax- alternator failed (now 3 vehicles off road)

[Jaf]

Driving along when Rev counter stopped working. Turned off engine quickly. Belts all fine, tried to turn engine over, nothing. Got jump started to get home. Battery showed 11.97v, but only 8v with engine running.

Now have Xantia off road with shredded alternator belt (waiting for new tool), AX with dead alternator and ... VW camper wouldn’t start cos of flat battery!!! Live in middle of nowhere, no post to house, 12km to town. Hoping VW will start after battery charge overnight.

So question, how do I know how many cv/ hp the AX is? Seems to be 54 or 60. Nothing on Spanish paperwork. Car is 1994 1.1 petrol, Thalassa. Search on autodoc doesn’t help. Vin VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff].

Mod note
Correction: VIN should read VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff]ZADB0006DB9734

Thanks and wish me luck!

[Hell Razor5543]

A likely cause for the alternator failure is the brushes wearing out. On that old a vehicle it may well be possible to replace them without having to take the alternator completely apart. I had this happen on my BX, and I was able to get the brush module for under £15.

[white exec]

Hi Jaf,

Small error in your VIN - should be VF7**************[VIN obfuscated, can be read by forum staff].... (see above).

Engine is a TU1M
= 60PS / 44kW / 59hp
1124cc

Should help you choose an alternator on autodoc.es or mister-auto.es .

[Jaf]

Thanks James. A good idea.

Thanks Chris! So she has the larger engine (relatively speaking).

Got the vw going so can get out and about. Panic over!

[Jaf]

Oh heck. Don’t I feel dim! I have to sit in the dunces corner once again.

Took the alternator off and went off to the shop. They didn’t have one and after phoning some other shops said to leave it with them. I thought about it and instead got a brush set and a new belt. Now whilst the man was phoning I was looking at the belt...6 teeth missing. “Hum”, thinks I, “perhaps the belt was slipping, even though it wasn’t noisy”. Get home, replace alternator and pop on new belt. 14volts.

It’s great news! I think the battery is ok too, will see how it is overnight. I’ll keep the alternator brush set anyway.

[Jaf]

Balls! Alternator dead again. Maybe it fancied a little holiday. Back to trying to change brushes. Sigh!

[Jaf]

Brushes look worn. Changed them and the alternator is charging again, for now. Nice to have an easy job, on a relatively clean engine, trickiest bit was getting 16mm bolt (16mm?!?) past a bit of bodywork. How lovely to have a cheap repair too.

[Hell Razor5543]

Glad I remembered that some alternators have brush modules. I take it the rev counter is now working?

[Jaf]

Yes thanks again James. I knew once that in theory brushes can be changed but had forgotten!

The man in the shop was funny when I asked about a brush kit, he was just like “yes of course we sell those”. No-one ever volunteers info over here (the first time I wanted a new wooden door they didn’t have one in stock so said “no” but didn’t say that they could get/ make one).

The rev counter is working again. The car was awfully jerky with dead alternator when I got jump started to get home (only 5km and had to be jump started once more at the bottom of the hill). I mostly free-wheeled but the brakes were rubbish so not recommended. Poor old girl.

[Hell Razor5543]

The rev counter failing is what made me remember the brush module. The same happened on my BX. I know that (on the older cars) the rev counter can be driven by the alternator.