Alternator problem ?

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caeclyd
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Alternator problem ?

Post by caeclyd »

I took my 1.9d xantia out on its last spin this evening before trying to sell it. I have purchased a 1.9td Xantia estate.
It started raining and I noticed that the wipers were a little slower than usual. Any way I parked ou for 1/2 hr and when I got back to the car the battery was flat. I managed to bump start her BUT the lights were very dim.
Is this an alternator problem ?
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AndersDK
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Post by AndersDK »

How old is the battery ?
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Post by Peter.N. »

More than likely the alternator but check the belt first.
caeclyd
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Post by caeclyd »

Anders,
The battery is about 4 years old. The battery was fine in the afternoon it started the car with ease.
The belt is also in good condition.
I managed to get home by starting the car with a tow. The lights etc run very dim even with the engine running.
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Post by jeremy »

Does the warning light work? Does it come on when the engine is running?
If you have a multimeter you can measure the voltage but I think you will find it is running at about 10 volts. The chances are the alternator has failed but its worth looking at all the connections including the earths first.
You may be able to get a control unit but really the thing needs testing thoroughly to find exactly what has gone wrong and some experience of electrics/electronics helps.
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Post by caeclyd »

Jeremy,
There was no warning light even with the engine running.
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Post by arry_b »

Does the warning light come on whenn the ignition is on, before you start the engine?
Some alternators use this circuit to energise the alternator. If the bulb blows, there is no field current, and hence no charging.
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Post by goldfinche »

Hi if its one of those sealed for life batteries your lucky to get 4 years out of it, gone are the days when a life exspectancy was 8 years (what did happen to Exide.) and they could be checked for fluid. In my experiance the SFL batteries can fail almost instantly, start a car fine, turn it off and back on and nothing. Cut one open once and found that there was about 2" of fluid in the bottom of the cells. Have the battery checked could well be the problem. Shop round if you are selling the car and it is a battery problem £12 should be about right.
I am not advocating fitting a battery if indeed there is another problem.
Cheers
Geoff.
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Post by caeclyd »

"Does the warning light come on when the ignition is on, before you start the engine?"
Yes the red lights come up.
I will be taking the battery out this evening and put it on trickle charge over night. It is not a sealed battery and there is the exact amount of fluid across each cell.
What made me think it was the alternator....with the car engine running surely there would have been a good supply to all the electrics even with a duff battery ?
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Post by bxbodger »

I think you still need to carry out some basic checks to see what may be wrong. You need to check the tension of the alternator drivebelt to ensure that its tight enough, you also need to ensure the battery terminals are tight.
If that checks out then get hold of a multimeter and check if the alternator is charging properly. Put the meter on the battery terminals before you start the engine and ignition off-it should be abot 12.5 volts.Start the engine and measure with the engine running-you should have about 14 to 14.5 volts if the alternator is healthy.
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Post by oscarloco »

I would agree on checking the battery first. My ZX has a nasty habit of needing a new battery about every 3 to 4 years. And it would not warn me, it just fails one day. Last time, at night everything was OK but next day, it would not start.
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