C5 diesel 2003 battery charge fault

[user12]

So I'm driving along when the car starts beeping and I then hear my tire has gone flat o/s/f
I pull over and see it is completely flat.
So as it was at night I plugged in my lighting device into my cigarette lighter so I can see what I'm doing in changing the tyre. After about 45 mins with the car on I managed to change it. Now during this time I saw a battery charge fault come up and sometimes the service light will illuminate then turn off. The needle on the battery gauge is to the left, not in the middle like before. I left it over night and started it this morning and still getting the error. I checked my belts and they seem tight Luke normal. I'm.no mechanic BTW. I bought a new battery 9 months ago and also there is no whinning noises heard. I don't have a volt meter tester. I disconnected now everything from battery . any help or advice ?

[KennyW]

It looks like you have worn the battery down and it needs a charge.

Do you have a trickle charger ? If so remove battery from car following the correct procedure and recharge it with the trickle charger. Again follow the instructions for the trickle charger.

Kenny

PS other members will be along and will tell the correct procedure to remove your battery from the car for Mk1 C5.

[myglaren]

Here is the procedure I use. There are variants but all are similar effectively.

If you don't have a charger then Aldi and Lidl frequently have some very good value ones available.

A multimeter is a very handy tool too and can be had for as little as a fiver for a very basic one.

[user12]

I managed to test using a volt meter. It shows 12v when on so alternator is knackered
How can I get part number without removing it. I will order a 2nd hand one

[user12]

Thanks for advise so far

[white exec]

When you say "12v when on", is that the battery voltage when connected, and engine not running? If so, that would not be abnormal, for a battery not fully charged.
If connected and engine running (fast idle) it should read about 14.4v if alternator is ok.

[user12]

It showed 12v when car was on and radio lights and ac was on. I tested battery and alternator both showed the same.

[user12]

If I drive this around I'm guessing as it was on 12v this means my battery won't charge and will end up dead very soon. Before any of this happened I recall seeing engine coolant to high show up. I checked the coolant levels and they were fine. Do I think it may be electrical fault somewhere. The battery is only 9 months old . I did have the engine washed back in August as my fuel filter cracked and peed diesel everywhere

[myglaren]

C5s have a reputation for being electrically unstable if the voltage dips - seen it on both mine.
A fully charged battery could well rectify your problems and if not show the problem lies elsewhere.

[white exec]

With engine running, lights on, AC on and engine idling, you will see not much more than 12v.
Alternator and battery are directly connected together, so should show the same voltage.

As Steve says, give the battery a full charge (10-12 hours or overnight) and see how she performs then.
Buy yourself a voltmeter! With engine running, and no lights, AC, heater fans etc etc, alternator/battery terminals should read about 14.4v at a fast idle (around 1500rpm).

[user12]

OK but the battery is only 9 months old. I do not have a charger for it. I'll have to find one or ask around I guess. Weird if battery got drained
Thanks for advice again

[user12]

A mate has a charger. I will charge overnight and write back tomorrow

[myglaren]

I had to help a lad at work who drives an 03 Megane.
He left the radio on and killed the battery so yesterday I took my charger to work (car left there overnight) and charged it up for him and refitted, topped it up with de-ionised water which he had never looked at in the year since he bought the battery.

Like me he only does short trips which is not too good for battery life.

Started up fine but had the ESP warning light up.
As he drove away I noticed his brake lights weren't working. I did ask if there was a shut down procedure like the C5 but he was adamant that there wasn't.

[user12]

OK I charged the battery for 10 hours. Installed back in car and the battery gauge in dashboard was to the left again.
I jiggled the battery and connections and looked in dash then the needle started moving. It looked like it was charging and needle was in middle. I though thankgod. Then out of nowhere the beeping noises started but this time it was saying temp was too high. The needle for the temp went of the gauge the fan kicked in and then my battery went down again. I turned the car off. Then on. Temp was fine battery gauge though was to the left.
Restarted the car 3 or 4 times then the temp went up again. I thought this can't be right so I drove it. I drove it hard then all of a sudden the gauges normalised. I left it running put the lights on radio etc and it stayed normal.
What the hell is wrong with it????

[white exec]

You say that jiggling the battery/connections produced a change in behaviour. It does sound like an intermittent connection, affected by temperature or vibration.

If you have original lead (Pb) lump battery connectors, these are known to become corroded inside, where they are crimped on to the copper strands of the battery cables. They also relax their grip on the cable strands over the years. A sign of a problem here is if a connector becomes warm after engine cranking.

If they are the originals, cut them off, strip back some insulation and clean up the cable strands back to bright copper (the copper strands may have become oxidised/blackened)***.

Replace with some brass clamp-type connectors, like these (Halfords, motor factors...):

.

A bit more careful wiggling might tell you which connection is at fault. Replace both anyway.


*** A quick method, if you need it:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to- ... n-minutes/