Knackered alternator - how far can I go / driving advice
Discussion
So on Thursday, for the first time, my battery light started staying on when starting the car, until revved past about 2k RPM, where it went out.
That same evening it quickly escalated into every single system like ABS, EBD, stability etc producing warnings, as they do with low power, leading to me pulling over and restarting (idiot), except obviously it didn't because it was flat as a pancake. I got some help and a battery charge from the RAC which was enough to get me home. We reckon it's the alternator.
For most of today the battery's been on charge using a Ring smart charger, and seems to be well into the realms of diminishing returns from that now.
Tomorrow morning I ideally need to get 40 miles of motorway & A-road to the specialist. Obviously I can turn off all the obvious stuff to help with this, but I'm wondering if it'll be enough.
So, petrol car (2 ltr), 60Ah battery that's 3.5 years old and apparently in reasonable health. What are my chances, and beyond the obvious, what I can do to improve them? Worth pulling fuses? Any optimal driving style? Talk numbers at me
That same evening it quickly escalated into every single system like ABS, EBD, stability etc producing warnings, as they do with low power, leading to me pulling over and restarting (idiot), except obviously it didn't because it was flat as a pancake. I got some help and a battery charge from the RAC which was enough to get me home. We reckon it's the alternator.
For most of today the battery's been on charge using a Ring smart charger, and seems to be well into the realms of diminishing returns from that now.
Tomorrow morning I ideally need to get 40 miles of motorway & A-road to the specialist. Obviously I can turn off all the obvious stuff to help with this, but I'm wondering if it'll be enough.
So, petrol car (2 ltr), 60Ah battery that's 3.5 years old and apparently in reasonable health. What are my chances, and beyond the obvious, what I can do to improve them? Worth pulling fuses? Any optimal driving style? Talk numbers at me
f
king weather! 
I've Rain-X'd the st out of it though 
Good tip on the bump start but no such luck I think. Depends if I can push it far enough.
Technically I only need to get 10 miles away from home for the RAC to tow me to where I like, but I really don't want that argument, or to break down on the shoulderless A31, or be towed at all for that matter.
On the other hand, I can hope that the alternator is just not working well rather than completely fked. For all I know it's been bringing the battery down gradually for a while.
king weather! I've Rain-X'd the s
t out of it though Good tip on the bump start but no such luck I think. Depends if I can push it far enough.
Technically I only need to get 10 miles away from home for the RAC to tow me to where I like, but I really don't want that argument, or to break down on the shoulderless A31, or be towed at all for that matter.
On the other hand, I can hope that the alternator is just not working well rather than completely f
ked. For all I know it's been bringing the battery down gradually for a while.Edited by trashbat on Friday 6th June 20:13
I have decent RAC cover (Recovery and At Home, as opposed to just Roadside). The 10 mile bit is what the bloke said yesterday, although he may be wrong as it looks like I'm covered for onward travel once I get only a short distance from home. No experience of it as I've never used their services before until yesterday.
I also have a multimeter but couldn't determine much about whether it was delivering charge, as the figures changed significantly.
I also have a multimeter but couldn't determine much about whether it was delivering charge, as the figures changed significantly.
Edited by trashbat on Friday 6th June 21:07
Andyjc86 said:
What car is it? An alternator is bread and butter on most cars, can you not find somewhere closer?
Yes and no.It's an Alfa 156. The alternator on this is squirreled away and seems to requires dropping the subframe or removing the head, depending whether you go at it from top or bottom. This makes it maybe a four hour job.
What's that got to do with it? Well I was due to have the engine rebuilt (prior to some further work) in just a few weeks at the specialist, so it saves a significant sum combining the jobs.
Raize said:
The vast majority of current draw will be from the fuel pump rather than the spark plugs. In most cars the fuel pump delivers fuel at a constant rate which is then returned to the tank if not injected.
Good point, thank you.As for economy, mine is up 5% over the fill up before, same sort of driving, but this is well within normal tolerance. If your alternator failed such that resistance decreased (i.e. it spins freely), then economy will improve due to reduced friction.
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