Morris Minor alternator not charging :(
Discussion
Having a real headache with the girlfriends Morris Minor at the moment. I put an alternator on 7 months agoo and all has been fine until recently when the ignition light would not come on and it was not charging. I bought a new alternator but when it came round to fit it the light was back on and all was ok.
2 weeks went by and all was fine, but now it has gone back to not charging again
As its intermittent i ddont think its the alternator, and i have checked the connections and cables for the new alternator that i put in but all seems ok.
Where else should i check, and can anybody offer any advice?
2 weeks went by and all was fine, but now it has gone back to not charging again
As its intermittent i ddont think its the alternator, and i have checked the connections and cables for the new alternator that i put in but all seems ok.
Where else should i check, and can anybody offer any advice?
I don't know how much you know or don't know, so please don't think I'm trying to funny by going back to basics.
Have you got a multimeter?
You can check very easily with one of those if the alternator is giving a charge or not.
Have you checked the battery connections are tight, and the earth to the body, and the earth from the engine to the body are clean, undamaged and tight?
Are the journeys the car does mostly short, and is the engine idle speed very low?
Those are the first things I'd be checking.
Have you got a multimeter?
You can check very easily with one of those if the alternator is giving a charge or not.
Have you checked the battery connections are tight, and the earth to the body, and the earth from the engine to the body are clean, undamaged and tight?
Are the journeys the car does mostly short, and is the engine idle speed very low?
Those are the first things I'd be checking.
I know a bit about cars and do have a multimeter, but am generally more comfortable finding mechanical faults. I will check the battery and see what is coming out of the alternator but if is the same as last time it will be nothing. It is as though the charging system is totally dead, however due to the fault being intermittent it seemed to point to a wiring fault as opposed to the alternator being faulty? I just did'nt know if there were any silly problems just associated with the morris that could be throwing me off?
And it has an alternator to cope with the modern headlights and CD player
And it has an alternator to cope with the modern headlights and CD player
as above, the alternator needs the voltage from the buld to 'excite' the coils to start charging. without this stater voltage it will never produce any electricity.
if the warning lamp has blown, or the wire is poor between the ignition switch (normally) and the terminal on the alternator, then this is the probable cause of your lack of charge.
you can check easily by putting a 12v supply onto the small terminal of the alternator and start the car, you will then see a voltage of 13-(say)18) volts from the larger terminals
if the lamp lights, then goes out when the engine is running, but you still have no charge them its fair to assume that the alternator its self is the fault.
if the warning lamp has blown, or the wire is poor between the ignition switch (normally) and the terminal on the alternator, then this is the probable cause of your lack of charge.
you can check easily by putting a 12v supply onto the small terminal of the alternator and start the car, you will then see a voltage of 13-(say)18) volts from the larger terminals
if the lamp lights, then goes out when the engine is running, but you still have no charge them its fair to assume that the alternator its self is the fault.
Lewis if it is not the bulb itself then wires/battery/alternator connections may need wiggle test
so get the owner to help here first by them wiggling the wires as you check with your multi
then if you find it's loose/broken wire or connection don't stop there get the owner to wiggle for the fun of it
I assume all connections, wires plug and sockrt have been checked for clean, secure and protected - those new plastic sockets and connectors are so flimsy
so get the owner to help here first by them wiggling the wires as you check with your multi
then if you find it's loose/broken wire or connection don't stop there get the owner to wiggle for the fun of it
I assume all connections, wires plug and sockrt have been checked for clean, secure and protected - those new plastic sockets and connectors are so flimsy
Problem solved!
Thanks to all of the advice on here, it only took 15 minutes in the end!
I put in the freshly charged battery and started the car with the small alternator wire connected to +Ve. Checked the battery and was charging nicely at 14.4v
I then whipped out the speedo and checked the ignition bulb. It did not look blown so unscrewed it to check for corrosion but all looked nice and clean. I screwed it back in and hey presto we had an ignition light!
So after all that it just turned out to be a dodgy connection on the bulb!
A virtual beer for you all!
Thanks to all of the advice on here, it only took 15 minutes in the end!
I put in the freshly charged battery and started the car with the small alternator wire connected to +Ve. Checked the battery and was charging nicely at 14.4v
I then whipped out the speedo and checked the ignition bulb. It did not look blown so unscrewed it to check for corrosion but all looked nice and clean. I screwed it back in and hey presto we had an ignition light!
So after all that it just turned out to be a dodgy connection on the bulb!
A virtual beer for you all!
mybrainhurts said:
Morris Minor...?
Alternator..?
How very dare you...? Put the dynamo back on...
Replaced the dynamo on my 1100 with an alternator and it was one of the best things I've ever done. The dynamos are pathetic, outright pathetic and I don't want to have to be charging my battery every week to compensate for how pathetic they are.Alternator..?
How very dare you...? Put the dynamo back on...
Once upon a time where there were fewer red lights and less traffic, perhaps the dynamos were fine, but today they don't seem to be enough, especially if you enjoy the use of a radio, heater or, god forbid, headlights at night...
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