Chimaera battery not charging

[stephenscurfield]

My 1995 Chimaera has now had four new batteries and keeps on destroying the cells. is there a relay in the alternator ?

Any ideas as to what this could be or why this is happening ?

[Bob the Planner]

My battery was not too happy when the diode pack started to degrade. I was getting higher voltage for 5-10 secs every couple of minutes indicated by the lights brightening to twice the normal brightness. It also popped a couple of fuses as well !

[Cider Andy]

No, there isn't a relay in the alternator, but as Bob says, a faulty alternator can overcharge by outputting a much higher voltage than normal. Typically it will pop halogen headlamps, as fitted to the Chimaera, but it could also destroy the battery. Perhaps more expensively, it could destroy the ECU, so it would be wise to have it checked.