Charging fault cured
Discussion
I thought I would share this one with you, as it may save you a bit of time money and heartache. It is relevevant to just about any car.
Having bought a Renault Grand Scenic 1.5dci which was cheap due to it not charging, I searched the forums and checked for corroded fusebox connections and output from the Bosch alternator. No joy.
I decided that the regulator/brush assembly were probably faulty, so orderd one for just over £20 from Mid Ulster Rotating Electrics, on eBay which arrived in two days.
Access is not too bad, except for one crosshead screw securing the outer plastic cover on the back of the alternator, which is hidden by the oil filter. Eventually in frustration I just pulled/flexed the cover out of the way as it was sufficiently flexible.
I then got the old regulator off and the new one fitted (all without removing the alternator). Only now as I was making the last connection, the two pin plug onto the regulator for the signal wires, did I spot the root cause of the problem.
Both the thin wires to this plug had chafed through. The white one had gone right through the insulation and copper strands and was only held by the other side of the insulation. The strand had clearly been open to the elements for some time, as the strands were very corroded. The mauve wire had got to the strands but not broken them.
A quick bit of cleaning, cutting and soldering plus a few layers of heatshrink and braided sleeving, and the job was a good'un, with 14+ volts at the battery when it was started.
The regulator was worth changing as the brushes were worn down to about 8mm (the minimum for these is 7.5mm). As brushes can be bought seperately, I might get a set and try fitting them. If the alternator wasn't so inaccessible, I might have considered changing the slip ring assembly, as was fairly worn.
Anyway, the moral is check those thin signal wires thoroughly.
Having bought a Renault Grand Scenic 1.5dci which was cheap due to it not charging, I searched the forums and checked for corroded fusebox connections and output from the Bosch alternator. No joy.
I decided that the regulator/brush assembly were probably faulty, so orderd one for just over £20 from Mid Ulster Rotating Electrics, on eBay which arrived in two days.
Access is not too bad, except for one crosshead screw securing the outer plastic cover on the back of the alternator, which is hidden by the oil filter. Eventually in frustration I just pulled/flexed the cover out of the way as it was sufficiently flexible.
I then got the old regulator off and the new one fitted (all without removing the alternator). Only now as I was making the last connection, the two pin plug onto the regulator for the signal wires, did I spot the root cause of the problem.
Both the thin wires to this plug had chafed through. The white one had gone right through the insulation and copper strands and was only held by the other side of the insulation. The strand had clearly been open to the elements for some time, as the strands were very corroded. The mauve wire had got to the strands but not broken them.
A quick bit of cleaning, cutting and soldering plus a few layers of heatshrink and braided sleeving, and the job was a good'un, with 14+ volts at the battery when it was started.
The regulator was worth changing as the brushes were worn down to about 8mm (the minimum for these is 7.5mm). As brushes can be bought seperately, I might get a set and try fitting them. If the alternator wasn't so inaccessible, I might have considered changing the slip ring assembly, as was fairly worn.
Anyway, the moral is check those thin signal wires thoroughly.
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