Chim alternator failed

[shake n bake]

Evening chaps.
Had a lovely day out today, polished the chim up last night ready for a jaunt in to Cornwall with the missus.
Lovely drive down, on the way home Lara drove the car for the first time and was getting in to it nicely when the car refused to rev and just about idling, in a precarious position unfortunately.
I managed to push it to a opening in a field and had a fiddle with obvious bits, nothing loose so called out the recovery people.
On test at the battery it drops to about 10 volts with lights and other bits on, so I think it's safe to say the alternator has died.
Any advice on where to get a good one from and what I should be looking to pay?
Anything else to check as well?
Apart from this hiccup first two weeks have been awesome!

[phillpot]

shake n bake said:

Anything else to check as well?

All together now.... 100 amp fuse

[jojackson4]

phillpot said:

shake n bake said:

Anything else to check as well?

All together now.... 100 amp fuse

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Just because it looks ok dosent mean it is unbolt it and test

[shake n bake]

Will do, I did have a look and it's in one piece, but I will whip it off and test it tomorrow.
Sorry if it's a silly question but it is the one by the passengers feet, up by the ecu?

[phillpot]

Nope, not that simple


old thread

When I had my Chimaera it cracked, looked fine but no continuity! Hence you really need to actually take it off or at least test with a meter.

[shake n bake]

That's very helpful mr philpot, I'm tempted to go and roll around on the garage floor right now and see if the little bugger is knackered!

[QBee]

Pound to a penny it is the fault. It lies electrically between the alternator and the battery. To quote James May on his way to almost everywhere in a cheap car challenge, you "ran out of electricity ". Just respond if you don't know where it is on the car, though I think you already know now. It's a lovely £2 fix...

If the 80 amp fuse in the footwell had gone, almost nothing would work.

[quattrophenia]

As they say, start with the easy/cheap things first!
I have only had an alternator fail once and it was the bushes wearing (£100 for complete overhaul with new bushes and guarantee). It was a gradual thing and I got plenty of prior warning from the battery warning light coming on when the revs dropped.
Shame it went whilst your missus was driving! My gal drives mine about once every 2 months however the fuel pump relay failing put her off for a while!!

Edited by quattrophenia on Thursday 15th May 22:36

[shake n bake]

Well, I've tested the fuse this morning, that's fine.
I can get an alternator through work for 95+vat, so I'll chuck that on there and see where I'm at.
I've got a new fuse and holder coming anyway but it looked ok to be fair, I'll strip out the alternator later and check the connections as I go.
Anything else anyone can suggest?

[QBee]

shake n bake said:

Well, I've tested the fuse this morning, that's fine.
I can get an alternator through work for 95+vat, so I'll chuck that on there and see where I'm at.
I've got a new fuse and holder coming anyway but it looked ok to be fair, I'll strip out the alternator later and check the connections as I go.
Anything else anyone can suggest?

So that was the fuse strapped under the car near the rear bush of the driver's side lower wishbone? In a black holder.....in the middle of a thick wire?
Your symptoms are soooo 100 amp fuse.

So, first just humour me and retest the fuse with a multimeter. (I have to assume no knowledge, not trying to offend you)
Set to 20 volt scale, ignition off, black lead onto the engine block, red lead into the hole at the back of the alternator and probe around for the terminal that comes from the battery. If you can find 12.4 volts (or if your battery is pretty flat, 8/9/10 volts) in that area, your 100 amp fuse is fine.

If you find no voltage at the back of the alternator, get back under your car with the spanner, undo the two nuts that hold the fuse inn place, drop it out and connect the two ends of the wire onto one of the two threads, so that you have bypassed the fuse completely. Then test again at the back of the alternator.

I have had my alternator let go, and it was similar to losing the 100 amp fuse (well, it would be - I was running on battery), except I got home before it died, as I realised something was wrong. Difference with the alternator fooked was that the battery warning light on the dash came on - did you see that light on while 'er indoors was driving? With the fuse blown it doesn't, AFAI can remember.

[QBee]

PS, where are you based?

[phillpot]

QBee said:

lots of sensible stuff..........

Or just throw a £100 alternator at it and hope it's that!



Funnily enough, when the fuse failed on mine the alternator failed not long after... would running the alternator with "in effect" nowhere for the electric to go damage it?

[QBee]

phillpot said:

Or just throw a £100 alternator at it and hope it's that!



Funnily enough, when the fuse failed on mine the alternator failed not long after... would running the alternator with "in effect" nowhere for the electric to go damage it?

Dunno - but mine did too.....100 amp fuse failed for the second time in April last year, alternator went during a track day at Cadwell a month or so later.

[shake n bake]

QBee said:

So that was the fuse strapped under the car near the rear bush of the driver's side lower wishbone? In a black holder.....in the middle of a thick wire?
Your symptoms are soooo 100 amp fuse.

So, first just humour me and retest the fuse with a multimeter. (I have to assume no knowledge, not trying to offend you)
Set to 20 volt scale, ignition off, black lead onto the engine block, red lead into the hole at the back of the alternator and probe around for the terminal that comes from the battery. If you can find 12.4 volts (or if your battery is pretty flat, 8/9/10 volts) in that area, your 100 amp fuse is fine.

If you find no voltage at the back of the alternator, get back under your car with the spanner, undo the two nuts that hold the fuse inn place, drop it out and connect the two ends of the wire onto one of the two threads, so that you have bypassed the fuse completely. Then test again at the back of the alternator.

I have had my alternator let go, and it was similar to losing the 100 amp fuse (well, it would be - I was running on battery), except I got home before it died, as I realised something was wrong. Difference with the alternator fooked was that the battery warning light on the dash came on - did you see that light on while 'er indoors was driving? With the fuse blown it doesn't, AFAI can remember.

I will carry out a few more tests when I get home, and will follow the above advice and test accordingly, I can't say for sure about the battery light as I was enjoying the drive whilst Lara was driving, so it's hard to say, and she was concentrating on the road as she was pretty nervy! I'm in devon, outside Exeter by the way.
Thanks for the help, I do appreciate it.

[QBee]

QBee said:

phillpot said:

Or just throw a £100 alternator at it and hope it's that!



Funnily enough, when the fuse failed on mine the alternator failed not long after... would running the alternator with "in effect" nowhere for the electric to go damage it?

Dunno - but mine did too.....100 amp fuse failed for the second time in April last year, alternator went during a track day at Cadwell a month or so later.

Its obvious really, thinking about it - the 100 amp fuse is there to protect the sensitive electrics in the footwell etc from alternator spikes.....and the spikes are a sign that the alternator is on the way out, n'est ce pas?

[Milky400]

phillpot said:

Or just throw a £100 alternator at it and hope it's that!



Funnily enough, when the fuse failed on mine the alternator failed not long after... would running the alternator with "in effect" nowhere for the electric to go damage it?

Sounds as though it was a faulty alternator that caused the fuse to blow?

[QBee]

shake n bake said:

I'm in devon, outside Exeter by the way.

Just asking in case I could pop round at the weekend to help, but Execketer isn't exactly a quick schlepp from Newark-on-Trent.

[phillpot]

But it didn't "blow" the fuse element just fractured, hence looked ok at first glance, viabration?

[QBee]

phillpot said:

But it didn't "blow" the fuse element just fractured, hence looked ok at first glance, viabration?

I know what you mean, but a) they always seem to be reported as "coming out in two pieces", and b) I replaced mine the first time it came out in two pieces with a Midi fuse rather than a flat blade fuse, and that blew (as far as you can tell, not being able to see inside the fuse itself) the following year shortly before the alternator died.

It died gradually, the red light starting to glow slightly and then getting brighter and brighter. At first I thought i was seeing things (I was hacking around cadwell park at the time, so was not exactly watching it like a hawk, and it was a sunny evening), but by the time I was heading home it was glowing really brightly. However, I definitely drove further with the failing alternator than I would have managed with the dead fuse. Tested the next day, deffo fooked, so got a replacement and it has been right as rain ever since. Still carry a spare fuse.....

[JWzed]

Hi Russell. Have got a couple of Midi 100 amp fuses I keep as spares. I live in Yealmpton, South Devon. PM me if you need one.