Suzuki alto Problem

[Zamislt]

I have suzuki alto sz4 2009. So sometimes when i will start the car traction control light will come on and just start flashing, and when that happens sometimes my speedometer will start going up and down, all kinds of lights on my dashboard will come on, lights in the interior and exterior will start sort of flickering, sometimes the car will stall even when driving (its automatic) and a few times the car swithed off when the lights were on and would not turn back on, it just seems like the battery would be completely flat, no ignition nothing, the car wouldnt even lock with central locking, and a day after it would be fine, it would run like nothing happened. The light would not always be there, it would come and go, so i took it to a garage, they connected the OBD and there is no fault, they took it for a test drive and everything was fine. Any thoughts?

[Slushbox]

Sounds like it needs a new battery or at least a check. Also corroded earth and battery connectors, etc.

All sorts of weird crap happened on my last two Suzukis if the battery was down.

Edited by Slushbox on Tuesday 30th October 11:30

[GreenV8S]

I agree with Slushbox - a dodgy earth would exactly fit the symptoms of intermittent widespread electrical faults.

[Zamislt]

Thanks, ill try checking my earth connections and replacing the battery

[Zamislt]

Its a bit weird, because we tried jump starting it from another car, but it showed no life at all.

[Slushbox]

The main positive battery lead, at least on my later 2012 Suzuki, has a compound fuse-holder/battery terminal. The main alternator & starter feed comes up to this, so if the battery connector (or earth) isn't good then starting issues occur.

The traction or ABS lights will stay on for a few minutes after a battery has been disconnected until a few hundred metres or so has been driven, so that, and the no-jump start looks lke a primary battery or battery feed/earth problem somewhere. From memory the main feed goes down to the alternator.

It's also possible to blow the battery terminal fuse by jump starting a completely flat battery, as I found out a couple of winters ago. But if the car is working 'sometimes' it's unlikely.

Battery terminal fuse holder may look a bit like this, the amber-coloured bit is the 80 amp (?) fuse. They are expensive from a main dealer if you need to replace it.

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/FUSE-MAIN-BATTERY-Suzu...

Edited by Slushbox on Tuesday 30th October 12:37

[Zamislt]

Thanks, ill definitely have a look at that

[GreenV8S]

Zamislt said:

Its a bit weird, because we tried jump starting it from another car, but it showed no life at all.

Did you connect the ground lead to the battery, or to the engine / vehicle bodywork? If connected to the battery, it would be subject to the same grounding issues as the original battery.

[Zamislt]

I tried both, tried connecting to the terminal, and after tried connecting to the body, still nothing

[GreenV8S]

Does it have an aftermarket alarm/immobiliser? If so check the wiring where it was spliced into the original loom. A dry joint here could cause widespread electrical problems.