NICE VIEW FROM LOW LOADER MK2

[fairclp]

Yes, again.

This time dead battery.

10 miles from Chester, car starts acting up, loss of power as the fuel pumps stop and then conks out coming to a roundabout, coast into a pub carpark () and neatly park in a bay. (see previous post for phone call sequence...)

Not enough time to get it recovered to dealers so I'm in Chester with a dead car.

Had the battery replaced this time last year with the same problem.

What the **** is going on?


I've got the equipement up here to get the battery out and charge it to see if that's the cause.

I may just swap it out this weekend if it doesn't charge to save going to dealers even though the battery has a 3 year guarantee.

HELP!

[chris watton]

Oh no!!!! Not your month really is it?
Do you have a battery conditioner? If not, I would thouroughly recommend getting one, saves a lot of frustration!
It seems that once these battery's lose too much charge, they don't seem to ever recover fully (based on my own experience, twice!)

[fairclp]

The strange thing is I've been using the Tiv all week without problems and it started with gusto yeserday and then conked out after 80 miles.

To be honest, it caught me by surprise yesterday, I always have the display showing the battery voltage but I never looked at it for some reason!

[targarama]

Maybe you have a problem with the infamous fuse link between battery and alternator meaning that your battery wasn't being charged by the engine.

[fairclp]

Just checked the 100A fuse. It's fine.

Battery attack next.. and it is raining.. time to get wet.

[sideways mostly]

Sorry to hear about this.If its any consolation mine went in Kensington High street on a Saturday. I was very poular with the police.

[tail slide]

fairclp said:

Just checked the 100A fuse. It's fine. Battery attack next.. and it is raining.. time to get wet.

Sorry to hear of your run of bad luck. Did you check the large fuse from the battery in passenger footwell, as well as the one from the alternator? My alarm ecu went nuts today for 1/2 hour; turned out that the rain has found another way in onto my ecu's in the passenger footwell. Sorted after tipping water out (!) taking it apart and drying with another cars heater.

>> Edited by tail slide on Saturday 20th May 23:03

[fairclp]

The fuses battery side and passenger footwell side are both was fine.

I've had the battery on charge over night but it was still taking 3.5A as I went to bed.

...

Just looked and it is now 2A

>> Edited by fairclp on Sunday 21st May 09:44

Tiv started but battery showed 12V on tickover.

Connected my little gadget which shows battery charge and alternator performance shows the alternator is doing nothing - not charging, not undercharging - nothing. Gadget works on the Beemer so I know that's not the problem.

Can the alternator fail like that?





>> Edited by fairclp on Sunday 21st May 12:20

[tail slide]

Sorry to suggest fuses again, but not sure from your earlier reply that you checked the 100A fuse from the alternator - you have to take all the airbox off to get to it, and they do occasionally fail by heating up thro' corrosion or not being tightly screwed into place.

Other than that, it's probably the voltage regulator on the back of the alternator, unfortunately. Not unknown, but the fuse is much more common apparently.

[fairclp]

Blimey, how many fuses are there!

I've checked the one inside the passenger footwell and the one where the battery is and they are both fine.

I didn't know there was one by the alternator too.

Looks like a low loader trip to the garage in the morning.

Thanks for the help.

[tail slide]

You're welcome - yes, number of extra fuses does seem excessive to me! I know they're doing a useful job, but the alternator one seems to be in a ludicrous place.

They saved £5 by not adding an extra length of h/d cable to put it higher up where you could get to it easily.

[fairclp]

Hi all,

Just a little note to say that everying is fine once again.

Got the Tiv transported to TVR Power where Jason replaced the 100A alternator fuse (and demo'ed how too).

Looks like it just broke due to vibration rather than blew.

I have a spare one now also.

Thanks everyone.

[targarama]

fairclp said:

Hi all, Just a little note to say that everying is fine once again. Got the Tiv transported to TVR Power where Jason replaced the 100A alternator fuse (and demo'ed how too). Looks like it just broke due to vibration rather than blew. I have a spare one now also. Thanks everyone.

Is this the one under the air intake assembly or the one in the passenger footwell?

[fairclp]

The one under the air-intake is the alternator fuse.

If I heard Jason correctly, the one battery-side is for the oil-pump and one inside the footwell is for other electrics.