Stuck in France - but could be worse

[ESDavey]

It was going so well .. Tour De France Morzine - Avoriaz .. 625 miles there np, hooned around a few mountain roads then on the way back the volt meter dropped to 13v (normally 14v) then recovered then died after going through Reims. Lost all power & costed to the side of the autoroute.

Alternator knackered & french spanner man will try the local Land Rover dealer on Thursday ... because its Bastille Day tomorrow & all of France is on their jollies.

Still, being stuck in Champagne region could be worse but I would rather be drinking a pint of bitter tonight, gived the choice !!

[cinquecento]

I had the same thing... turned out to be a fried 100amp fuse and not the altenator.. despite the spanner man's claims it was faulty..

[Bodmin]

Before the alternator is actually replaced make sure the 100amp fuse is in one piece as they have tendency to develop hairline cracks which may not be obvious.

Bodders

Edited by Bodmin on Tuesday 13th July 23:00

[crackedfinger]

ESDavey said:

It was going so well .. Tour De France Morzine - Avoriaz .. 625 miles there np, hooned around a few mountain roads then on the way back the volt meter dropped to 13v (normally 14v) then recovered then died after going through Reims. Lost all power & costed to the side of the autoroute.

Alternator knackered & french spanner man will try the local Land Rover dealer on Thursday ... because its Bastille Day tomorrow & all of France is on their jollies.

Still, being stuck in Champagne region could be worse but I would rather be drinking a pint of bitter tonight, gived the choice !!

That is exactly what caused mine to be recovered from Le mans 2 years ago, and the wait was too long for me(!). The alternator was a newish one too, one of the diodes went and it was not producing a charge. Ended up putting on a second hand one which has been fine since. Quinny from here help out getting a good second hand one.

[ESDavey]

Thanks for the reply. Re 100amp fuse, would any other electric be effected ?
I would have thought the fuse would be ok or fail. It was very hot driving & I had done 400miles with only a brief fuel stop.

I only hope they can source the correct alternator or I could be here until the weekend !

Does anyone know the Land Rover Part Number of the Alternator please ?

I wonder if shipping from the UK would be quicker than waiting for my local chap ?

Edited by ESDavey on Wednesday 14th July 07:37

[Motik]

Shipping from the UK to France usually takes one or two weeks. It can be MUCH cheaper than buying in France though.

As for the part number it depends on whether you have a serpentine or a pre-serpentine engine.

[Simon says]

As already mentioned check that main fuse carefully,it's the one on the RH engine mount and controls only the alt so no other electrics would be affected by it failing apart from the rapidly discharging battery

[simonej]

Motik said:

Shipping from the UK to France usually takes one or two weeks.

I had something shipped 'overnight' from the UK to deepest, darkest Africa. Even the French should be able to match that! It'll cost you though.....

[JonathanT]

Simon says said:

As already mentioned check that main fuse carefully,it's the one on the RH engine mount and controls only the alt so no other electrics would be affected by it failing apart from the rapidly discharging battery

and they don't fail or not, mine had a hairline crack and caused my battery to go flat on the autoroute (I'm still on the same alternator 8 years later). Only other symptoms were the alternator light coming on when idling but going out when revved hard and the oil pressure gauge showing -10psi on idle (bizarrely).

[Simon says]

Quinny said:

ESDavey said:

Thanks for the reply. Re 100amp fuse, would any other electric be effected ?
I would have thought the fuse would be ok or fail.

The fuse can fail, and the car will drive fine, until the battery starts to drain...

If it is the fuse, an easy fix is to just remove it, and join bothe halves of the wire together...

Ok the alternator will no longer be protected, but the battery will charge and you'll be able to carry on using the car...

Some cars, (Mine included) haven't even got a 100 amp fuse to start with

As on most cars Quinny unless they are late or Japanese they have em,years ago nothing had em agree with above ^

Edited by Simon says on Wednesday 14th July 12:55

[spend]

Is the battery flat?

Some later cars also have a 100A fuse twixt battery & fuse box, which would cut power along with bad battery cables..

A logical, methodical diagnosis is likely to save time in the long run rather than just grasping at straws.

[DonkeyApple]

Re buggered alternator overseas.

I've had this on lad's road trips with other cars.

We use a very simple solution:

Remove battery, replace with charged one from another car. That's then good for well over 100 miles.

Flat battery goes into car with working alternator which is bump started and then charges up that battery while the other is run down.

Just switch and swap until home.

If there is one car and two people you could get a hire car to act as support mule and leave it at Calais etc.

However, if near Epernay and the sun is shining I would just dig in and hope the Frogs take 2 or more weeks to sort it out.

[FlipFlopGriff]

spend said:

Is the battery flat?

Some later cars also have a 100A fuse twixt battery & fuse box, which would cut power along with bad battery cables..

A logical, methodical diagnosis is likely to save time in the long run rather than just grasping at straws.

Some early cars have the second fuse above the battery right up against the fuseboad, but it may have been a mod. bh to get to but also worth checking. They are in a black plastic protective box around 3 inches long, 1 inch wide from memory.
FFG

[Motik]

simonej said:

Motik said:

Shipping from the UK to France usually takes one or two weeks.

I had something shipped 'overnight' from the UK to deepest, darkest Africa. Even the French should be able to match that! It'll cost you though.....

Hence the word "usually"

[ESDavey]

Gents, a big THANK YOU for all your replies. Turned out to be the 100amp fuse.

JohnathanT ... spot on !! autoroute (A26), dropped voltage and the strange oil pressure gauge showing 10psi (from 35psi).

Racing Green sent over a new alternator within 24hrs but on checking the 100amp fuse as recommended by you chaps, bingo. I had a spare with me. Shame I didnt check on Tue but I did get time in Reimes for Bastille Day & I did cut the top off a champagne bottle with a sword !!!

So twice abroad & twice the TVR has failed (AFM, fuse). Good news is that when it does fail, the support from this forum & UK dealers like RG is fantastic. Just dont forget to pack your laptop & 3G card !!!

[lazyitus]

That's good news that you've resolved the issue..

I've heard of this fuse problem a few times on here - where and which fuse is it exactly ? Where is it situated ? I think it's wise to get myself a spare.

[ESDavey]

Its on the chassis near the sump in a black plastic case. Spot the thick cable coming from the Alternator to the battery.
I would suggest changing it anyway now if its a few years old !

[JonathanT]

I'm glad that was the problem and it's now fixed. Before I'd learnt about this, I ended up having my Chim recovered from near Boulogne back to Cambridge, all for a 10p fuse....

It's now an annual service item, even after a year, they're getting worn out.

[Colin RedGriff]

Some cars also have a second one in the footwell wirng by the fuesbox.

[lazyitus]

Cheers - think I'll renew mine.