Battery warning light

[COLVERT]

Originally Posted by Binny

Thanks for your replies.
The battery is a recentish Bosch so I don’t think that’s the problem. The terminals are on firmly although I can twist them by hand if I push hard enough. The terminal on the starter where the leads from the battery and alternator attach can be moved more easily but I can’t tighten it any further as we’re on holiday and haven’t brought any tools or my multi meter.
To be fair the terminals have been like this for sometime since I rebuilt the starter without issue and the car starts without any problem and twisting them slightly has no effect on the battery warning light/charging.
The car has done 250,000 miles (diesel) so I’m thinking it could be the alternator although is it normal for it to go so suddenly?
Also anyone know roughly how far I might get in it with everything electrical turned off before the battery is completely flat?

Your last line.--No answer to that as you won't know how much electricity is in the battery to start with.

Don't pull hard on those battery terminals as they are only anchored in plastic.--

250,000---??---That's like expecting a 90 year old man to run a 10 second 100 metres.----

[Binny]

Originally Posted by marinabrian

85 miles? where are you staying?

Brian

We’re staying at Gisburn in Ribblesdale.

[trikey]

Originally Posted by Binny

Thanks for your replies Sewerman and Trikey.
I think I’m probably grasping at straws hoping it’s a bad/loose connection and will have to accept that the alternator needs some attention.
That’s invaluable information about how far you could go on a battery Trikey. As it happens I’ve got about 85 miles to go back to Hull so might chance it. Was your three battery trip in a diesel?

Yes, a diesel manual, changed the batteries while the engine was running too!!

Everything electrical that was not required was switched off, you can tell when the battery is about to die as the warning lights start to illuminate one by one then the rev counter and speedo die.

[trikey]

Originally Posted by COLVERT

Your last line.--No answer to that as you won't know how much electricity is in the battery to start with.

Don't hard on those battery terminals as they are only anchored in plastic.--

250,000---??---That's like expecting a 90 year old man to run a 10 second 100 metres.----

What's wrong with 250k? That's just run in!

[Yorkshire GOC]

Originally Posted by trikey

What's wrong with 250k? That's just run in!

Surely Binny is in line for a Moon Club sticker?

[Andy_with_a_screwdriver]

Originally Posted by Binny

When overtaking a lorry earlier today the battery warning light came on accompanied by ‘charging error’ warning message. I turned all electrics off and drove the five miles back to where we’re staying in Ribblesdale and noticed that when taking tight right hand bends at speed that the warning light would go off and then come on again after the bend.
Does this sound like it could be a poor connection somewhere or a terminal alternator failure? I’ve had a good look round the engine bay and can’t see anything obvious and because we’re on holiday I haven’t got any of my tools or multi meter with me so can’t really do much more.

I've had the same thing happen in my diesel auto when using kick down and accelerating hard. Charging error flashed up. I wasn't sure why, I've just carried on as normal since.

As an alternative I did get also charge fault indicated when the crankshaft pulley started to disintegrate and the alternator belt wasn't turning properly. Not sure that it is connected but maybe worth a check

[HarryM1BYT]

Originally Posted by Binny

Thanks for your replies.
The battery is a recentish Bosch so I don’t think that’s the problem. The terminals are on firmly although I can twist them by hand if I push hard enough. The terminal on the starter where the leads from the battery and alternator attach can be moved more easily but I can’t tighten it any further as we’re on holiday and haven’t brought any tools or my multi meter.
To be fair the terminals have been like this for sometime since I rebuilt the starter without issue and the car starts without any problem and twisting them slightly has no effect on the battery warning light/charging.
The car has done 250,000 miles (diesel) so I’m thinking it could be the alternator although is it normal for it to go so suddenly?
Also anyone know roughly how far I might get in it with everything electrical turned off before the battery is completely flat?

You should not be able to move any terminals when they are supposed to be tight.


There is an issue with the diesel giving a false charge warning light (1), which is probably your problem - but to be sure, you need to use a voltmeter to see what is happening. There is a voltmeter built into the dash diagnostics, but it might not be that accurate.



(1) You will need to search back through the forum for this and the fix..

[Mike Noc]

Post #29 here.

[Canonite]

Right hand bends you say?
So water in the plenum would fill at the left where the ECU is as you corner.

[Binny]

Thanks for the further replies and suggestions.
I’m fairly sure the plenum chamber is dry as it’s not long since I checked however it’s worth doing again.
Either way I’ll confirm on here what I eventually track down the problem to.