Help needed

[SharonSR]

Hi guys, any opinions on this problem?

as you know i was out driving my car a while ago and stereo goes off, lights dim. Pull over and switch off to check earths. Seem OK, but battery too flat to start car. Leave for an hour, car starts, but lights very dim, rev counter flicks with indicators and brake lights! Engine starts to misfire, loses power. Leave for the night. Come back next day and swap alternator. Jump car - no change, battery guage in red. Get car home and swap battery for nearly new one. Still no change.
Swapped alternator again, no change. Noticed battery light on dash not working, fix that, still no change. Remove and clean earths from battery to body and from gearbox to body. No change!
Get about 11.4V across battery with engine running, about 11.7 with engine off. I noticed the holes which the coil screws into are rusted and one bolt is missing and the other won't tighten. This wouldn't affect the charging would it?
Have tried using jump lead to connect -ve of battery to coil body and alternator body, no change!

starting to think about new car.

[Dicko]

it has gotta be the alternator, either in wiring or alt itself. the alt shud put out around 13.7v when running. if its not then its not putting power out. have you tried conecting the volt meter directly to the alt outputs? bit tricky i know but gotta be done. i would say is it shorting out but cant b as its hapened to me and u kinda notice it (bit of arc welding going on under ya bonet is scary :s )

[dan16v]

dicko is correct 11v is not enough, it is an earth or the alternator, by telling us your voltage out put it is pritty much 100% certain its either of the above if your bf can do it kool if not me n mike sri will give you a hand if you want :wink: , mikes an electrician so should find the earth fault no probs!

[SharonSR]

Pull over and switch off to check earths. Seem OK, Leave for the night. Come back next day and swap alternator. Jump car - no change, battery guage in red. Get car home and swap battery for nearly new one. Still no change.
Swapped alternator again, no change. Remove and clean earths from battery to body and from gearbox to body. No change!

as I have said we have chagned the alternator (twice) and cleaned all the earths, still nothing. don't mean to sound cheeky!

[Chris LR]

I don't mean to be cheeky, but could something be draining the power

[SharonSR]

Have disconected everything the day we got it back here.

I want my car back :cry:

[dan16v]

yes but m8 you have told us the battery voltage and it is clearly not charging as there is not enuff voltage going through on tick over 11v is to little

[Aragorn]

ok the voltage will fall if there is a large enough drain on it

what u need to do if its possible is run the engine without anything connected to the alternator

i dunno if this is possible? just disconnect all the alt leads?

if u can - disconnect everything from the alt then start the engine from the battery/jump leads like normal

now u should have an unloaded alternator that SHOULD be putting out 13.8v - if its not then check the belt n shit, if it is then ur gonna need to look at the entire electrical system for large shorts, u might even find one of the leads from the alt to battery are shot?

its gonna have to be a hefty short to bring the alts output down to 11.8v

[SharonSR]

Just want to say thanks to everyone for they help and Ideas, and to let you all know the Antibes is back on the Road :lol: ,

[MattyWoo]

how did you get it working in the end then??

[SharonSR]

Well i had to borrow the alternator of the boyfriends 2.0 8V in the end, as the 3 i had were all f@#*"d by the look of it. Still going to have to get another alternator cos he wants his back to go rallying soon, but at least she's working again, if theres ever another south meet i'll bring her but shes not a lot to look at.....Yet

[dan16v]

hey m8 sorry for not replying to the msg had no net for a week or so but i got an alternator if ya want it! just pm me again