fla 9 Posted June 13, 2012 sorry, yes HU=Head unit. key out means i cant use anything and the voltage drops 0.01v every few seconds and settles around 12.3ish. Why do you think the issue would arise in the rain and not otherwise? The acceleration was a bit rough too suggesting (as you ahve also said) a short or a loose connection somewhere. I HATE electrics! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sam2.0 10 Posted June 13, 2012 The stereo should be on switched power, are you sure you can't turn it on when the key is out? If you can, read the voltage with the HU on. The voltage on the battery drops to 0.01v every so often? That isn't normal. Get the battery tested. 12.3v is fine for an idle battery. It could be a lose wire getting wet, or even a connection getting wet. Again, are you sure its not because the wipers are on thats causing the drain, rather than just because its raining? You also should check the earth points for the engine. Its process of elimination. Can on, check voltage, turn stuff on 1 by 1, you can also pull fuses 1 by 1 and see if it causes any difference in the voltage. Even do it with car off (key out) lights, hazards, stereo etc still work with the key out of the ignition. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
dr_mat 0 Posted June 13, 2012 If the output voltage from the battery drops then it has loose contacts internally. That's really not going to help ... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 13, 2012 to be fair to the battery (!), this was right after i had run the engine hence charged it. Took it for a drive today - faultless; which makes it more confusing. Sam i'll try your methods first and see what arises. Just a thought though, i hadnt put any grease on the -ve terminal on the battery, perhaps the rain was causing a slight short right across the battery as it is one of the 'water collection points' our cars are famous for... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 23, 2012 OK, one issue (hopefully) resolved. The connector for the exciter cable had actually separated from the spade inside the housing. From the outside it looked fine until i decided just to see if it was holding properly and one side just pulled out! lesson: dont ignore the simplest and most obvious! Need to take it for a drive to see its all ok. This 'may' also be causing the starting issue i've posted on the other thread, but i'll know sooner or later... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 25, 2012 ok so its still not charging properly. Turned the engine over for a few minutes. Switched off and then switched on again. This time very fast turn over and quick ignition. Took it for a drive. Had the sunroof open and radio on. Parked up for an hour. Came back to start and again very slow cranking. Turned the radio off on the way back, sunroof closed. Pulled in and tried agin. Again very slow cranking. Perhaps the regulator on the alternator? The ring connector on the alternator is a bit rusty, but i dont think that would be the issue? The F/3 position on the connector to the relay is wired to a switched live? If so, would it be worth wiring the exciter wire to another switched live? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 26, 2012 where can i get a voltage regulator from? I assume the brushes are integrated with it? Mine is a 120A alt on account of the aircon. Thanks Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sam2.0 10 Posted June 27, 2012 ok so its still not charging properly. Turned the engine over for a few minutes. Switched off and then switched on again. This time very fast turn over and quick ignition. Took it for a drive. Had the sunroof open and radio on. Parked up for an hour. Came back to start and again very slow cranking. Turned the radio off on the way back, sunroof closed. Pulled in and tried agin. Again very slow cranking. Perhaps the regulator on the alternator? The ring connector on the alternator is a bit rusty, but i dont think that would be the issue? The F/3 position on the connector to the relay is wired to a switched live? If so, would it be worth wiring the exciter wire to another switched live? Its always worth trying another link. I just put a cable across from the live terminal on the battery for testing. But, don't leave it on, as it'll drain the battery! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 28, 2012 Just found this link - will be using the last suggestion to see if there is any issue with the alternator, before changing the regulator: http://www.aa1car.com/library/battery_runs_down.htm meanwhile, there is some poor wiring with the alarm unit which will need to be remade although i dont think this is the issue Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanl82 23 Posted June 28, 2012 I had a look on ebay and eventually found one supplier for the regulator, as it was specific to the model number. You will obviously need the serial numbers off your Alt to cross reference there. Other than that, there are alternator/starter motor/battery shops around, (usually tucked away in some grubby part of town) that could source them for you. There is a grubby little shop on the road into town down here that do the above. Google it, you may come up with something local to you. The ones on ebay were about £11 iirc. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 28, 2012 thanks Sean. GSF say they have one in stock - i'll pick it up on the weekend, but i need to remove the alt first to make sure its the right one. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fla 9 Posted June 30, 2012 The alternator didnt want to come out - bit of an issue getting to the front engine mount as the aircon pipes and padding were in the way. So i removed the base (three nuts) but this still didnt allow the engine to be lifted high enough so i left the alternator loose and just turned it over to get the back cover off. Its a Valeo 120A alternator. Unscrewed the bolts and took the black plastic cover off. The removed the mounting screws for the regulator and gently wiggled it out. Visually it looks fine and tbh i almost suspect there may not be an issue with it, but its just one thing to rule out. Unfortunately the gsf regulator was the wrong one so didnt fit it. I'll see if they can get the right one for next week. The cable going to B+ on the alt had some corrosion of the sheath by the ring connector, so i'm wondering if this was causing a short somewhere? I've removed the green salt deposit on it and cleaned with contact cleaner. I'll cover with some self amalgamating tape but other than that else should be looked for? It definitely something draining the battery as when i left it unconnected last night and then wired it in this morning the engine fired up immediately. So its not switch or starter related. One thing i did do was with the ammeter connected, i set and unset the alarm and held the ammeter in place for a while. It read 14 amps (at the 10A setting!!) for a while and then settled down to 900mA. When i disconnected the ammeter and then reconnected it, it settled at 60mA Just to check the current draw, i used my analogue ammeter as well on the 500mA scale and it went to full deflection almsot immediately suggesting more than 500mA (which relates to the 900mA). I'm just wondering i'f i'm barking up the wrong tree with the alternator at all? Is there any way to check the regulator manually? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
