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Author Topic: Alternator Question  (Read 937 times)

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Tony H

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Alternator Question
« on: 04 March 2010, 19:44:37 »
I having problems with the works van I think the alternator is fubard. The battery  which tests o.k out is contantly going flat. I checked the output which is 14.1V which I think is a little low :-/ when the ignition is off there is still a 2A current flow from the battery lead to the battery terminal. Could a knackered alternator cause the battery to discharge?

TIA
Tony
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Bumbazor

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #1 on: 04 March 2010, 19:51:30 »
It sounds like something is draining the battery but I don't know if alternators can do that when they fail. You can test by disconnecting the alternator and checking current flow again. If you still get a lot of current flow then it will be something else
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Kevin Wood

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #2 on: 04 March 2010, 20:00:33 »
I wouldn't regard 14.1 as desperately low. Does it hold up with plenty of electrical load on it?

Kevin
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Tony H

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #3 on: 04 March 2010, 20:10:18 »
Quote
I wouldn't regard 14.1 as desperately low. Does it hold up with plenty of electrical load on it?
Kevin
No I did a 80 mile round trip on sunday and at the end of it there was not enough power to throw the electro magnetic fridge compressor pully   :(
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dad1uk

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #4 on: 04 March 2010, 20:14:12 »
I would say 14v is acceptable, as mentioned disconnect the alternator and see if the drain is still there.
When the engine is running what is the voltage across the battery then?
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Tony H

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #5 on: 04 March 2010, 20:21:01 »
Quote
I would say 14v is acceptable, as mentioned disconnect the alternator and see if the drain is still there.
When the engine is running what is the voltage across the battery then?
As said 14.1 V across the battery terminals engine running
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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #6 on: 04 March 2010, 20:28:27 »
Sorry missed that. I think you have a drain somewhere rather than an alternator problem. Does the battery hold charge if you disconnect it and leave it for a while?

More likely to be a battery problem I think
« Last Edit: 04 March 2010, 20:29:52 by rainbow »
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Tony H

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #7 on: 04 March 2010, 20:49:00 »
Quote
Sorry missed that. I think you have a drain somewhere rather than an alternator problem. Does the battery hold charge if you disconnect it and leave it for a while?

More likely to be a battery problem I think
The battery has been tested and it's o.k it's less than 12 months old. If I use the battery charger and disconnect the battery it seems to hold it's charge
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Bumbazor

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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #8 on: 04 March 2010, 21:04:36 »
Now begins the job of tracking down the part causing the drain on the battery.
I'm not sure how others do this but if I had the problem I would connect the multimeter to the battery (engine off of course) to measure current, then one by one remove and replace fuses until I found the one that made a difference. Then by determning what parts that fuse supplies, investigate further.
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Re: Alternator Question
« Reply #9 on: 04 March 2010, 21:51:24 »
Sorry - missed the fat that there's a huge  current drain! Agreed. That needs sorting. Start by pulling fuses until you find the circuit I guess.

Do check it's not going back into the alternator though. Could be a faulty regulator / diode pack.

Kevin
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