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46

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 10 November 2021, 20:31:56 »

Bad earth?

Can only double-check.

This light has been random for a couple of years and many things have been apart and rebuilt in the meantime so I would like to think not?

Quick question as I have not looked too far at it at the moment, the positive lead runs from the battery, across the top front of the engine and down in front of the alternator. It then splits to the alternator and the starter motor. What is the split? Soldered connection, runs from starter motor to alternator as a separate lead, other?

47

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 10 November 2021, 18:51:25 »

Update…

It is definitely NOT anything alternator related.

I swapped the alternator out for another known good one (borrowed off a friend who has an X20XEV Cavalier that had literally just come home from work in it) and still doing exactly the same thing. I will bench test my original again, just to be belt and braces. I did put a regulator pack in it about a year ago.

I also put a jump lead from the alternator B+ to the battery directly (with the original lead still attached) and again, no difference.

I will take the car into work this weekend and deep charge the battery off the car and then use our warranty-spec battery tester to get a “real world” condition report (full computerised that we have to have for our warranty claims to BMW) on that as well.

48

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 08 November 2021, 18:36:26 »

Have tested the lead by basically disconnecting both ends and applying copious amounts of current through it. Although not loose, the battery end did get “warm” so I would say something there for definite. It seems to be that the light comes on dull for a few minutes after start up before slowly going out unless lots of equipment turned on.

49

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 08 November 2021, 10:22:51 »

as mentioned above somewhere,a voltage drop of that amount on a short cable ( of possibly 6 or 10 mm/2 )would suggest a bad or failing lug crimp joint so id be recrimping them first and making sure their connections in the fuse box on the battery terminal is all good.you could also prove it by hooking up another cable too to see if the volt drop virtually dissapears.
otherwise an occasional charge light can come from low brushes ( this would progressively get worse)or a bad diode or diode joint.i think they are just crimped rather than joined properly ?
my moneys on the cable crimping thou .( main starter cable worth checking too as those can work loose over time.)

Most likely suspect for me, probably at battery end as those joints are normally alloy connectors.

I do have a way of testing the cables, but it is a 2 person job really using the “jig” I have for alternator testing.

When doing the tests, the cable and connections all stayed cool, even under load so may be internal wiring corrosion somewhere, or something completely different..

50

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 08 November 2021, 10:02:01 »

Only update today is that the light came on dimly 1st thing this morning and then went out after a couple of minutes, not to return all the way to work.

Will check again the evening on way home.

Too soon to say really…

51

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 07 November 2021, 16:12:40 »

Latest details:

Aux tensioner pulley was bone dry so removed the seal and regreased properly.

Battery figures are below

Resting charge 12.62V
Resting charge with Lights on 12.2V, returning to 12.6V after turning off

Idle charge 14.2V, electrics off
Fast idle charge 14.3V electrics off

Idle charge heating on, no a/c 14.15V
Idle charge heating on, a/c on 14.0V

Idle charge heater, lights, rear window 13.45V
Fast idle charge heater, lights, rear window
13.5V

Idle charge all electrics (everything you could possibly switch on) 12.4V
Fast idle charge all electrics 13.3V

Wiring check battery to alternator
14.05V at alternator
13.6V at battery

16.71 lbft torque to lift tensioner arm

52

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 07 November 2021, 12:50:15 »

A worn or stretched belt would soon get thrown and it would squeal and slap like a stuck pig in the meantime.

The belt is a service item, so should be changed if history is unknown, but it isn't the issue.

On that I do completely agree, it may be a victim of another problem but there was still tension on the belt. Been out for a drive and when hot, the tensioner pulley bearing is not in a good way and feels a little bit rough so definitely needs changing anyway. I will try to find one of my digital torque wrenches and see what torque figure it takes to make it move for reference.

I used to build alternators and starter motors at a previous job and have a “jig” for testing so I know alternator is okay from previous test when looking for the fault prior.

Out of due diligence, I will double-check wiring losses though…

53

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 07 November 2021, 08:45:08 »

Your barking up the wrong tree.

Start with the alternator/battery. Run through Kevin Woods' starting and charging tests and fix whatever is actually broken. 

Should have said (as I knew the at would be the 1st thing someone would say), did that the other month when initially looking for the problem. All good.

54

Omega General Help / Re: X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 07 November 2021, 08:02:30 »

Quick update, have been out to the car and all pulleys spin freely, alternator, aircon (and actual pump part, but just free-wheeling pulley). Aux tension set pulley sounds like the bearing is a little dry but no free-play. The belt has been slipping, there is no dust but the rib teeth are “shiny”.

Is there a minimum force setting for the tensioner?

55

Omega General Help / X20XEV aux belt tensioner

« on: 07 November 2021, 07:44:29 »

Has anyone had issues with X20XEV aux belt tensioners losing their tension?

Reason for asking is that I have randomly seen the battery light on full at night intermittently but yesterday drove to Wales and back from Kent and the return journey was in the dark. The light kept changing in luminescence depending on load, wipers, indicators, etc and when the light wa a brighter I thought that maybe I could smell something but at 70mph you won’t hear a belt squealing.

I tried a few things and when I reduced the load by turning the aircon off, the light went out completely after about 5 seconds and stayed out until you turned the aircon back on. This would bring the battery light on about half brightness and then drop down, I suspect as the belt slipped and caught back up with the load.

I am going to check the belt today and probably change it during the week, but was also thinking about the actual tensioner and if it could be the main reason?

56

Omega General Help / Re: Failed Jump start

« on: 07 October 2021, 04:04:12 »

I would suspect that the battery has gone completely flat so is taking most of the power instead of the car. What I normally do is put the positive on the battery and the negative on the engine block somewhere )like a lifting eye). That can sometimes make enough of a difference. As other advice though, make sure the jump leads are good and turn EVERYTHING off on the car being started.

57

General Car Chat / Re: E10

« on: 13 September 2021, 13:15:21 »

Other than my Escort cabriolet, all the other run on normal due. My Saff will run on alternate fill ups but that is due to the cat and the cataclean I use every 6 months. I do make V-power the last tank though if I am parking it for for a few months though.

Be wary about any additives for ethanol as some of them will damage catalytic converters in as little as 1 application, especially any with octane improvement. Other had did it in her 1993 MK3 Golf and promptly killed the cat converter in 2 tanks of fuel.

58

Omega General Help / Re: Spark plugs

« on: 13 September 2021, 13:11:24 »

Was always taught to do spark plugs up to 25nm so that is what I do. Small bit of conductive grease  on the end threads only to help prevent them seizing and leave them until service time

59

Car Parts, bits For Sale & Wanted / Re: OSR door centre pillar rubber

« on: 15 July 2021, 20:31:31 »

Will have a look 

Thanks for that, let me know how you get on and I can talk payment hopefully 👍

60

Car Parts, bits For Sale & Wanted / Re: OSR door centre pillar rubber

« on: 12 July 2021, 19:14:40 »

Anyone?