has my alternator died ?

[Bombadilo]

hello folks,

i started the bongo today in the usual fashion today.

she fired up as normal but felt 'a bit lumpy' after the glow plug light went out.

i let her warm up and scraped the ice off the windows with all the heaters on full.

i drove off and everything seemed ok again.

i had heaters on full, cd, foggies and dipped lights on.

while driving to work i noticed the ABS 4WD light came on intermittently.

i also noticed the speedo and rev counter seemed eratic.

when i took my foot off the gas the needles dropped to zero immediately - despite the fact that i was still doing 40 mph.


i tried to start the bongo after work.

when i turned the key one notch - the glow plug light came on but started to flash - along with all the lights on the dash board.

i had lights, cd and internal lights but the heater cut out.

i tried several times and got a mate to put his head under the bonnet. when the glow plug light and dash was flashing we could hear a clicking from a relay behind the vehicle battery in the top left hand corner. (this was not the split charger relay)

i tested the voltage across the vehicle battery and found it to be down to 11.8 volts.

i could not work out why the battery had drained or why this relay was clicking so i called the RAC.

he confirmed my battery was flat and checked the alternator once he had started the bongo.

the belts seemed ok and the readings on the alternator he took read 13.42v with loads off

12.18v with loads on (heater, headlights, cd).

he suspected the alternator.

before i invest in a new one are there any other tell tale signs that the alternator is dead ?

if it is dead - any pointers for the cheapest place to buy a new one.

cheers

phill

[mister munkey]

before i invest in a new one are there any other tell tale signs that the alternator is dead ?

if it is dead - any pointers for the cheapest place to buy a new one.

cheers

phill

Probably not. Charge & sediment light would come on if that were the case.

Quick search brings up a couple of options.

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... ug#p238510

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... g+glowplug

Or possibly a poor connection/problem with the scavenger fan.

[Bombadilo]

its not the second link (fuse number 1)

http://www.igmaynard.co.uk/bongo/forum/ ... g+glowplug

i had internal lights, radio etc.

if its not the alternator could it be glow plug relay or fuse ?

if the glow plug relay or fuse had gone what symptoms would that give ?


'scuse my ignorance - what is the scavenger fan ?

phill

[Lewy]

I'm not sure it does sound like an alternator problem. I've been through two alternators in 5 years and the symptoms were the same both time and included an intermitent sediment warning light on the dash and headlamps fading with revs and worse when when under full load.

Having said that, I do think a faulty alternator does have an effect upon dash instruments - it would send my MAson adjusted temp quite haywire and I think this was due to poor or flucuating input from the alternator as it breathed its last, nothing else was affected though.

Your problems might well be alternator orientated but don't sound text book. It is a fairly easy thing to check though to see if it is putting out voltage consistently.

New alternators can be had fairly cheaply on ebay and I think my last one came from Plymouth who sells via ebay. You can also have them refurbished which might be worth considering if yours is the original Mazda fitted one, as the cheaper ones don't last forever.

[g8dhe]

Its possible that the alternator hasn't failed completely and is putting out a lower than normal voltage, it would probably be best to get the alternator itself checked by an auto electrician, rather than just relying on measuring the voltage across the battery. He should be able to test the alternator against a known fixed load, rather than a battery, and that is the key test, in these low temperatures strange things can happen to electronics that your not expecting.

[Bombadilo]

g8dhe - the voltages quoted were taken from the alternator. however they were not from a known fixed load. (i just put heater and lights on)

maybe as you said the alternator has not completely gone but its just not charging at its full capacity.

i've put the vehicle battery on charge in the shed and will try a local auto elecs tomorrow to see if they can test it.

phill

[mister munkey]

I s'pose its worth checking for any leads that may need a tweak. Could just be a dodgy earth somewhere. But I guess the RAC man would've covered that . . . .

[apole]

Hi,

Outsider for consideration if all else fails.

When I was fitting plasma dials I needed to move the car with the speedo housing out and disconnected. Car started fine but there was no charge going into the battery.

Conclusion is that with the speedo housing disconnected for some reason the car does charge the battery.

As you were having eratic warning lights flashing it could just be that one of hte multiplugs is loose on the rear of the instrument housing that is also meaning that the alternater isn't charging the battery.

Found this out by chance on mine but worth bearing in mind just in case.

Andy

[David Edwards]

If it is the alternator I got mine from The starter motor and alternator company in plymouth, very quick and reasonable too. They had plenty in stock as well. It was around £125.00 delivered.

[Lewy]

Mine from there too - good unit and good service.

[mikeonb4c]

i've put the vehicle battery on charge in the shed and will try a local auto elecs tomorrow to see if they can test it.

phill

You've sort of beaten me to it. I was going to suggest charging the battery and then seeing if the symptoms disappear. If they do, chances are its a charging problem. If they don't, suspect something else.

It's the kind of logic us Irish mechanics use

[Bombadilo]

it was the alternator after all folks.

when i got home (the kind RAC man followed me just in case) i put the battery on charge.

i tried it a day later and all was good.

i took the bongo to autolec in caerphilly (thanks for the tip off ed).

they tested both battery and alternator and it seemed the alternator was charging but not enough.

luckily they had just broken a bongo and so they had a second hand one on the shelf.

all sorted in a couple of days.

thanks for all the suggestions and tips.

phill