Bongo Fury

Returning home yesterday I suddenly noticed that the charge light and the sediment light have both come4 on at the same time. I have this morning put my multimeter on the battery set up. I have a leisure battery with the willinton relay kit.

Engine running - main battery 11.03v lesiure 12.20v
Engine off - main 11.88v leisure 12.20v
The leisure battery is probably about 2 years old.

The Freda is my only vehicle so it is getting regular use, I looked at the alternator with the engine running and belts are running ok.

I disconnected the lead from the sediment unit at the bottom of the fuel filter and the sediment light still glowed - but I dont know whether that is the default behaviour with the lead disconnected.

It seems strange that charge and sediment lights came on at the same time, could a loose connection behind the dash cause this?

Is there somewhere that I can use my multimeter to check whether a charge is coming out of the alternator?

Thanks
Ron

ronhud wrote:Returning home yesterday I suddenly noticed that the charge light and the sediment light have both come4 on at the same time. I have this morning put my multimeter on the battery set up. I have a leisure battery with the willintonrelay kit.

Engine running - main battery 11.03v lesiure 12.20v
Engine off - main 11.88v leisure 12.20v
The leisure battery is probably about 2 years old.

The Freda is my only vehicle so it is getting regular use, I looked at the alternator with the engine running and belts are running ok.

I disconnected the lead from the sediment unit at the bottom of the fuel filter and the sediment light still glowed - but I dont know whether that is the default behaviour with the lead disconnected.

It seems strange that charge and sediment lights came on at the same time, could a loose connection behind the dash cause this?

Is there somewhere that I can use my multimeter to check whether a charge is coming out of the alternator?

Thanks
Ron

Hi Ron - lots of stuff on here discussing stuff like that, so worth a cup of tea, a hobnob biscuit or two, and a search. Also if you have the owners manual I think it explains what each light means. Sorry I don't carry the answers (or much, come to that ) in my head

Thanks Mike - first thing I did was look at the owners manual, sediment light I already knew about the little water sump from changing filters and I am going to have to unscrew that just in case there is water. Charging light - the manual just says get to your Mazda dealer and I feel it would be worth my verifying the output from the alternator before spending time and money. I have a suspicion about the dashboard lights - I've had the hold light/no speedo event and found that was a loose connection behind the dash panel.

I did a search for battery charging etc and there is a lot of info, almost to the degree of being confusing. For example 12.20v on the leisure seems to be low but it is cold outside this morning, sun hasnt reached my Freda yet. If the leisure is charged does that mean no change in measured voltage with engine off/on?

Ron

I would have expected the main battery to be showing 13-14v with the engine running - sounds like alternator may be goosed

ronhud wrote:Thanks Mike - first thing I did was look at the owners manual, sediment light I already knew about the little water sump from changing filters and I am going to have to unscrew that just in case there is water. Charging light - the manual just says get to your Mazda dealer and I feel it would be worth my verifying the output from the alternator before spending time and money. I have a suspicion about the dashboard lights - I've had the hold light/no speedo event and found that was a loose connection behind the dash panel.

I did a search for battery charging etc and there is a lot of info, almost to the degree of being confusing. For example 12.20v on the leisure seems to be low but it is cold outside this morning, sun hasnt reached my Freda yet. If the leisure is charged does that mean no change in measured voltage with engine off/on?

Ron

Sounds like you've covered the bases then. I tend to agree with John: your figures sound a bit low. You should certainly see a jump in voltage across the SB between engine off and engine running. As to your question:

Is there somewhere that I can use my multimeter to check whether a charge is coming out of the alternator?

I've not looked but isn't there an obvious point where the feed from the alternator arrives at the battery? If so then testing across that and a good earth ought to do it.

Both lights coming on at the same time does seem odd.

Also, I seem to recall posts about fusible links (or 100 Amp fuses) going but can't remember what if any significance it might have here (plus I've not heard of them going except where a short circuit was involved I think). But it might be worth searching those words in case.

If Wellhouse are too dear, Mister Munkey (Chris) has a good guy he swears by and he's not far from you. PM him maybe?

On the forum, the commonest mentioned causes of both those lights glowing are either a problem with the split charge relay or (more commonly)the alternator.

definitely alternator, as the charge n sediment light both reference from them alternator output, seen this lots of times when the alternator dies, unfortunately usualyy means replacement as rebuild is a) next to impossible and b) normally just as expensive as a new unit.
Julian

321Away wrote:definitely alternator, as the charge n sediment light both reference from them alternator output, seen this lots of times when the alternator dies, unfortunately usualyy means replacement as rebuild is a) next to impossible and b) normally just as expensive as a new unit.
Julian

Thanks Julian - your contributions are always really helpful. Incidentallly, you seem to be just down the road from Crowthorne, where I worked for some years (on the old TRRL site)?

Both your batterys are nearly flat and you should be reading around 14.2 with engine running....suspect alternator but check it with your multimeter by putting the red multi lead to the "fat" terminal on the alternator and the black lead to earth...should read about 15 volts (keep fingers away from the belts.....check the belts are turning the alternator.....

Thanks to everyone. Main battery now wont drive starter so jump started from leisure battery and went down to Charlie Browns who do a free alternator check. With lights and heating fan on and engine running voltage at main battery was 8.4v so does look like alternator. I've arranged to take it in to the Wellhouse connection that Ian referred me to on another thread and get Kev there to asess it. I will post result as it may benefit other searchers sometime.
Ron

It really IS the alternator.

Happened to me twice now. 1st time had alternator rebuilt, all was well for about 18 months then same again.

New one from Bongobits - £113. Job done.

This happened to me last year and it was the alternator. I bought one from Bongo Bits and hey it happened again a week after the warranty ran out a year later. This seems insane as they say a good one should last over ten years. I then bought one from AVA Leisure for around 230GBP, so far so good.

That said, both lights flashed up again recently for a second and has not returned, any ideas?

This problem (charge and sediment lights indicating probably faulty alternator, (or sometimes a relay) have been mentioned on the forum many times for several years now.
It's a fairly common problem, everything wears out eventually but as you said, you'd expect it to last a bit longer.

To give you an idea of what might be happening, there's more info in the 'Clinic Archives' on THIS LINK (scroll down to 'engine electrics'.)
And there's an alternator fact sheet in the members area on THIS LINK

Update - took it to Wellhouse Leisure, it was the alternator. Phone Thurs, took in Fri am, loan car provided, picked up Fri pm at very fair price.
Ron

ronhud wrote:Update - took it to Wellhouse Leisure, it was the alternator. Phone Thurs, took in Fri am, loan car provided, picked up Fri pm at very fair price.
Ron

Excellent. V. good to know their prices are affordable also as they've taken stick on here in the past, not entirely warranted I suspect.