Bongo Fury

waycar8 wrote:

jaylee wrote:

waycar8 wrote:Hope it cures your problem , might well be a cure to alot of alternator problems or just a odd bongo abnormality

Maybe after a certain amount of time with the vibration they do just work themselves loose, don't recall seeing any thread lock on so maybe a design flaw? who knows only time will tell Ive made into a sticky just in case and hopefully anyone else may be able to add to the thread or blow the theory out the water

What i got is not really major a problem for me, as such...

I was however, wondering if it would do any harm running an earth to chassis off one of the five bolts.? (A bit like the old fuel gauge fix..!)

I was thinking of putting an extra nut on each thread to lock em in anyway?

Well from what I could gather from my part disasemble is that they just hold the inner plastic housing for the main spindle that spins what has a magnet on the end closest to the "nuts", not sure they are for an earth as such.

Must have something to do with how the magnet sits near to the outer caseing imo causing static leccy?

Neither do i, taking into the consideration the composition of the alternator casing they are bolted to...?!

http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... no=.html#1

Some sort of alloy..?

Definatly some type of aluminum casting, another thing is that the long bolts that can be seen on the outer casing nholding the back and the front parts together will earth the rear casing imo.

Shit Happens

Same 2 lights last week Alternator cured it .
Now i have 14.4 again. Not bad though origional unit and i have done 220000KM.

Reading this has given me hope, what a fool am I?
I recently changed the waterpump, and since then several times of bleeding have found me flummoxed. The Mason alarm had come on erratically, and the engine didn't feel excessively hot from where I am... as everything seemed to have settled I went for a 100 mile trip, All was fine until after about 80 miles various dash lights flicked on & off -ABS first, then the tacho failed, next the speedo -headlights dimmed and I realised the battery was flat -but no alternator light.
Fortunately I had a spare battery in the boot (weird I know. I'd bought it because I thought the old was dead, then realised my battery charger was faulty!)
I switched batteries and the alternator light came on and went off when the motor started. I completed the journey fine, and charged up both batteries.
The next day, that Mason alarm came on again after only 5 miles... recovery home, I know what I'd rather look at today than yet another flush/bleed of the coolant!

You got a new alternator on order then?

Simon Jones wrote:You got a new alternator on order then?

You know, guess what I bought before I bought a new battery? There's half a car in replacement bits in my shed.
I'll be checking those 5 bolts, running five extra earth straps to the battery, putting a belt and braces on them, and cleaning up every plug and socket again too. It'll do me to death this damned car!

My alternator failed. Here are the symptoms and also when I realised I had a problem.

1) noticed that my split charge relay was clicking a lot and assumed it was a bad earth to the relay. Ignored it as the clicking stopped when I wiggled the relay for a while (the battery level had climbed enough to stop the relay going on and off, thinking back!)
2) a week later noticed the roof was slow to raise. Assumed it needed greasing. Ignored for now.
3) 1 week and 1500 miles into Italy noticed the speedo was going on and off, as was the tacho needle. Worried indeed. Resolved itself after a handful of miles. Also noticed the windows were slow to close. Parked up in Florence.
4) returned to car and noticed it was slow to turn over. Left car park.
5) charge and sediment lights came on, then went off when I revved above tickover. On dear.... Now I knew I had a problem .

A few miles down the road the lamps stayed on, needles were going mad. Stopped a few miles down the road. Battery at 9v. No start.

You not got a voltmeter on the dashboard with all that electrickery stuff in your van? .

Not for the starter battery! :-p

Can someone point me to where on the body these nuts are on the alternator please? My bongo has the same issue. I can see some long bolts on the right hand side as I look in from under the passenger seat. I'd like to try fixing it in situ before removing the alternator. Cheers

24-535 on here mate, it shows just one long bolt in the drawing but there are 4 long ones.

http://lushprojects.com/bongopartsmk2/c ... no=.html#1

Ah right. And I see the nut that is referenced in this thread too. I tried tightening these 5 and got a bit of movement but still no charge and sediment light. Tried an earth from alternator body to the battery and still no charge and sediment light. The lights do work though but strangely enough only when the bongo fails to start intermittently which I'm presuming is the starter itself. The battery and alternator are ok.

Just had an idea that my spilt charge system may be preventing the lights from coming on. So maybe not a problem. I'll disconnect the split charge system to see if this brings the lights on. Got a replacement alternator coming just in case.

The Charge light is direct from alternator to lamp, no other circuits are involved. If it lights up, as at Ignition on before starting, then the alternator is not producing any charging current. Once its turning then the light should go out, if it doesn't then the alternator has a problem. Looking at other circuits won't affect the outcome.

g8dhe wrote:The Charge light is direct from alternator to lamp, no other circuits are involved. If it lights up, as at Ignition on before starting, then the alternator is not producing any charging current. Once its turning then the light should go out, if it doesn't then the alternator has a problem. Looking at other circuits won't affect the outcome.

But I'm wondering if the charge lamp is seeing the leisure battery as the charge voltage from the alternator since the light is never on. Maybe.

The supply for the dashboard lights comes via the Ignition key on this fuse;

That would not normally be swapped over to the LB, the SCR circuit will make no difference.
The light is turned on by a circuit within the alternator providing an earth to the lamp when the alternator is not producing any charging current, once there is a charging current the earth is removed and the light goes out.

So with the engine OFF but the Ignition switch ON, connect an earth to the thin Blue/Orange wire coming from the alternator on the two pin plug. The Charge and Sediment lights should come on.
That will prove the lamp and the wiring to the alternator are OK. If not check the lamp in the dashboard.
Given that you don't have a flat battery (?) then the earth from the alternator to the chassis should be OK, otherwise you would rapidly have a flat battery. If the situation is as above then the detection circuit in the alternator must be faulty.