lets get behind these guys

Post by **340GLT** » 16 Jul 2006 12:05 am

pettaw wrote: particularly if you do a few suspension tweaks as others on here have done.

hear hear
Adam

Post by **redline** » 16 Jul 2006 12:07 am

come on , these guys are on a tight budget , they are spending more on graphics than they are on maitainence lol

Post by **pettaw** » 16 Jul 2006 12:10 am

redline wrote:come on , these guys are on a tight budget , they are spending more on graphics than they are on maitainence lol

It costs nothing to do a little fault finding with a multimeter

I'll bet it doesn't even need a new alternator. I wonder what the basis of the stealership thinking that. Was it that the warning lights didn't come on I wonder, or did they test the output properly with a voltmeter or preferably an oscilloscope.

Post by **redline** » 16 Jul 2006 12:13 am

probably the fact that the battery light flashes when the engine is running
(I always thought they came on and stayed on if the altermator was shagged )

Post by **pettaw** » 16 Jul 2006 12:19 am

redline wrote:probably the fact that the battery light flashes when the engine is running
(I always thought they came on and stayed on if the altermator was shagged )

Well, true, but the battery light also takes its feed from the 12V main supply to the other warning lamps, so if that's dicky then the battery light won't be working correctly, cos IIRC it works on a balance of voltages and if one side is missing then it'll light up.

I would even go so far as to say if the battery light is lit or flashing when the car is running and not when its stopped, that its a good sign that the alternator IS working absolutely fine

Post by **redline** » 16 Jul 2006 09:26 am

when you turn the key to the position before actually starting the car, nothing lights up at all ( usually battery light , oil light , brake warning light ,handbrake light etc come on iirc ), once you start the car and the engine is running , the battery light comes on and flashes

Post by **SteveP** » 16 Jul 2006 11:14 am

When I had an alternator die on one of my old cars, the battery light lit very dim, til the battery ran out and nothing worked.. luckily, I just pulled up at home!

Post by **stemll** » 16 Jul 2006 12:25 pm

When the battery light is on it is very dim. The car does have a voltmeter hanging loose in the cubby in front of the gearlever and it's showing 14/15V with the engine running so I'm not sure that the alternator is very dead, maybe just wounded.

As for the comments about the dealer, they did the service for free, put a new battery in for free and never once suggested that we should buy a new alternator off them or pay to fix any of the other things that are wrong so I think this was a bit out of order. In spite of its appearance (Redline can vouch for this!) they were keen to help and to be associated with what we're doing. Why should a main dealer really be interested in an 18 year old car with a really lousy cover-up paint job? They wanted to help us, not rip us off. Not every dealer in the country is the same, I know many other teams have never even had a reply from other dealers around the country that they've asked for help. Yes they're getting cheap advertising but most of it will be in Kent and Europe so not a great deal of business generation for a dealer in MK.

Post by **SteveP** » 16 Jul 2006 12:37 pm

This reminds me, I'll go try find that alternator today...

Post by **pettaw** » 16 Jul 2006 09:31 pm

The alternator is 99% fine, if its putting out 14/15 V and the battery light only starts flashing when you start her up.

Check the wiring, like I said in my first post. I'm sure the dealer was very helpful, but sometimes dealers don't know everything and they're not immune from making a mistake, just like I'm not.

We're only trying to help here you know

Post by **stemll** » 16 Jul 2006 10:48 pm

Sorry pettaw, got me at a bad time.

I know you're trying to help and it is all very much appreciated I just felt it was a bit of cheap shot at a dealer who has been very helpful. No offence meant.

The car has now gone back to Kent so I can't check anything until the weekend. We've got to put the voltage regulator in then. I have a sneaky feeling that might sort it, especially if what you said above about the battery light working on a voltage balance is right. If the regulator's gone, then that could explain the other lights and gauges and the dim, flashing battery lamp. I will try to remember to take my multimeter with me. I also tend to agree about the alternator given the voltage output on the meter but I'll check that too next weekend.

Hopefully the speedo cable survived the trip to Kent and we don't do any more damage at the weekend.

As redline said, we're trying not to spend too much on the car itself as it might not make it back. More of a problem though is simply time. Two of us commute into London every day and the third is in Coventry so we don't get much time on the car (plus almost complete mechanical ignorance on the part of all three of us)!

Post by **pettaw** » 17 Jul 2006 01:22 am

Haha no probs, I know what working on a tight timetable is like

I've still got a gasket that needs doing but I've not changed it because time always seems to drag something more important up.

Tbh I doubt its that stabiliser chip, because it doesn't affect the lights. Its much much more likely to be the connections. I posted that up because I thought it was only the gauges that were affected.

Post by **Dave P** » 17 Jul 2006 02:53 pm

Hi there guys! She made it back to Kent with no real problems (speedo held out all the way). Seems to have developed a small misfire since I last drove her, but I'm sure it's nothing. Also survived unscathed when my missus, who was following in our MINI decided to assume that my forward movement at the roundabout meant I was going, and then drove into the back of it! More surprisingly, the MINI was unscathed too - even though she drove into the tow bar at 4 mph... Really thought we were going to be in new bumper/radiator territory. Tough little beastie.

Thanks for all the advice, chaps. I'm with Steve, here - I really think the voltage regulator is going to do it. The symptoms are all very strange, and I've had other cars with knackered alternators etc and nothing like this. We'll change it at the weekend and let you know. If it doesn't work we'll lob the car on a ramp (mate works for Bentley/Aston Martin dealership

) and do the alternator to find out if the dealership were winging it.

Thanks again for all your help and donations, fellas! Top guys...

Post by **stemll** » 17 Jul 2006 08:55 pm

Dave P wrote:Also survived unscathed when my missus, who was following in our MINI decided to assume that my forward movement at the roundabout meant I was going, and then drove into the back of it!

Not the best way to win friends and influence people at this late stage!

Post by **SteveP** » 17 Jul 2006 08:58 pm

Arse... I've been up to the shed and tried to find an alternator for you but I can't since someones fillled the shed with furniture and I have way too much 300 junk - I can't find it in the parts I can access

However, I'm pretty sure alternators from 200/700/900 series Volvos with the redblock engine fit - so atleast its not 360 specific.

Sorry about this!