battery / alternator question

[trabitom99]

Hi everyone,

I swapped the DLS for the GLT yesterday, fitting the GLT with a fully charged battery (which has been in our cellar for 6 months or so). After about 350kms the electric power slowly started fading till the car conked out completely. Luckily, I had a spare battery from the car changeover, fitted that and the car has travelled a further 100kms. Now I'm back at my gran's place, where the DLS is stored.

A few quick questions ...

The "fully charged" battery I fitted hasn't been on a trickle feed or anything, I just charged it before fitting it to the car - the car started OK. Surely, if the battery is defect, the car wouldn't conk out on the middle of a run? I always thought that, in theory, a car would run with a dud battery if the alternator is OK?

The alternator light is not on, and the bulb is working (when you turn the ignition on to the first step).

I really don't feel like swapping alternators over (DLS to GLT) on a hot sunday afternoon - how far would a get with a brand new, charged battery? I've got another 200kms to home ...

Thanks for your ideas!

Cheers

Tom

[Speedy88]

A car *should* run without a battery although it's not recommended so yes, it sounds like an alternator problem. It's worth checking it with a volt meter though. TBH from what you've said I'd put money on it being a loose connection or wire with high resistance (it gets hot until the resistance becomes too high)

[Chris_C]

A car *should* run without a battery although it's not recommended so yes, it sounds like an alternator problem. It's worth checking it with a volt meter though. TBH from what you've said I'd put money on it being a loose connection or wire with high resistance (it gets hot until the resistance becomes too high)

Don't do it on anything that is vaguely modern. You'll kill the voltage reg in minutes.

Battery sounds fine too to me Tom, it started the car but isn't charging. I had a 480 like that once, lasted 30miles :s

[macplaxton]

You'll get 200km home, as long as it's light.

[trabitom99]

I'm home, only needed the lights for the very last stretch ... So that's 300kms in total on the second battery.

I was always under the impression that as long as the car starts you can drive for ever with a dud battery, which is why I thought of the alternator at first. But why isn't the alternator warning light glowing? In my first post I made a mistake when I was describing the "6 months in cellar" one, originally in the GLT, in fact I'd fitted the 44 ampere jobbie fitted to the DLS by mistake. This was flat after the car's 7 month garage / welding / MOT affair. I wonder whether or not it might have to do with that after all?

I guess I'll find out soon enough, and will use the GLT for short town journeys only for the time being ...

Voltmeter sounds good Speedy, I really need one of these multimeter thingys ...

Tom

[trabitom99]

random battery swap pic:


somewhere near Karlsruhe ...

Tom

[macplaxton]

Voltmeter sounds good Speedy, I really need one of these multimeter thingys ...

Sounds good until you add the operator into the mix

Just had a look THIS ONE, looks handy enough, but it's very expensive when you consider that Conrad UK are doing the same product for £29.99 and even at the "Halfords of electronics", Maplin, they do a slightly lesser spec automotive multimeter for £22.99.

If you can do without all the tacho / dwell stuff, just get a bog-standard one for 6 yo-yos

[SteveP]

I always forget you have this GLT... new daily driver?

[trabitom99]

Sounds good until you add the operator into the mix

Um yes ...

I always forget you have this GLT... new daily driver?

The MOT on the GLi runs out at the end of May, and now the DLS is off the road I need another long-distance, MOT'd car with seat belts in the back. The vario and the Trabant don't really fit the bill I haven't decided yet what to do with the GLi. It needs a lot of work, but on the other hand swapping the A/C over to the GLT will be a hassle too ...

Tom

[macplaxton]

I need another long-distance, MOT'd car with seat belts in the back.

BX dizzler?

[jtbo]

Tom, sorry for missing this thread, I had issues with 360 alternator, same Bosch as you have in GLT I believe.

Problem was metal part that connect brush kit to alternator internals, it had broken off from base, so it was impossible to repair and as I could not open alternator even trying very hard, broken quite few bits, however could not undo the screws, name of part that would needed to be replaced was something like diode bridge, it is part where diodes are that make AC to DC, I hope you can gasp it from there.

Problem was visible when I removed the alternator and removed brush kit from alternator, it is quite small piece of metal, here is pics from it.

Here you can see where that small metal part is:

http://jtbo.pp.fi/images/360/laturi.jpg

Here is a close up with broken part circled with red:

http://jtbo.pp.fi/images/360/laturi.jpg

It is not necessarily same problem, but my warning light did not lit either, just loss of electricity, so that is why I did put a volt meter to car, it did save me from getting stranded once with 240 when alternator of that one broke.

[Chris_C]

When the reg went on Fake (well, I think it must have been the reg, it melted the stud out ) I also didn't get a light on the dash, just saw my voltmeter heading south at pace.


What it should look like


What it did look like

[trabitom99]

Thanks for those pics and the info ... I haven't had the opportunity to check the the alternator yet, it is still in the car and I've done 450kms so far on the replacement battery, the last journeys with lights, radio etc.

Maybe it was the old battery after all? It would surprise me though. Maybe the alternator is charging "just a little bit", not enough for the light to go on, but enough to drain a slightly elderly battery ...

Now's the first time I've wanted a voltmeter in that extra gauge panel, rather than oil temp and pressure

Tom

[Hell Driver]

My 340 had similar problems when I first got it, turned out to be poor charging from alternator, it needed new carbon brushes.... then perfect! (Someone had pulled off the charging warning light wire so I didn't know it was not charging ) Does your charging light come on Ok when you turn the ignition on? (sorry, just reread your first post, yes it does!)
Does sound like it's not charging very well though.

[trabitom99]

OK, just to update this - it was not the alternator. The garage tested it with a voltmeter and (at the moment at least) it's running fine. Oh well, now I've learned that a working alternator isn't enough to run the car when the battery is dud ...

Cheers

Tom