battery light

[Binny]

hi guys

i have a problem.

i had a greddy profec boost controller, gauges, and walbro fitted today. the car is running really sweet... bar 1 problem. on the way home i noticed that the battery light kept coming on randomly and that my speedo was behaving a bit strange. the battery light kept coming on and off but the speedo randomly dropped from the speed i was at for a split second then back to the correct speed.

well i've just gone for another spin and the speedo hasnt done anything abnormal, but now that its dark i can see the battery light better i've notice that it only comes on when the car goes above 2250rpm. at 2250rpm its really dim but the higher up the rev range i go the brighter it goes, and it goes out again if i drop below 2250rpm.

after my drive 2nite i stopped on the drive to notice after a few seconds of the engine idling the car lights inside and out were dimming slightly and then going back to normal in a cycle effect. 1 of the gauges i had fitted was a voltmeter and when i'm driving its at the normal 13-14 volts but when the car was idling it was dipping when the lights dimmed down and then raising again to the correct level when the lights were normal.

wot the hell is going on????!!! the car drives fine but wot is the matter with the electrics????

can somebody shed some light for me please???!!!

binny

 

[AJ4]

could be the fan belt is slipping or the alternator is knacked ?

 

[Binny]

do you think it could have something to do with a bad earth wire?

also the idle on the car was a little high so that was turned down slightly. could it be related to that?

 

[AJ4]

no, all the electrical power comes from the alternator when the engine is running.. if the electrics are dipping in and out then its usually an alternator problem. Probably just need a new one, or the belt is slipping.

If its worse at idle, then its a sure sign that the alternator isnt providing enough juice.

 

[Binny]

Morning guys

right. i've been up since 7.30 on a bank holiday monday trying to sort this sodding problem out.

1st thing i did was check the tension on the belt. i dont really know how loose or tight the belt should be but it did feel a little looser than when i had a prod a few days ago fixing the last problem. i'm going to find somebody later on (if anywhere is open) to give me a definite answer.

then i checked the terminals on the plug that goes into the alternator as this is where i had the problem earlier in the week!!! i poked them about a bit but all seemed well, but when i got back into the car the voltmeter read only 12volts but it read 13.6v be4. so i poked around the plug once again and checked the voltmetre and it was back 2 normal at 13.6 volts???!!!! strange, must be a dodgy connection but the battery light was still coming on above 2250rpm whether the voltmetre read 12v or 13.6v????? aaaarrrrrhhhhhh!!!!

then i took the pillar pod off and checked all the connections on the gauges. i disconnected the voltmetre to make sure that wasnt the problem and the same problem happened whether it was disconnected or not. i re-earthed 2 of the earth wires and even went as far as sanding the paint off 2 the bear metal for a better contact. but still the battery light came on above 2250rpm.

oh and finally the relay in the engine bay was fine.

wot could it be????? i'm going to cut off the plug that goes into the alternator and put brand new connectors on the end to see if that makes any difference cos obviously the connection is dodgy as it is.

do you think its worth changing the 4rib 835 belt thats on at the moment for a 6 rib 835??

somebody please help???!!!

 

[Gray]

I had an almost exact same problem but mine occured at any revs at any speed just seemed to be random
When i first turn the car on and started the engine the battery light would stay on until i pulled away do you get this?

I also had dimming of lights when i was driving an battery light flashing
turned out it was my alternator - got a second hand one off one of the members on here for £50 then it was fine - id say your alternator is knackered mate

mine was over charging

 

[Binny]

thanks for the advice. a few others have said its a problem with the alternator too, so i think i'll get either a new 1 or get this 1 reconditioned.

thanks for the advice

binny