Gave the car a start today

[stevie_a]

<font color="teal"><b>Gave the car a start today after 3 months sitting under cover

started second turn of the key, was a bit damp but after a bit it sat at idle OK

But a low idle the alternator light was coming on

could this be the damp or need another alternator ??

this one is only 2 years old</b></font id="teal">

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<font size="4"><font color="green"><i>If it's not broke don't fix it.</i></font id="green"></font id="size4">

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[gaz]

Could be damp give everything a spray wd40 take it for spin......
But two years sounds about right ive had two since putting
mine back on the road





It rides again..... and again wehey!!!!!!!

[gaz]

just thought stevie it could also be that your battery needs a bit more charge as its been sat for a while but from memory you use one of those battery top up trickle charger thingys don't you........

It rides again..... and again wehey!!!!!!!


edit...... so i don't look like a serial poster stevie.....
check the terminals are tight and not corroded and re grease if needed also check the fan belt for been overstretched/worn/slackness etc.

[stevie_a]

<font color="teal"><b>Yes Gaz I do use one of the trickle chargers</b></font id="teal">

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[fiveliters]

The inexpensive route would be to test and/or top up the battery and see if that is causing your problem. I just replaced my alternator last Friday,and I'm pretty sure it was the original one (my car is a 1980). It actually worked too well-it was overcharging from time to time,and would make a horrendous squeal. New one workes just fine and is perfectly quiet as one of those things can be. Hope yours is just the battery though![;)]

[jclay (RIP 2018)]

Steve,

There should be a bolt next to the windscreen washer bottle with four black wires attached. Remove the bolt taking care with the star washer at the very bottom. Clean all the connections and reassemble. That should help your problem with 10 minutes work.

Clay

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[tr7jim]

steve,

I think your alternator ok and like you say just needs some time to re bed in. If you got a volt meter the battery shouold be around 12V and when the engine running about 1000rev go up to 14.5V.

Jim

[whitenviro]

I have the same problem all the time; the ignition light flickers while at idle, while the dash volt meter needle is high in its range. As soon as you put a load on it, like turning on the lights or heater fan the ignition light stops flickering. (But the headlights are a little dim and flicker a bit until you get the RPMs up a bit.)

Its easy enough to change out the alternator. I already have two spares. But would this just be caused by the voltage regulator inside the back of the alternator? Any tricks to changing that out, or is it not worth the effort? This alternator turns freely and sounds smooth, so I'd hate to give up on it!


[/img]
1980 Pageant Blue DHC with removable hardtop.

[John Clancy]

I'd say the alternator is on the way out. These reconditioned items can fail very quickly thanks to the cheapo electrical components now used.

Also, my Carcoon comes with a trickle charger and that has somehow managed to kill two batteries so that's a second possible failure point. Needless to say I no longer use the trickle charger.

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[Bobbieslandy]

That's an interesting point John, what happened to the batteries? did they just stop holding charge or was there signs of the battery boiling?

I can't remember without checking the drawings but isn't there a small wire, maybe 0.75mm2 attatched to the alternator? this had corroded on one of my cars a few years back causing the light to come on. I reterminated this and it sorted the problem out. I can't even remember what car this was on[:I] Check the connections first, sometimes they can look ok but are corroded underneath, especially the earth straps in the engine bay by the headlamps and the one Clay mentioned. Undo em, make them nice and shiny, add coppaslip and reterminate. This will take a while but is something you'll need to do anyway.

Rob.