Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
Can a wonky alternator knacker a new battery?
Can a wonky alternator knacker a new battery?
Bought a 2006 D3SE through a private sale around six weeks ago. Currently working through the snag list. Back in March he fitted a secondhand alternator he'd bought from a breaker on eBay for twenty-five quid and in May fitted a new Yausa battery he bought from Halfords (although no receipt in the paperwork that came with the vehicle). As he'd spent several hundred pounds pimping up the front end and rear lights I'm at a loss as to why he'd drop in a twelve year old secondhand part for something so critical - go figure?
Since acquiring the vehicle it's always thrown the "HDC Fault System Unavailable" error on start up, and over the last two weeks I've suffered a succession of problems with the SatNav (flickering and dimming screen) and Radio (sound intermittently cutting out - frequently whenever I change gear or alter the engine speed). I do lots of short trips (of under ten miles) and I've put this down to reducing levels of charge in the battery. Took the truck out for a run of fifty miles at the weekend, and although there were improvements in the flickering (virtually disappeared) and audio they didn't entirely go. The following morning back to the ag. I'm now being led to the view that the battery just isn't holding a decent charge.
Any views? I've just ordered a new12V/24V charger with all of he bells and whistles and intend putting the battery on charge and giving it some serious ooomph, but if that fails to fix things where to next? Something else to try before dropping in a new battery?
Thanks.
24th Sep 2018 6:34 am
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13576
Hi
Have u seen what the voltage is of the battery whilst standing and then with the engine running , at least then ur know if the alternator is working or not
Plus I would personally replace the alternator with a Denso one, seeing we are going into winter and also would personally worry me having an old second hand alternator wonky like that
May i ask out of curiosity what battery charger did u buy plse, thks
24th Sep 2018 6:42 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72742
Get herself a little ciggie lighter voltage readout gizmo, great for seeing what your alternator is doing as you drive along. Cheap as chipolattas from eBay or Amazon.
Click image to enlarge
Last edited by DSL on 24th Sep 2018 6:50 am. Edited 1 time in total
24th Sep 2018 6:47 am
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13576
24th Sep 2018 6:47 am
nickbos
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
Alternator was replaced with a squeeky new Denso a week or so ago. It could be the alternator is not performing although the guy who fitted it did all of those checks. The voltage fluctuation on the old one was all over the place and so I was hoping that the new alt would fix things. Er no.
Could be the charging management system (on whichever ECU it lives on) isn't allowing the charge from the alternator to hit the battery - which I assume would need a new ECU if it turns out to be the case? I'm of an age where an alternator simply pushed a charge into the battery . . .
24th Sep 2018 6:49 am
nickbos
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
DSL wrote:
Get herself a little ciggie lighter voltage readout gizmo, great for seeing what your alternator is doing as you drive along. Cheap as chipolattas from eBay or Amazon.
Had one. It was crap. Now removed.
24th Sep 2018 6:50 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72742
Or use the secret menu in the radio to view your voltage. Without seeing what that’s doing you have no idea how your alternator is doing. You don’t know if it’s the battery (ok new, or maybe not) or the alternator, which if not LR or Denso could be overvolting and screwing up your battery. Chicken and egg but you’ve no idea which.
PS Just seen re new Denso, looks like time for a new battery. Or check the new Denso is actually working properly.
24th Sep 2018 6:54 am
nickbos
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
gstuart wrote:
Hi
May i ask out of curiosity what battery charger did u buy plse, thks
This one looked a pretty could compromise between specs and price. A third of the price of the Bosch equivalent and half that of the Exide.
Only drawback is that it's too big to drop into one of the storage boxes at the back end of the truck. Keeping fingers crossed it has an effect.
24th Sep 2018 6:56 am
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72742
nickbos wrote:
Could be the charging management system (on whichever ECU it lives on) isn't allowing the charge from the alternator to hit the battery - which I assume would need a new ECU if it turns out to be the case? I'm of an age where an alternator simply pushed a charge into the battery . . .
The voltage at the battery will be whatever the alternator is putting out, and will be the same throughout most of the car’s wiring system. More like the battery is not accepting the charge, ie it’s knackered. it will also be causing the alternator to work very hard, up at 15.something.
yes a faulty alternator is more than capable of killing a battery and worse, I wonder if you have a bad earth somewhere though?Pete
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24th Sep 2018 7:06 am
gstuart
Member Since: 21 Oct 2016
Location: kent
Posts: 13576
nickbos wrote:
gstuart wrote:
Hi
May i ask out of curiosity what battery charger did u buy plse, thks
This one looked a pretty could compromise between specs and price. A third of the price of the Bosch equivalent and half that of the Exide.
Only drawback is that it's too big to drop into one of the storage boxes at the back end of the truck. Keeping fingers crossed it has an effect.
Thks, apologises didn’t realise u had a new denso fitted , was going on the basis ref the breakeryard one
If u do decide at some stage to get another battery charger that’s also smaller can highly recommend the CTEK
As the other guys have said, best to test the alternator and battery to see which one is causing the issues
Plse let us know how u get on plse
24th Sep 2018 9:20 am
nickbos
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
DSL wrote:
Or use the secret menu in the radio to view your voltage.
Good advice. Did that this evening when I arrived home after switching the engine off. Showing +10V. does that mean ten volts, or any value above ten volts?
24th Sep 2018 3:40 pm
DSL Keeper of the wheelie bin
Member Since: 11 May 2006
Location: Off again! :-)
Posts: 72742
That’s the battery voltage if the engine is off, ie battery volts and it’s knackered. Useful to leave that screen up to see what the alternator output is when the engine is running. Should show low 14.something if all well, 15.something if battery toast and alternator having to work too hard. Anything below 13v is not good for a D3, though not uncommon on the D4.
PS 10.0v is just that.
24th Sep 2018 4:17 pm
nickbos
Member Since: 11 Sep 2018
Location: Cambridgeshire
Posts: 72
As you may have guessed - according to the in-built diagnostics, engine running 14.5-15.2V, engine off 10.0-11.0V.
I was planning to put the battery on a 24hr burn next weekend after the charger had turned up, but now I'm wondering whether this is just going to be a waste of time and juice. I think an order for a new battery will be going in soon - the Exide EA1000 seems to get the popular vote, although the guy who does my LR work swears by Bosch.
Shame that I don't have the receipt from Halfords for the Yuasa as I think that would definitely go back for a replacement. Cheers.
24th Sep 2018 8:39 pm
garrycol
Member Since: 06 Dec 2010
Location: Canberra
Posts: 1114
A bad alternator can kill your battery. The alternator can go open circuit providing a direct earth to the battery shorting it out.
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