The Gelopy returns with a bang
Quiet literally…..
The owner has experience a bang
shortly followed by, ABS light and Power-steering light activated
the power steering the switched off while driving.
The car also started to make whining noise.
Once shut off the car failed to restart
Not good…..
So what was originally thought of been at fault
Loss of major electrical systems – Failure to start and whining suddenly appearing
These are all linked electrically to 1 major thing, Charge/lack of power
The bang was suspected alternator or auxiliary belt having let go, resulting in electrical systems reporting voltage/power related issues and shutting down to prevent potential damage. The car was still able to run as the battery did have some charge remaining, but if it was on a discharge, the battery will run flat, resulting in a failing to start
So time to visit the vehicle
Turn the key and does it start – Simple answer Nope, 1 crank and the car died / dashboard resets
what state the battery is in? Volt meter on the terminals returning a very low reading of 8.3v, simply its Dead
Swap the battery to one that’s charged and get it running and limp it quickly to the garage, sticking the original battery on charge
So the starting voltage is noted 12.34v – Not fully charged, but the vehicle drove 1mile and started twice.
When the engine was started you are met with a strong whine originating from the left hand engine bay low down
Engine Running voltage should be 14v +
I’ve already checked the auxiliary belt was present, tensioned, spinning/moving and the alternator was also spinning
As you can see the voltage has dropped and it remained below 12.3v, this slowly decreased as the engine ran, applying some revs failed to alter this
As I suspected, the voltage only dropped more with a low load, the alternator wasn’t coping with running the headlights and sidelights
Access to the rear of the alternator is not exist as its hidden well under the inlet manifold
But based on the mileage, symptoms and everything that has happened, I was fairly strong in my diagnosis of a failed alternator
So a quick number crunch to local suppliers to locate an alternator for the vehicle, followed by a dash out to get the part quickly
Luckily the alternator comes with a nice 3 year warranty, with no exchange which is good news – A new paper weight
After removing the battery for safety reasons, the vehicles under tray, auxiliary belt and tensioner were also removed.
The 3 fixings holding the alternator into place were slackened, the power feed and connection were disconnected followed by a good wriggle and rotation the alternator was teased out past the bottom of the engine bay
Refitting in the reverse of the removal, working the alternator back up into its location followed by attaching the components removed. A few engine rotations ensured the auxiliary belt was sat happy in its original track before fully starting the engine.
New Alternator was proving to a good strong ox, as it should do out the box (120Amp version)
Bearing in mind it was -1℃ when I was testing, the engine was very cold too, so as a result the engine idle speed was higher than normal (around 1200rpm vs 800-900rpm under normal conditions). You can’t alter this idle speed as the vehicle is a “fly by wire” system, the engine control Unit was providing the slight throttle opening
Either way, the alternator was able to produce a very strong 14.45v at idle
Right at the top of the recommended scale at idle (14v – 14.5v)
Time to load up the electrical juice to see what’s going on
sidelights, headlights, front fogs, rear fogs, rear demister, front quick demister), interior fans on speed 4 of 4
The alternator proving to be a strong ox again, pumping out 14.38v
meaning the alternator was able to cope with the electrical demand and still charging the vehicle battery
This also was a slightly higher idle speed, as the vehicle was registering cold and cold outside
Happily the vehicle was running again as it was before
bbautorepairs 