Alternator problem

[eckersleymark]

Citroen Berlingo 53 plate 1.9 diesel
had new alternator fitted a week ago, yesterday broke down. Put a new battery in and fine all day today until i was out tonight and battery light has come on again and losing electrical power all round.
Faulty alternator? or could it be something else..

 

[Burnerman]

You need to check for 14.4 volts across the battery terminals with the engine running, Mark......this will give you some idea of the alternators performance.
Check the terminals at the back of the alternator too.
John

 

[JulianP]

Checking the belt would be the most obvious first port of call.

Julian

 

[eckersleymark]

thanks for the quick answers
old battery which was only 12 months old got tested the other day at halfords and was showing very low and was advised to replace dont know exact reading.
do you mean my fan belt as it was squeking slightly today?

 

[Burnerman]

The alternator belt must be tight, as Julian says......it also turns the power steering pump and air con if fitted.
A battery test involves a device that puts a heavy load across the terminals, and the voltage drop recorded, which shouldn't be less than 10v. The battery needs to be fully charged for this test to be accurate.
John

 

[JulianP]

thanks for the quick answers
old battery which was only 12 months old got tested the other day at halfords and was showing very low and was advised to replace dont know exact reading.
?

Typical of Halfrauds, someone with no knowledge advising, if it aint charging then they will sell you a new battery on a daily basis perhaps!

do you mean my fan belt as it was squeking slightly today?

Well the chances of the belt driving a fan on a Citroen are about zero! But yes, the fan belt, if you prefer 50 year old terminology

Check the belt is tight and then as previously advised check the charging voltage (engine running) with an AVO or multimeter.

There are cheap reconditioned alternators available that don't seem to last long - full of Chinese components no doubt.

Julian.

 

[Mursal]

Might I ask whats an AVO?

 

[AlanE]

Might I ask whats an AVO?

Trade name for an excellent multimeter. Big, bulky but very robust. Was in a way regarded as the 'Standard' by which all others were compared.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avometer

 

[JulianP]

Might I ask whats an AVO?

This was like mine:

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/TheAntiqueTrade/IMG_0001_032.JPG

Unfortunately I dropped it and decided the damage was too much to repair. I lovely bit of kit, nicer to se than a digital one as the analogue display gives a nice 'average' reading rather than dance around like digital.

Julian

 

[eckersleymark]

What else would you call a fan belt? The problem was a corroded connector between alternator and battery. Simple replacement.

 

[chainsaw_masochist]

What else would you call a fan belt? Simple replacement.

The fan is electrically operated so presumably the belt to which you refer is called the drive-belt. Unless somebody knows otherwise, of course.

 

[Burnerman]

Alternator or serpentine belt really.....but a drive belt will do fine!
Comes from the days when the transverse engine and FWD was hardly known, so the fan pulled air in from the front radiator - only the classic mini pushed the air outwards through its radiator.
The fan was bolted to the water pump and only drove that plus the dynamo, traditionally.
John

 

[JulianP]

Alternator or serpentine belt really.....but a drive belt will do fine!
Comes from the days when the transverse engine and FWD was hardly known, so the fan pulled air in from the front radiator - only the classic mini pushed the air outwards through its radiator.
The fan was bolted to the water pump and only drove that plus the dynamo, traditionally.
John

There was once a Peugeot, maybe a 302 or something from a few decades ago. It had a transverse engine with the radiator behind the front grill. Peugeot had fitted a normal fan in front of the rad but belt driven via a normal crank driven 'V' belt that run in three dimensions with various jockey pulleys taking it around the bends. To top it off the fan freewheeled on the shaft and was engaged via an electromagnetic clutch A truly bizarre contraption that only the French could invent - though these days, looking under the bonnets of modern cars, you would describe it as dead simple!

Julian

 

[eckersleymark]

okay well thanks for that. I will stick with fan belt though.

 

[AlanE]

Might I ask whats an AVO?

This was like mine:

http://imgs.inkfrog.com/pix/TheAntiqueTrade/IMG_0001_032.JPG

Unfortunately I dropped it and decided the damage was too much to repair. I lovely bit of kit, nicer to se than a digital one as the analogue display gives a nice 'average' reading rather than dance around like digital.

Julian

That's like mine - can see it from where I am sitting!!

Not used it for ages as have a digital one for general use - smaller and lighter.