39 replies to this topic

[ToM 2012]

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

[The Principal]

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

Alternators dont quite work like that high amperage units put out the same voltage but can deliver a higher current, think of it this way - how many lots of 12 volts do you need the more items you need to run the higher the currrent will be drawn from the alternator.

 

Have you checked the basics?

 

clean terminals on the battery and connections?  take some wet and dry and give them a good clean

 

engine earth strap/s clean and tight?

 

Fan belt adjusted?

 

connections to the alternator clean?

 

I can speak from experience if you drive a car with a duff alternator or slipping fan belt its only good for 10-15 miles at best before the engine cuts out, I found out 30 yerars ago at night in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere

[ToM 2012]

 

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

Alternators dont quite work like that high amperage units put out the same voltage but can deliver a higher current, think of it this way - how many lots of 12 volts do you need the more items you need to run the higher the currrent will be drawn from the alternator.

 

Have you checked the basics?

 

clean terminals on the battery and connections?  take some wet and dry and give them a good clean

 

engine earth strap/s clean and tight?

 

Fan belt adjusted?

 

connections to the alternator clean?

 

I can speak from experience if you drive a car with a duff alternator or slipping fan belt its only good for 10-15 miles at best before the engine cuts out, I found out 30 yerars ago at night in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere

 

hi everything is new and its all clean battery connections are new to fan belt is as tight as i can get it can just about twist it a little alternator connection is the original one but looks clean enuff to work. it might be ok now its just that the other mini is putting out 14 volts on tick over and mine is 12.57 volts on tick over or not tick over.

[cradley-heathen]

 

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

Alternators dont quite work like that high amperage units put out the same voltage but can deliver a higher current, think of it this way - how many lots of 12 volts do you need the more items you need to run the higher the currrent will be drawn from the alternator.

 

Have you checked the basics?

 

clean terminals on the battery and connections?  take some wet and dry and give them a good clean

 

engine earth strap/s clean and tight?

 

Fan belt adjusted?

 

connections to the alternator clean?

 

I can speak from experience if you drive a car with a duff alternator or slipping fan belt its only good for 10-15 miles at best before the engine cuts out, I found out 30 yerars ago at night in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere

 

 

this is what i was saying, i just checked on google maps, from toms garage to stourport (where he went on sunday) is a 15 mile drive, plus 15 miles back.

 

he already said he cut the engine and started it again 10 or so times on sunday afternoon too.

 

if the alternator wasnt doing its job, he would have been calling me for a tow, there is no way he would have got there and back, and there is no way it would have managed to start that many times on a battery that is being drained by the engine running and your lights/fan etc.

 

it may be worth pointing out my multimeters batteries are going so it may not be working correctly.

 

if i was you tom i would just keep driving it now, (maybe dont go too far, or go off any major buss routes lol) but see what happens, i wouldnt go changing anything until its packed up as you could end up spending loads on bits that dont need replacing.

[ToM 2012]

 

 

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

Alternators dont quite work like that high amperage units put out the same voltage but can deliver a higher current, think of it this way - how many lots of 12 volts do you need the more items you need to run the higher the currrent will be drawn from the alternator.

 

Have you checked the basics?

 

clean terminals on the battery and connections?  take some wet and dry and give them a good clean

 

engine earth strap/s clean and tight?

 

Fan belt adjusted?

 

connections to the alternator clean?

 

I can speak from experience if you drive a car with a duff alternator or slipping fan belt its only good for 10-15 miles at best before the engine cuts out, I found out 30 yerars ago at night in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere

 

 

this is what i was saying, i just checked on google maps, from toms garage to stourport (where he went on sunday) is a 15 mile drive, plus 15 miles back.

 

he already said he cut the engine and started it again 10 or so times on sunday afternoon too.

 

if the alternator wasnt doing its job, he would have been calling me for a tow, there is no way he would have got there and back, and there is no way it would have managed to start that many times on a battery that is being drained by the engine running and your lights/fan etc.

 

it may be worth pointing out my multimeters batteries are going so it may not be working correctly.

 

if i was you tom i would just keep driving it now, (maybe dont go too far, or go off any major buss routes lol) but see what happens, i wouldnt go changing anything until its packed up as you could end up spending loads on bits that dont need replacing.

 

hi pal but why would the reading be more on the other mini then mine? i am going to take the new one i brought back anyway say its not working but then pay the extra for a higher out put one and ile put that on and then test it again if its saying 13 volts then ile be happy with that lol. also did you find the poly bushes out? and me mom wanted to know if you done her hazard lights? and do i need those things for my brakes? as they do work quit good. cheers tom 

[Captain Mainwaring]

generally if the alternator is duff i would have expected to see the reading going down with the lights and heater etc on (with the engine running that is obviosuly) but it was holding at 12.5ish

 

it was still aorund the same figure without any electrics switched on, and at any revs too.

 

 

my reason for saying the "spluttering" is conected to the ignition system somewhere is that i have had brand new plugs (ngk and champion) fail after just a few miles in the past.

 

add to this the fact that today we did notice that the distributer was loose and the timing had probably slipped, this could also be the cause of any rough running or power loss.

 

we can check the alternator again next week if you want dude, but your timing will be sorted on the rolling road next week anyway.

 

it will all come out in the wash, dont stress lol

Welllll........there is a fault that happens with Mitsi Pajeros and others...the alternator goes pear shaped, but knocks out enough charge to keep the light off (it's generally a diode that fails) - the alternator then injects a little bit of AC into the loom which causes problems with engine management. Is yours fuel injected perchance?
You should see around 13.8-14.2 volts if the alternator is charging OK...12.5V is no good and the car will go all wobbly and weak at the knees.

[ToM 2012]

 

generally if the alternator is duff i would have expected to see the reading going down with the lights and heater etc on (with the engine running that is obviosuly) but it was holding at 12.5ish

 

it was still aorund the same figure without any electrics switched on, and at any revs too.

 

 

my reason for saying the "spluttering" is conected to the ignition system somewhere is that i have had brand new plugs (ngk and champion) fail after just a few miles in the past.

 

add to this the fact that today we did notice that the distributer was loose and the timing had probably slipped, this could also be the cause of any rough running or power loss.

 

we can check the alternator again next week if you want dude, but your timing will be sorted on the rolling road next week anyway.

 

it will all come out in the wash, dont stress lol

Welllll........there is a fault that happens with Mitsi Pajeros and others...the alternator goes pear shaped, but knocks out enough charge to keep the light off (it's generally a diode that fails) - the alternator then injects a little bit of AC into the loom which causes problems with engine management. Is yours fuel injected perchance?
You should see around 13.8-14.2 volts if the alternator is charging OK...12.5V is no good and the car will go all wobbly and weak at the knees.

 

hi its not fuel injected no somthing is happening to it and its annoying lol thanks tom 

[Captain Mainwaring]

as you have been for a good run in it today, and you havnt called me to say its packed up, i think your alternator must be working well enough!

 

even on a brand new battery you wont get hours of running without the engine dying.

 

as the meter was reading the same on your brand new alternator as the reading given by your old one, i think its safe to say its not your alternator. it seems highly unlikely they are both slightly duff.

 

how many times did you switch the engine off today and fire it up again while you were out for a drive?

It's not working well is it? If it isn't getting close to 13.8-14.2V then something is wrong. Running just a coil and limited lighting you'd get quite a bit out of a fully charged battery (though I doubt his battery is fully charged now).

 

Plugs don't fail in just a few miles - I reckon in over a million miles of running petrol engines I've never had one fail, they've got gunged up, but even then they still fire.

 

Alternator systems are simple enough - you've got the main feed back to the battery, a heavy wire capable of carrying all the current that the alternator can put out, then you've got the indicator, which goes back to the dash lamp, which is given a live feed to the other side of lamp when the ignition is on, then you may have a sense wire depending on whether the alternator is machine sense or battery sense (mini's are machine sense in every one that I've seen). If your new alternator is battery sense and you've not linked the sense terminal to the charge terminal then you'll cook the regulator.

I forgot the W terminal which is used in engine speed sensing applications - probably not used in yours.

The only other thing you need is 12V on the IND wire through the lamp, if the lamp has failed or there is no ignition dependent feed on that wire, then it won't charge as there will be no initial excitation. 

When you turn the key on does the red light come on? You can also stick a test lamp across a battery feed and the IND terminal - it should come on and go off when the car is running, if that happens and it still doesn't charge then you've either not connected up an external sense wire or there is an internal issue with the alternator.

I'd tend to drop into an auto sparks who knows what he is doing

Edited by Captain Mainwaring, 22 May 2013 - 12:19 AM.

[Captain Mainwaring]

 

 

ile get a high output alternator and put that on if that then reads 13 volts on tick over then it should be charging then? 

Alternators dont quite work like that high amperage units put out the same voltage but can deliver a higher current, think of it this way - how many lots of 12 volts do you need the more items you need to run the higher the currrent will be drawn from the alternator.

 

Have you checked the basics?

 

clean terminals on the battery and connections?  take some wet and dry and give them a good clean

 

engine earth strap/s clean and tight?

 

Fan belt adjusted?

 

connections to the alternator clean?

 

I can speak from experience if you drive a car with a duff alternator or slipping fan belt its only good for 10-15 miles at best before the engine cuts out, I found out 30 yerars ago at night in the pouring rain in the middle of nowhere

 

 

this is what i was saying, i just checked on google maps, from toms garage to stourport (where he went on sunday) is a 15 mile drive, plus 15 miles back.

 

he already said he cut the engine and started it again 10 or so times on sunday afternoon too.

 

if the alternator wasnt doing its job, he would have been calling me for a tow, there is no way he would have got there and back, and there is no way it would have managed to start that many times on a battery that is being drained by the engine running and your lights/fan etc.

 

it may be worth pointing out my multimeters batteries are going so it may not be working correctly.

 

if i was you tom i would just keep driving it now, (maybe dont go too far, or go off any major buss routes lol) but see what happens, i wouldnt go changing anything until its packed up as you could end up spending loads on bits that dont need replacing.

 

You obviously like dicing with death. I personally wouldn't want to be in a car that could stop without warning on a fast road. Why not just fix it and if you don't know what you are doing, then drop it off to someone who does? 

I work on installations where a wrongly reading meter can mean death, and if I find anyone on site with a dodgy or out of calibration cert meter then it gets the hammer treatment. We lost an hour's production earlier this year which cost USD 50K, all down to a clown with a dodgy meter. It got the hammer treatment.

Back on topic....I'd tighten the clamp bolts on the distributor up before you waste your time on a rolling road.

[ToM 2012]

right thanks for that captain main warning. its not that i wouldnt take it to a garage but its the money i have allready spent a load on it everything was new on the shell and from what i have heard you can not beat the original parts compared to this cheap crap they sell us now and it does my head in all they care about is proffit and dont care what they sell you!! well today it has shown my new alternator the dearest one i brought that pushed out 70 amp. didnt work. so today i have put the original alternator that come with the car. and guess what i was getting 14.19 volts. so now im going to go up minispares tell them stop selling us crap and i want my money back. thanks guys for all your help i can now rest and have a feast.