110 replies to this topic

[jeebowhite]

So we know where to come when we get an error then! shame your all the way up where I used to live and not where I do now

[johnH]

you never know i could be down your way at anytime...i do mega miles all the time...just a few weeks ago i had to drive to headley court for an hour lol whitby to near london lol

[jeebowhite]

Presuming I still have the car when you next venture this way (as I am damned sure if I do it will need to be scanned!) might have to meet up muchos cheapos compared to the dealer! in fact, paying you by the hour and fuel would probably still work out cheaper! lol

[johnH]

more than likely will be cheaper. costs about £40-£50 (bout to go to a lottery win amount - price of fuel) to fill my tank and i get around 500 miles if i take it easy. so a journey down to south coast and back to newcastle should be doable haha.

[johnH]

right an update on this topic haha.

phoned up jennings ford gateshead and booked the car in for monday morning. same price as before for diagnostic, but he informed me that if they diagnose and find a fault and they fix it the diagnosis will be free! which to be fair can be a life saver haha especially if the repair is something simple and cheap lol but being a dealer i can almost guarentee they will bend me over a table and well....haha

[johnH]

i was just spinning on my office chair and thought of something.

the relay!

could this give me this hassle?

[jeebowhite]

Could be, but then again its not the easiest thing to test and find a problem with!

[johnH]

ill eat my work shoes if it turns out to be something that i can pick up for around fiver (from internet). going to do some research to see how to test them.

[johnH]

right todays the day that this should get sorted...its now at jennings ford gateshead...i know when i turn up and look at the invoice, im going to have to walk up to the table, pull my trousers down and embrace the love that they will give lol

edit: i will keep you guys posted on how it goes, what the fault was and all that good stuff.

[catch]

Bit late getting involved in this thread ............sorry about that John.

Now way back I bought a little Toyota Corolla for the wife, it was in lovely condition [private sale, owner buying a new Corolla] Anyway, I thought I would give the engine and the engine compartment a clean. Applied the gunk which you then washed of with water. First [and by the way the last] engine clean I attempted to do.

With not covering the alternator good enough, I obviously managed to get some sh@t onto the commutator of the alternator. And every now and again it would contaminate the brushes that take the juice off the commutator, and light the red light on the dash.I just used to give it a squirt with some electrical component cleaner/degreaser. It never caused me to have a flat battery, hence I never felt the need to strip it down and give it a good clean out. It became one of those, when I have a bit of time jobs, that never actually got done

In your case maybe your alternator brushes just need replacing.

How to Video

[johnH]

thanks catch, unfortunately, if the brushes are located within the alternator, this should of been sorted when a new alternator was fitted.

im thinking the ECU needs to be told a new alternator has been fitted so it can switch off the light. been there a fair few hours now, so im begining to think they have no idea or its a big 'un.

[jeebowhite]

thanks catch, unfortunately, if the brushes are located within the alternator, this should of been sorted when a new alternator was fitted.

im thinking the ECU needs to be told a new alternator has been fitted so it can switch off the light. been there a fair few hours now, so im begining to think they have no idea or its a big 'un.

or their charging you labour for the car to sit in the car park... fingers crossed they can just reset it, but as far as I am aware, you dont need to tell the ECU about a new part, you just need to tell it to forget about the old error...

oh, and I hope they dont love you too much, or you could be at their desk for quite some time!

[catch]

Oh bugger, I did not re read the thread, so did not know you had bought a new alternator as well as a new battery..............This is turning out to be one hell of an expensive red light. Plus is it fair to say that both the battery and alternators were not the cause...............Or should I not be such an idle sod and re read the complete thread to see if the above question has already been asked and answered.

[jeebowhite]

Oh bugger, I did not re read the thread, so did not know you had bought a new alternator as well as a new battery..............This is turning out to be one hell of an expensive red light. Plus is it fair to say that both the battery and alternators were not the cause...............Or should I not be such an idle sod and re read the complete thread to see if the above question has already been asked and answered.

Lol, if your only a human, we might let you off, otherwise if your an altogether different being... lol

Realistically though, if all of the alternator parts directly involved have been replaced, I just dont see what else it could be? unless of course its a faulty pulley somewhere that although it spins, its not engaging a connection all the time, so cries?

[catch]

As previous members have said, a new battery wouldn't be a bad idea especially seeing that its not the original battery and if your going for the battery I hope I'm wrong and it fixes it. From past experiences throwing £ at parts trying to fix a fault is costly and annoying.

Good luck and keep us posted.

D.

Well I've re read the thread, and I have to agree with the above comment. To me, if your motor starts up every morning then there is now't wrong with the battery, because it proves your battery is holding it's charge. And if your motor does not die on you mid way through a journey, that also indicates at the very least the alternator is providing the juice needed to run your lights, heater/aircon and the rest, even if the battery was duff.

So if your alternator is shot at, you can live off the battery until it runs flat. A failed battery means you would not have the power in it to turn your motor over in the mornings. Never rush out and throw money at motors. Garages are all to ready to do that for you, they just fit new parts until they finally manage to fit the part actually needed to fix the problem.

I have a heavy duty battery charger/starter, I bought it brand new in my pub must be over 18 years old, I've only ever had to use it once to charge a flat battery, oh and to start a neighbours motor. I cannot honestly remember when I last had to buy a battery, and I've never ever had to replace an alternator. Not bad going having only ever bought second hand cars for all of my 46 years of car ownership.

Touching wood as I write this post