Hello,

Story is my Girlfriend has just been bought a 2005 plate KA, we knew it had a problem and we got it for a good price.

The Problem is the battery doesnt seem to charge or hold its charge,the battery light is on in the car all the time, car will start and work fine for a wile but after a bit the speedo stopped working and then the lights fadded and then after turning engine off it wouldnt start again, it wouldnt even tick over and nothing would work not even the hazzard lights, but it will start either being bump started or with jump leads or booster pack.

Ford say its a common fault and its wires from or around the altanator / battery that have corroded and broken, i believe ford tested the battery and altanator and they were both fine. we replaced a set of wires, not sure which ones but it was a set from behind drivers side headlight.

i basicly want to know what we should do next? before having to take it to a garage!, if its a common fault has anyone had or heard of this problem and can help us out?

Thanks Arthur

this info is from personal experiance of a battery light that will not *go away*

1) Check the voltage across the battery - should be 12.5V (might be weak to around 11v if alternator is not doing its job so carry on first)

2) turn engine on and check voltage across alternator, should be 14v at best, at worse 12,5v...any lower replace alternator. if as above carry on:

3) if your alternator is pushing out around 12v to 13.5v, your alternator has gone to typical generic alternator mode.

One reason and one reason only to say why your alternator has gone back to typical mode, the 3 cable "smart charge cable" is damaged...in the ford transit and mondeo it is known for the cable to corrode at the holder near the alternator, but with personal exp, mine was snapped in the wheel arch liner.

you can check the red cable by checking the voltage from the alternator (strip a little insulation) to the fuse box in the engine bay...this should be around 12.5v. or unplug and carry out resistance checks

the blue wire has to be resistance checked from the plug to the wheel arch liner....location of the ECU.

The grey has never been known to break.

i hope this helps you, by the sounds of your fault it does sound like a faulty diode pack in the alternator.

Thanks you very much! i will see what i can do! and i will let you know how we get on! thanks Arthur