Hi all. I have just bought a 53 plate ford Ka 1.3 today. The only fault I can find is that the battery warning light is constantly illuminated. I checked the battery voltage and it was 12.7 with ingition off. Once running it goes up to exactly 14 volts and stays there. Do these readings fall into the expected bracket for healthy circuit ?

What voltage would it normally dip to when engine is turning over ?

Are there any other checks I should be making to identify the problem ?

The car was sold as seen so Ive no issue whatsoever with this I just want to rectify the fault.

Any help and advice would be very welcome

the battery voltage sound fine so i would suspect the

alternator as i had the same on my fiesta. the red warning light tells you is the alternator m8

try the following

http://www.videojug....rs-alternator-2

try here for a replacement alternator

breakersyard.co.uk

unless you can source one locally that is m8

keep us posted but i would bet it's the alternator not the battery

i hope this is of help to you m8

Thanks for quick reply ! It actually sounds like the alternator is working fine as the voltage wouldnt increase if it were faulty.The guy in video confirms this. Im going to see how long the battery holds its charge for to see if there is a problem.

Are there any common wiring / fuse faults to check on ford Ka ?

Hi all, I think Ive identified at least part of the problem. Theres a cable with 3 wires coming the wiring loom towards alternator but they arent connected to anything. I think they should connect to the plug sitting on alternator. Can anyone do me a huge favour and send me a picture of what the plug should look like ? Im not sure if the wires should go directly onto the plug thats there or if there is a top part connector missing from that plug. A picture of the alternator connector would make it all clear for me. Hope someone can help

Hi all, I think Ive identified at least part of the problem. Theres a cable with 3 wires coming the wiring loom towards alternator but they arent connected to anything. I think they should connect to the plug sitting on alternator. Can anyone do me a huge favour and send me a picture of what the plug should look like ? Im not sure if the wires should go directly onto the plug thats there or if there is a top part connector missing from that plug. A picture of the alternator connector would make it all clear for me. Hope someone can help

these will be the wires for the smart charge system, they should be connected otherwise you will experience the battery light and also a conventional alternator voltage value (which is lower than the smart charge alternator as it reverts back if disconnected)

Thanks stef !

Would I be correct in saying that the car charging system will still function with this disconnected ? Is only downside that the battery light will remain illuminated and car gets slightly less cranking power ? The car wouldnt start today (and coughed a bit yesterday) despite seemingly plenty cranking power .

I appreciate its not ideal but does that mean that I can continue with the current alternator setup and start looking at plugs leads or crankshaft sensor to identify the starting issue ?

http://www.google.co...9QEwAg&dur=1946

there is a 2 pin plug & a single wire bolted on from memory.

you should be able to remove both from looking at the alt from the top.

the wire plug your looking at sounds like it a non connected item as ford tend to use a std loom for

each model and connect the parts they need depending on the level of equipment fitted

i would have the alternator checked as it sounds as its had it day or ask a friend if you can try his battery if the same spec or

replace battery as you dont know the age of the one you have there.

http://www.advancedbatterysupplies.co.uk/carbattery063.html

£35.00 inc next day delivery

this is where i get my batterys from

this is what i would do

go get the 2 items check by a garage as they will do it free then see what they say as

they will do a proper check then depending on what they say i would :-

replace battery so that way you have eliminated that.

if no good then replace alternator

you can get them for about £35.00 inc postage from the breakers yard

keep us posted m8

Thanks stef !

Would I be correct in saying that the car charging system will still function with this disconnected ? Is only downside that the battery light will remain illuminated and car gets slightly less cranking power ? The car wouldnt start today (and coughed a bit yesterday) despite seemingly plenty cranking power .

I appreciate its not ideal but does that mean that I can continue with the current alternator setup and start looking at plugs leads or crankshaft sensor to identify the starting issue ?

yes the charging system will still function but not to the extent it would with the smart charge functioning. so you might only be charging the battery to 80% for example.

if the engine is turning over healthy enough then i suspect your battery is fine

Is there any chance you can take a pic of your alternator and this 3 wire plug? would help us out greatly.

thats a pic of alt with plug on it. got a piccy of the 3 pin plug you have said about

I managed to get picture of another Ka owners car showing the plug with wires connected .Mine is same but my 3 wires have been snipped clean. I will need to get a replacement plug for mine to see if it solves my issue. Is there any way I can test if the smartcharge is working by checking any of the 3 cut wires ? ( Just in case Im wasting my time and money getting a plug ) .

Is there a possibility that the alternator is a non Ford replacement that didn't have smartcharge fitted to it?

That may explain the cut wires?

Hi stoney, The alternator on mine is identicle to one in picture above with the same connector.Im guessing its original

Hi all, I managed to get hold of a replacement plug from scrapyard. I connected it to existing wires plugged it in and the car started.(Battery light still illuminates but at least its starting now)

The main problem I have now though is that once it starts it really struggles to reach tick over. If i touch accelerator it just cuts out. I have to start it leave it churning over and wait on it gaining a regular tick over speed.

Once its running it drives relatively fine. Can anyone suggest the most likely cause ? Help me get it running for christmas

so does it idle and run ok once its warmed up?

Yes it does it runs fine and I drove 6 miles earlier. Ive just checked it again and it went through same scenario. Ive just noticed something weird though. Once I turn off ignition and engine shuts down there is a strange noise that lasts for about 5 seconds or so. Its hard to explain but sounds like a flapping or twisting rubber sound.Ive tried a few times and the lingering noise is always present on shutdown. Any ideas ?

what is happening is the car is left for a while the battery sort of self charges & will have enough charge in it to start up but will soon fail as it drains as the engine is running off the battery.

if the dash warning light is still on then its your alt that needs checking.

go get the alt checked properly and i am sure you will find it's had it's day as your car is doing exactly what my sons car was doing.