Hi all, I wonder if anyone could give me some advice on a problem i have on a 2008 1.25 ford fiesta.

Went out today to shops got back, and straight away car had flat battery but have had no warning lights on.

Jump started it and drove 25 miles to work and battery warning light did not come on, but did have abs/steering lights flicker breifly twice.

Tried to restart and battery still flat.

Im suspecting alternator but shouldnt i have had warning lights on to tell me that car not charging.

I would appreciate any help in finding this fault, as im worried that mate told me that new fords have some smart charging system that would be mega bucks to repair.

Regards Brett

First thing to do is to fully charge the battery, jump starting and 25 miles will not put sufficient charge into it.

If it fails after a minimum 18 hour charge the battery is at fault. If it starts and runs Ok you do not drive it far enough to charge it.

25 miles is more than enough to charge a battery! I have driven 7 miles to work daily for umpteen years and never had a problem with a battery not charging even on snowy mornings. The battery can fail without warning (as my sons 2007 fiesta ghia battery did.

If you don't have a meter, take it to a garage and they should test the battery/alternator without charging you.

Alternators aren't designed to charge dead / flat batteries.

yes i do have a multimeter, i will pick up a new battery tommorow (calcium one i've noticed).

I did think it odd that the car was not displaying any warning lights whilst driving.

Suppose this is a case of sudden dead battery syndrome.

A friend told me to start car when new battery fitted, test voltage across terminals and should be 13.5 - 14.5 volts, if so all good.

If it is not then to test voltage from alternator, if low then remove 3 pin smart charge plug, if alternator now test fine then i have a problem with smart charge.

Is this correct. (He a mechanic for small local garage)

Thanks for help.

Just as an afterthought, since when i was driving the alternator should provide all the power the car needs, lights on the dash breifly flickering means most likely the alternator is at fault, or would a low voltage battery cause the same problem whilst driving.

Just an update on what has happened.

I bought a heavy duty silver calcium bosch battery, and car started 1st time, checked volts across battery and had 14.5 volts same at alternator.

Turned on all electricals and dropped to 14.3 volts.

Left multimeter on locked car for 2 hrs and voltage at battery didnt drop at all below 12.7 volts, have not done an amp drain test yet but looks like problem solved.

Suprised at sudden battery death syndrome, no warning at all.

Many thanks for help and replies.

Brett.

had an old fiesta battery died in lane three of the motorway just after i came to a stop due to heavy traffic. the battery was so flat not even the hazard lights worked. up until that point the battery had given 7 years of faultless service. amazing how they just die with zero warning.