wifiuk Posted October 30, 2015 Share Posted October 30, 2015 Ford Focus Mk2 TDCi 1.6 2007 I've hooked up my laptop and run some scans due to a permanent battery light on the dash. Everything is pointing back to the alternator smart charge circuit/sensor. Has anyone fixed this before, if so / how much did it cost / how hard was it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnH Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Back on my 1.8tdci 2006 the wire had snapped near the ecu. Cost around £120 iirc from dealer to fix...i didnt have the tools to take body panel off to get to it....and i didnt trust myself lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artscot79 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 not quite that easy youre laptop wont tell you the actual fault start at the begining whats the battery voltage does it have a faulty cell is it the correct type of battery all these can send a signal back to the circuit to say theres an issue which will give a false reading to test the smart charge is not something you can do at home or with a laptop 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iantt Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Probably a wire broken between alternator and pcm Are you having starting/battery issues or just the light on? Have you got a multimeter to check charging voltage? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifiuk Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 brand new battery about 6 months ago. battery light on no issues starting Checked voltage. Its what I am expecting no low output or too high. Laptop diagnostics points issue at the circuit .. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artscot79 Posted October 31, 2015 Share Posted October 31, 2015 Doesn't explain much is it a silver calcium battery? If not it'll send a signal back if it was a smart charge fault then the voltages wouldn't be as expected if its not too low the smart charge is working with engine running 14.4v a simple battery light can be the cluster doesn't matter what diagnostics say they point in the general direction if the circuit is getting a faulty signal due to incorrect battery over or under charging or a broken wire it will show up as a fault in the circuit but its not the circuit causing the issue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wifiuk Posted October 31, 2015 Author Share Posted October 31, 2015 100% correct battery type. I'm pretty sure its a sensor issue, but not sure about the process of replacing it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chedaz Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 Kind of having the same problem. would a smart charge fault also make the engine start making a whining noice between 1000 and 2000 revs? Car also had steering assistance failure come up and cut out a few times while mid corner. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatHead1979 Posted February 19, 2016 Share Posted February 19, 2016 7 hours ago, Chedaz said: Kind of having the same problem. would a smart charge fault also make the engine start making a whining noice between 1000 and 2000 revs? Car also had steering assistance failure come up and cut out a few times while mid corner. Unfortunately that sounds more like the alternator itself (the whining & potentially the power dropping out/down so the PAS turns off). Mine was doing that prior to the alternator & battery failing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilcox Posted September 16, 2017 Share Posted September 16, 2017 I'm having similar issues. New battery and alternator but still get battery light on occasionaly. Puts out 13.7 volts when light is on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sentinelws Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 This is a common fault, the wiring loom flaps about at the front and over time the wire which goes into the alternator tends to snap. A good garage or auto electrician can splice it back together but you may need a replacement section of the loom. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jodge Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 just found out you can disconnect the smart charge system by unplugging at alternator and at battery ... this turns alternator into a standard alternator charging at 14v Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JW1982 Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 Disconnecting the Smart Charge connector should only be done for diagnostic/testing purposes. When the Smart Charge connector is disconnected the regulator of the alternator will continuously work at its maximum capacity. This will overcharge and damage the battery 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Lam Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 On 9/24/2020 at 10:21 AM, JW1982 said: Disconnecting the Smart Charge connector should only be done for diagnostic/testing purposes. When the Smart Charge connector is disconnected the regulator of the alternator will continuously work at its maximum capacity. This will overcharge and damage the battery I have a similar issue. I like to test whether my smart charge fault, can I remove the smart battery charger fuse in the fuse box to test it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FatHead1979 Posted November 20, 2020 Share Posted November 20, 2020 22 hours ago, M Lam said: I have a similar issue. I like to test whether my smart charge fault, can I remove the smart battery charger fuse in the fuse box to test it? That won't test the wiring, which by far the most likely culprit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M Lam Posted November 21, 2020 Share Posted November 21, 2020 11 hours ago, FatHead1979 said: That won't test the wiring, which by far the most likely culprit. How about remove the smart charge plug from alternator? Can I test it that with this method? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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