2007 1.8 TDCI

Battey light on approx 90% of the time. Voltage measured at 11.8 when engine off and 13.8 when engine running and light on.

It appears the battery is charging so why us the light showing?

11.8v is a dead batery.
It should be 12v+ at rest and about 14.4v when running.

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37 minutes ago, pauljoanss said:

It appears the battery is charging so why us the light showing?

The light is not a simple alternator working light. It is under the control of the ECU, which can monitor and control the alternator output. If the battery is high resistance and not drawing much charge, the ECU can probably detect this, and flag an error. In that case there will be ripple from the alternator on the main 12v supply, that could make the charge voltage read lower than normal (13.8 vs 14.2 to 14.4).

One test would be to use a charger with current and voltage indication. If the battery voltage jumps quickly from 11.8v to over 13.5v without drawing a huge current, then it is, as Clive says, defo duff.

After much messing, we finally took car to garage and they decided alternator faulty, replaced and light now out, battery reading around 14.5 when running.

(may still have problem with battery losing charge, currently investigating)

 

Hi, I have had this problem for some time, in the end the vehicle spent 48 hours at ford hooked up to the computer and Ford in Cologne, who finally diagnosed it as the incorrect battery was fitted.  To cut a long story short apparently you have to use a specific 'Ford Battery'. So the correct battery was fitted 6 months ago by ford. Today I have a flat battery again, this time the vehicle is out of warranty--guess what||| you've got it -  ford don't want to know.  So now starts the battle with the garage about the warranty on the battery and what is causing the problem once again.  Will keep you posted.

Hi I have problems with my car as it stopped in the way suddenly oil light came up and I parked the car at side on a busy road . Now gareage people say engine is seized as just battery light and engine light come up and car doesn’t starts I want to know that how all the engine could do so . If someone knows what I should do please reply me . Thanks 

51 minutes ago, Kayukuk said:

Hi I have problems with my car as it stopped in the way suddenly oil light came up and I parked the car at side on a busy road . Now garage people say engine is seized as just battery light and engine light come up and car doesn’t starts I want to know that how all the engine could do so

My 2nd to last car, a Ford Sierra, did something very similar. I was doing a 3 point turn after dropping my passenger off, and the engine just stalled. After we pushed the car to the side of the road, it was obvious that the engine had seized absolutely solid. I had no warning (that I noticed) at all. So it can happen. I suspect mine was an oilway blockage, but never found out, the car, very sadly for me, just went to scrap.

A common cause of sudden engine failure is a cambelt breaking. This does not usually completely seize an engine, but it is possible. It has the same net effect though, usually the engine, or the whole car, is a write off.

It is easy (if the car has a manual gearbox) to test for a seized engine: Put it in 5th gear, handbrake off, (ignition off!) and push it back & forward. It may need an assistant or two to do this, but there will be some movement if the engine is ok, almost none if seized. To confirm, someone can look in the engine bay with the bonnet open to see if the aux belt moves. That should be visible. With jacks & tools, better tests are to turn a raised roadwheel with the wheelbrace, or to use a big spanner on the crankshaft pulley nut, if it can be got at.