1998 2.5 DSE Auto

Hi Chaps, hoping to be pointed in right direction.......
Went out to truck this morning, Started first time and took children to school, (8 miles) having dropped off went to stables and turned off.
Worked for about 2 hours got back in truck, tried to start and Nothing! (seemed like flat battery)
Got a friend to bring some jump leads and jumped it from a Zafira....
\\\started and headed back home, Gearbox in D hardly any drive, (Not stalling!) eventually on journey Radio kept cutting out, especially when foot applied to brake! Display missing on heater controls and also cut out whilst braking.........
Finally conked out 400 yards from home - parked up and carried battery home and charged for 3 hours......took back to car, started first time! drove back 400 yards to home parked, whilst evrything was turning on and off by itself
(Gauges, Speedo, Radio, heater,) message center giving Random messages, I turned it off!
Battery dead again!
Ideas please

Is there not a message on dash "alternator fault"? Get battery checked out may have a cell going down. Or could be diode failed in alternator.

Or corroded bcem plug

wammers said:

Is there not a message on dash "alternator fault"? Get battery checked out may have a cell going down. Or could be diode failed in alternator.

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Hi Wammers, did get that message once as Battery symbol flashed, then went out, Battery is a 110ah battery 2 months old (replacement for one that lasted 6 months)
but didnt fail as quick as this one!!

Troyyz said:

Hi Wammers, did get that message once as Battery symbol flashed, then went out, Battery is a 110ah battery 2 months old (replacement for one that lasted 6 months)
but didnt fail as quick as this one!!

Click to expand...

You need to check things out, charge battery and get it shunt tested. Then check out charging rate and alternator. Something in that line has gone tits up. If you bought a calcium battery a low charge rate will make it sulphate up and destroy it. Sometimes can be rescued using a very high charge rate 15-16 volts for a period of time. Calcium batteries need to be at more than 90% at all times. If you have one and the charge rate is not at least 14.2 volts you will get problems over time. Full calcium batteries need minimum 14.5 ideally.

fanatic said:

Or corroded bcem plug

Click to expand...

Low battery voltage will do everything he describes. Gives the BECM a massive headache and it starts to throw it's toys out of the pram. ECUs don't like it much either.

Duff alternator or bad connections, check earth strap from engine to chassis.

Sounds like some scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind - you didn't happen to see the Mother Ship rising up from behind a nearby hill?

Thanks all,
Pretty certain it was the alternator, (Even though light was going off when running, No message on center!) Voltage at battery was only 12.4V
Fitted a 2nd hand one from Emmotts of Colne
(reads 13.7v when running) No variance, with lights , fan, radio, wipers, ON.

Fergie46 said:

Sounds like some scene from Close Encounters of the Third Kind - you didn't happen to see the Mother Ship rising up from behind a nearby hill?

Click to expand...

No..............Its just a P38! lol

Troyyz said:

Thanks all,
Pretty certain it was the alternator, (Even though light was going off when running, No message on center!) Voltage at battery was only 12.4V
Fitted a 2nd hand one from Emmotts of Colne
(reads 13.7v when running) No variance, with lights , fan, radio, wipers, ON.

Click to expand...

As Wammers says, if that is a calcium battery that won't be enough volts. Wammers put up a link to an upgrade kit somewhere to take it to 14.5V.