P38A ABS / TC fault appeared after sitting idle for 3 weeks

-and if I have to fork out for a battery if the yakusa is pish (local technical term) what might be a good recommendation ? -bearing in mind the odd polarity

MF1000 from battery megastore £100 delivered

Check the resistance readings on the good front sensor to compare? Plug is in the same place but the battery side.

awkwardbob said:

So it looks like it’s on the ECU side abd, perhaps, does point to low volts

yakusa battery is 6 months old and reads 11.7V.

Going to put it on ‘boring’ charger to see if that helps,

feeling a bit glum

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Major issue there. Fully recharge with a battery charger then, after resting, see if the voltage has improved. If it's still low then the battery has had it.
Any high drainage issues - faulty alternator, the P38 alarm issue?
A very rough guide to battery voltage: www.thebatteryshop.co.uk/car-battery-voltage-guide-34-w.asp

But that’s two duffers in 6 months (last one replaced foc under warranty).

have I just fitted a badly-suited battery ? Or is it more to do with irregular use or improper charging (alternator currently o/ps 13.8V)?

Still, if £100 for a new battery fixes it, that’s getting off lightly

awkwardbob said:

But that’s two duffers in 6 months (last one replaced foc under warranty).

have I just fitted a badly-suited battery ? Or is it more to do with irregular use or improper charging (alternator currently o/ps 13.8V)?

Still, if £100 for a new battery fixes it, that’s getting off lightly

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I had issues a few years ago with Lion brand batteries on my Classic.
2 replacements during the warranty period & the last failed outside the warranty period (the warranty doesn't start again with each replacement, you get the balance remaining from the original purchase) & I replaced it with a different brand which was fine.
No issues with the vehicle charging system or a parasitic drain.
Chap behind the counter did say they got a lot of them back within the warranty period.

awkwardbob said:

But that’s two duffers in 6 months (last one replaced foc under warranty).

have I just fitted a badly-suited battery ? Or is it more to do with irregular use or improper charging (alternator currently o/ps 13.8V)?

Still, if £100 for a new battery fixes it, that’s getting off lightly

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13.8V is no good for a high calcium battery. Anything with big CCA will have lots of calcium. That's on top of the usual RF issues.

You can replace the voltage regulator inside the alternator.
VR-VW010 mobiltron

11.7 volts is a dead battery that may not recover. 13.8 volts is not sufficient to maintain a lead calcium battery needs to be around 14.7 volts, as kermit said the VR-VW010 mobiltron regulator is what you want plus the MF31-1000 battery from Battery Megastore on line.
It's a waste of time trying to do diagnostics with low battery voltage.

Datatek said:

11.7 volts is a dead battery that may not recover. 13.8 volts is not sufficient to maintain a lead calcium battery needs to be around 14.7 volts, as kermit said the VR-VW010 mobiltron regulator is what you want plus the MF31-1000 battery from Battery Megastore on line.
It's a waste of time trying to do diagnostics with low battery voltage.

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Battery ordered (as specced) arriving tomorrow, I have in my greasy mitts the Mobiletron regulator so my first steps after work ce soir will be to safely remove the duff battery (as per Handbook: Ignition on, then off then remove within 17 secs) and the alternator and replace the VR on it.

I'm annoyed at burning another £100 on a battery but if it will save hours of grief on a wild goose chase, its money well-spent. I wonder if I can get a refund on the (second) dead one from Halfords under warranty.

awkwardbob said:

Battery ordered (as specced) arriving tomorrow, I have in my greasy mitts the Mobiletron regulator so my first steps after work ce soir will be to safely remove the duff battery (as per Handbook: Ignition on, then off then remove within 17 secs) and the alternator and replace the VR on it.

I'm annoyed at burning another £100 on a battery but if it will save hours of grief on a wild goose chase, its money well-spent. I wonder if I can get a refund on the (second) dead one from Halfords under warranty.

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I should clarify its the VR -f153A Mobiletron I have for my 120A Magnetti Alternator

awkwardbob said:

I should clarify its the VR -f153A Mobiletron I have for my 120A Magnetti Alternator

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Is that GEMS then? Thor uses a 150A unit

kermit_rr said:

Is that GEMS then? Thor uses a 150A unit

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yep Gems -for my sins

Make sure you charge the new battery fully before fitting, it could take 24 hours

Ok, so I’m in full dismantle mode…

battery is out, alternator is freed, mostly.

there were two cables into the back of it:

a meaty red one (presumably goes straight to the battery) and a feeble, thin cream
One.

I’ve released the wee one (the cable isn’t in great shape) but the red one is being BBC a jerk.

it’s one of those captive nuts and it won’t spin freely, it’s turning the cable too -and I’m not even convinced it’s coming off the terminal when it turns.

have any of you come up against this kind of thing before ? I’d have any advice on how best to free this pesky cable ?

thanks in advance !

Bob

On mine (thor) the battery cable is a regular nut, the thin wire is a captive nut.
If you're not sure, mark the post with a pen and you'll see if it's turning with the nut

Got it off but the bloody crimp connector cracked into bits.

guess I’ll be doing that next !

im going to stop tonight as I’ve nearly got the VR changed over but one cheesed screw is stopping me !

going to wait until tomorrow with fresh eyes and a deft flat-blade rather than bugger it beyond repair tonight !

And the new VR is on !
The new battery is ‘out for delivery’
The VCU is at the post office awaiting collection.
And the heater matrix ‘o’ rings have arrived so that I can tackle the leak when I’m feeling brave.

I also have a couple of crimp ends for the alternator but was unsure of the cable diameter. I have a 25 and a 35 size crimped ring (sounds painful) so hopefully one of those will be chunky enough.

tonight’s work is to refit the alternator, install the new battery and re-attach the drivers seat.

tomorrow will be the hell of VCU and, if I’m feeling brave, some EAS work….

Might be an idea to leave the drivers seat out, makes getting the centre console cheek off a bit easier and more room to do the O rings. Not a lot in it though but I'm tall and the seat was a hindrance a bit.

So the alternator is updated, the cable end is recrimped (I used a size 16/10 Ring) and the new battery installed.

Voltage is healthy and 14.7 V with the engine running (up from 13.8V)

so far so good… but… the ABS / TC error (Front left sensor Open circuit) persists….

I’ll take her a short drive tomorrow and see if that clears it… fingers crossed