Charge light off but no charge at battery...

New member/owner of a series III. Hello to all, see the start of the saga on the introduce yourself thread.

So, got almost all of the way from Kent to Whaley Bridge in Derbyshire, all but the last 2-miles!! The charge light was on all the way...I had no option but to go for it anyway and it nearly worked!

So, this morning we looking into things further and one of the smaller wires from the alternator was not connected in the plug. Put that on properly and hey presto, the dash charge light has gone out. But a voltmeters shows that there is still no actual charge going into the battery.

Any thoughts on whether this might be fixable before I start the second leg of my journey to Liverpool ferry and then home from Belfast tomorrow. Not a long drive compared to yesterday and it does seem as if a 2.2 petrol landie can drive from Kent to Derbyshire with no alternator charge - it does have a new battery.

Cheers all,

Al.

What volts did you read ? And have you fitted a new batt or recharged the original.

My own battery is on charge and I have the battery from a pals '74 landie in there at the moment.

Just had a good diagnostics session using the mini guide someone on here pointed someone to on another thread - thanks to that person.

In summary, all wiring seems sound and there is an occasional burst of charging from the alternator. Getting 12.6v at idle, sometimes jumping to 14v when the alternator decides to work. We think it is something intermittent within the alternator itself. Hopefully the battery will get enough on my way home. I will know when the dash light flickers and gets slightly duller that the alternator is kicking in.

So, will report back on the journey and my initial work to make this landie firstly reliable and then some minor welding and aesthetics work.

Cheers,

Al.

Welcome! I think you did well to get that far with a Landy that has done 50 miles in 4 years. I would have expected brake issues at least. Perhaps it's been well maintained.

Probably needs a thorough clean of all connections and earths. Driving through fog will have gotten everthing damp and that can play havoc with electrickery.

Could be the brushes in the alternator worn down

Got very little juice from my alternator from day one so simply chucked a new one in. It's been great since and gives a full 14.5 even at idle.
Could have been a number of things but I took the easy option.

Yep, I'd say there will be a new alternator in there by close of play tomorrow!

Hope you got going on your journey again.

Take care when you approach Liverpool - trolley jacks are faster than Series Land Rovers, especially when pushed by scousers in shell suits

managed to make it all the way home with no alternator but I think the battery may have had it - doesn't seem to want to charge.

I did have to engage 4 wheel drive on one occasion when some locals tried to landie-nap me. Felt a few bumps under the wheels but I think that was just the ride quality...