[ADRIAN B]

TDI 300 1995

Hi
I would imagine an easy question for you to answer. The battery symbol intermitantly lights up on the dash! Is this the first signs of get ready to change the battery or alternator trouble brewing? I have had the vehicle 3 years and the battery was on when i bought the vehicle. if I have to buy a new battery then OK, just concerned it could be more depthy. The rev counter stops working when the light is on to! Is this a power saving feature?

 

[slob]

sound like yer alt is up paddle creek..yer tacho takes it feed from the alt

 

[sam]

could just be a loose alt belt. check before you spend any cash

 

[discomania]

There is a little wire coming from the back of the alt, check the condition of this.

Does your alt have a heat sheild on the back, if not, the turbo could have melted the wire/fittings up causing a bad connection.

 

[tonyw]

I agree with Discomania, although check the connection first and recrimp if it is a little loose, plus dip the loose connection in electrical lube. This should be the first option, as it is the cheapest (if the alternator has no rear shield that is!).

You haven't got a squealing noise coming from the alternator area, have you?

 

[ADRIAN B]

Hi all
I have had a intermittent squeek off maybe the belt on tick over for sometime but I just thought it was the belt. Last night a relay in the box in the passenger footwell was clicking like mad on side lights and went off when I switched on the main lights! The windscreen washer tries to clean the roof and the wipers are now nearly going as fast as helicopter blades! Me thinks its the voltage regulator in the alternator? I suppose if thats the case I will have to be careful not to boil the battery.

Do you agree?

 

[tonyw]

Hi all
I have had a intermittent squeek off maybe the belt on tick over for sometime but I just thought it was the belt. Last night a relay in the box in the passenger footwell was clicking like mad on side lights and went off when I switched on the main lights! The windscreen washer tries to clean the roof and the wipers are now nearly going as fast as helicopter blades! Me thinks its the voltage regulator in the alternator? I suppose if thats the case I will have to be careful not to boil the battery.

Do you agree?

Well, I had an intermittent squeak that rapidly developed into a full blown 'all the time' squeak. It turned out to be the tensioner pulley bearing. I had it replaced, along with the belt, and that cured the problem. In addition, I also had the battery light coming on (and tacho not working) albeit sporadically, and whilst the belt and pulley were being replaced, I had the engineer look at the electrical connections on the back of the alternator, and he tightened/lubed the connector. No problems since then.

Regarding the windscreen washer, not sure what that is, but when I bought my Disco the washers needed a great deal of readjusting with a pin, before they hit the right spot. Now you mention it, they were rather weak (I posted a post on here for that), but now seem to be quite strong, and I can't pinpoint why or when that happened!

Electrics are certainly not my forte, so I won't even begin to diagnose that. Have you got the Landrover TIS disc, the one that the Techies use to diagnose/fix spurious problems? They are available on Ebay, for £5-ish.

BTW, the tensioner pulley and belt replacement cost £117 all in, with approved LR parts. I know you can just replace the bearing in the pulley (£7 from Ebay), but I didn't have the time or the inclination. It only took my local LR independent specialist 15 minutes to do the work.

 

[ADRIAN B]

its not the adjustment on the washers its now excess power! I will look at the connections on the alternator. I will use WD40 type lub on the pulley and check! Thanks for the reply

 

[ormus]

does sound a bit ominous. poss the diode/regulator pack inside the alt.

 

[ADRIAN B]

Thanks all. Fitted another Alt. Fingers crossed it seems to be OK at the mo.
Have agood xmas. No doubt talk later