AA rescue :(

[magpie]

had a breakdown yesterday whilst out in the e30 and had to be rescued by the AA

when i fitted the m52 i never noticed if the dash cluster battery warning light was working or not and the car died through a flat battery banging a farting out of the scorpion in in wtf just happened stylee .

managed to get it off the carriageway and into a side street to have a look and the battery is now flat .when the AA man turns up he jump starts the car straight away but tests show nothing so he earths the blue wire on the alternator and asks me if the battery light is on which it wasn't so he say's without that light being on the alternator will not work as it won't recognise connection .he fully charges the battery and follows me home about 15 miles which was nice .

today i've changed the blown battery light bulb which now works and can get a reading from my multimeter.when ticking over the voltage drops off and when revved the voltage goes climbing up .
now if i put the lights on it drops off revved up or not.

my question is why am i getting the h/brake,pad wear,brake fluid level and the battery warning lights on when the car is running

i have an m50 140A alternator but will it fit the m52 ?

at least it drove home anyhoo and i was spared the
embarrassment of his rigid bar

[milescook]

Been there - never connected up my clocks to test my new electrics. Worked the first time, then I couldn't work out why the bloody thing stalled as soon as I disconnected the donor battery... new alternator etc...

[magpie]

the alternator was working fine in the e36 i took the engine from so would a duff alternator throw all the warning lights up on the dash

[milescook]

Sorry I meant I got a new alternator for no reason

No idea I'm afraid.

[magpie]

Sorry I meant I got a new alternator for no reason

No idea I'm afraid.

yeah he said if that light is blown no charging will happen so was glad of that info .

[Brianmoooore]

the alternator was working fine in the e36 i took the engine from so would a duff alternator throw all the warning lights up on the dash

Yes. The warning lights are required to have a 'test function', when the car is first started, and the test is switched off by a voltage appearing on the blue wire from the alternator.

[Brianmoooore]

Check the earthing of the alternator. A LOT of alternators are changed needlessly because of corrosion that has built up between the alloy and ferrous parts of the mounting, effectively insulating the alternator from the engine block.
Of course, a new alternator solves the problem, since the corrosion will have been disturbed by changing it, but refitting the old one would have had exactly the same results.

[magpie]

just fitting the m50 140A one now,bloody radiator off again time !

forgot to say the AA man said it had a good earth .

[magpie]

we have lift OFF

i might even push the boat out and turn the car stereo on