Alternator not charging

Sat Nov 13, 2021 6:39 pm

Ok
Iv got a car had for years
Getting it back all sorted
Anyway cut the story short the alternator light is on (battery light), belt must of stretched while it was sitting there.
Gonna grab a new one in the morning, I'm wondering does a feature of alternator not charging , mean you also lose the rpm gauge and maybe some others ?
I think I also lost the fuel gauge too but I remember it working before and maybe after it stopped running.

Sun Nov 14, 2021 1:08 am

No, the alternator does not have an effect on the gauges. Dead service indicator batteries can cause rpm gauge failure. Fuel gauge showing a full reading can be a bad earth on the back of the gauge instrument itself. A lot of electrical issues arise when a car has been parked up for some time. Information on correcting these problems are on the site here.

Sun Nov 14, 2021 5:51 pm

If it has stood that long you may well find the batteries in the instrument cluster S.I Board have died, hopefully you can just replace them and the board is ok and not damaged by them.

Sun Nov 14, 2021 9:01 pm

Would that allow it to show my fuel gauge when it's not running ?
Either way I need both new belts so there next on my list

Mon Nov 15, 2021 1:04 am

The fuel gauge itself is not affected by the cluster batteries or alternator . The wiring is directly into the cluster from the sender unit in the tank.

Mon Nov 15, 2021 10:33 am

Simple alternator test is a meter across the battery and run car, if voltage increases up to about 14V then it is OK, if not the regulator is probably faulty and can be changed for about $25, I did mine a couple of years ago.

Wed Nov 17, 2021 7:01 pm

Waiting on ecp delivery
Threw another 5L into the tank I had from Mx.

Sat Nov 20, 2021 12:52 pm

Found these 2 belts in my engine bay.
I got some more to renew but I forgot the pictures

Sat Nov 20, 2021 8:13 pm

Tomorrow getting some coolant and then I'll run her and see what results I get. Hopefully all is well.
The power steering belt looked good and strong but the alternator belt was shot.
Renewed them then tomorrow I'll get some antifreeze and run her up.
Hopefully all goes well.

Sun Nov 21, 2021 3:14 pm

Fired her up today and all was good except for some reason my fuel gauge lifts just off empty and then nothing no light nothing.
Car reached half the temp gauge and I had a working heater fan but no heat? It was blowing cold but not freezing and I let it run a good 15 mins. Could be because it was on 4 from stone cold and because it hasn't ran for a good while .
I literally just gave them 20 knicker for Halfords antifreeze so could be getting back to how it was running.. So yes I'm stuck on a dead fuel gauge but I can GAURUNTEE it was working before I started it the other day. Prob find its not even plugged in

.
Just remembered I found my number 10 had no fuse in it and I read up and found it was a 7.5amp

Then found I only had a 10amp so quickly threw it in to test and boom I was in business.
I haven't had fuses since I was a kid, taking them from the breakers like we was stealing them everyone knew but we thought they didn't

Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:01 pm

Armanib666 wrote: ↑
Sun Nov 21, 2021 3:14 pm
Fired her up today and all was good except for some reason my fuel gauge lifts just off empty and then nothing no light nothing.
Car reached half the temp gauge and I had a working heater fan but no heat? It was blowing cold but not freezing and I let it run a good 15 mins. Could be because it was on 4 from stone cold and because it hasn't ran for a good while .
I literally just gave them 20 knicker for Halfords antifreeze so could be getting back to how it was running.. So yes I'm stuck on a dead fuel gauge but I can GAURUNTEE it was working before I started it the other day. Prob find its not even plugged in .
Just remembered I found my number 10 had no fuse in it and I read up and found it was a 7.5amp
Then found I only had a 10amp so quickly threw it in to test and boom I was in business.
I haven't had fuses since I was a kid, taking them from the breakers like we was stealing them everyone knew but we thought they didn't

Along with switches and relays.

Tue Nov 23, 2021 12:08 pm

Sounds like you also done it.

Tue Nov 23, 2021 3:56 pm

Cheeky pic of the belts
Plus my Fannymould

Thu Nov 25, 2021 1:11 pm

Alternator seems to be charging

Thu Nov 25, 2021 11:18 pm

My heating is back as usual
Checked my fuel level sender was plugged in,
It was

I gauruntee it was working before, would a fuel leve senderl go bad? Maybe I handled it to rough or something

Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:59 pm

Have you checked the small brass nut behind the cluster to earth the gauges ?
DC can play wierd tricks even when you have not touched something

Mart.

Fri Nov 26, 2021 5:01 pm

martauto wrote: ↑
Fri Nov 26, 2021 1:59 pm
Have you checked the small brass nut behind the cluster to earth the gauges ?
DC can play wierd tricks even when you have not touched something

Mart.

I haven't I'm afraid
It's too cold ATM, The rest works so that will have to do until a next warm day or warmish this is Britain.
Got me thinking before when I played about in that Area did I do it back up

Sat Nov 27, 2021 11:58 am

I had the M3 nut come off the back of my fuel gauge but no problem, the two pins seem to do the job OK. Has a nut now of course.

I have finally done a parasitic test and have 1.9A which is WAY HIGH so I pulled the fuses, there only about 8 (nearest the wing) that are live all the time, the rest are not. Fuse 22 was the biggest drop and 28 a bit more, so now on the hunt to find that 1A load.