elmo505

hello all
right i bought my 00 uk turbo 2000 two weeks ago and been loveing it ever since was out driving last night no probelms then all of a sudden i kinda noticed my dials seemed a little bit dimmer than normal but didnt really worry about it drove on for about another mile & then my sterio turned off all my needles on my dash stopped working & my check engine light came on, couldnt do up my electrick windows headlights dimmed v v low managed to drive it home the car seems to run fine but seem to have lost power to every electrical componant. As soon as i pulled onto my drive it cut out and since then it has no power at all the battery appears completly flat would this be a problem with the battery or the alternator? i did get an RAC tracker fitted recently could it be that that is draining power from my battery.
any opinions would be much much apreciated as im not very impressed at the moment
Andy

scogsywrx

iTrader: (1)

dont mean to sound stupid but i would get a new decent battery,i had similar probs on mine,i changed the battery and prob solved.

DonnieDarko

get a battery power pack (£35-50). that will enable you to jump start your own car.

get a battery test kit (£5 halfords)-> that will be able to test both your battery charge level, and while the engines running, if the alternator is working.

hopefully your battery is just knackered (how old does it look?) about £50 should see you with a nice new one and happy days again.

elmo505

thats cool mate
i know its a simple question and i was gonna go buy a new battery tonight anyway was just woundering if the symptons sounded like the alternater or not, hopefully the new battery sorts it out

elmo505

must admit it doesnt look too new must be about the only part on the car which doesnt look new after looking at nearly 20 classics this was buy far the nicest i got it rac checked and on the report it has a tick on the battery charger so im assuming thats working ok (unless its gone wrong in the last two weeks)

Phil

I think Halfords do a free battery check

just to save you buying a battery and thats not the problem

Keep us posted

elmo505

will do but im not out of work till five so i gotta get through today as quick as possibly so i can hopefully get her back on the roads cheers peeps ill let you know what happens

Brit_in_Japan

When the temperatures start to drop, that's when car batteries start to fail (though you're having a bit of an Indian summer over there now I heard? Are nightime temperatures getting low?)

New_scooby_04

iTrader: (4)

Does anyone know roughly when you need to replace the battery on a Classic? I dont think its in the service manual.

Is it just a case of change it when it conks out? :-)

Brun

Did my MY99 battery this year which was 6.5 years old

Scooby-Doo

For a car to loose that much power while running sounds more like alternater than the battery problem to me.

harvey

iTrader: (48)

You change the battery when it fails or preferably when it starts to show signs but before it fails. Some last 18 months others are still working after 5 years. I have a 97 STi 3 here with an original battery. 1997.

To solve your problem as cheaply as possible check your alternator belt is properly tensioned, then:
1) Charge your existing battery overnight. A good battery charger is £15 but a friend locally may have one.
2) Once charged your car should be mobile so like Phil says, down to Halfords for a free battery check.
3) If the battery is U/S replace. If the battery is OK the problem is probably your alternator.

A local specialist can repair it. Typically £35 here.
Check out the price of a service exchange or consider a second hand that is known to be good.
If you are stuck there is one here. £50.
Chances are it is the alternator belt or the battery if you are lucky.
Let us know.

DeltaBravo 9

i had the same problem with my bugeye , and lo and behold a new alternator was required curtesy of hyltons , a bit of a pain as i lived 70 miles away but c'est la vie

elmo505

its still under subaru warrenty as the bloke i bought it from bought the car from a subaru dealership (but his bird couldnt drive it) so i managed to blag it off him still with 10 months subaru warenty. a new alternator would be couverd wouldnt it??? it was dark when i got in last night so ill have a look under the bonnet tonight at the alternater and just check the belt on it might invest n a new battery anyway and if that dont work then off to subaru i go

bgood

iTrader: (2)

I had a very similar problem on a previouse car, not a Scooby so not sure if this will apply but it was the alternator earth strap that had gone, replaced it and all was well, might be worth checking.

GC8

I think that people blaming the battery are mistaken. This sounds like the alternator to me. Charge the battery up and turn the ignition on; does the ignition light illuminate? If so Id blame the rectifier, if not (as I suspect, as had it been the rectifier youd have mentioned the ignition light being on when you were driving, it can be extremely faint but its visible at night) then locate the alternator and hit it repeatedly with a small hammer, using a screwdriver to reach it if necessary. Keep looking at the igntion light, if you give it a good twatting the light will illuminate and its time to get a new alternator, as your brushes have virtually worn away. You may find that just a small tap will cause the lamp to illuminate, but this problrm only occurs when the brushes are virtually fully extended, so its a get-you-home fix rather than a solution.

A new battery wont do any harm, but the end result would have been the same, itd just have taken a while longer to completely discharge.


Simon

Edited to make it bold; so that it stands out from the endless 'Buy a new battery' posts. The cars runs on the alternator, and it will run with a battery that wasnt in a fit state to start the car.....

fitzscoob

Where abouts in herts are you? I have a battery charger.

elmo505

im in a little village inbetween hatfield & potters bar called brookmans park its a local town for local people lol

fitzscoob

Im in Hoddesdon, gimme a pm if you want to come and try the battery charger. However it seems like you would be better off taking it to wherever the warrenty allows you to for a check up.

TAINTON

MY00 classic needed the battery changing the very next day I bought the dam thing lasted 4.5yrs so not too bad

and was told it didnt have the best of batterys fitted in the first place.

Just for the record since then not had one problem. Ashley

James Neill

iTrader: (1)

Sounds like alternator to me. Did this on a Pug 205 I used to have

Turbotits

iTrader: (2)

Totally agree if the batteries gone flat with the engine running its either the alternator or the related wiring not sending the charge to the battery.

elmo505

ok ive just been to halfords and bought a nice spanking new battery fitted it ad obviosly it started first time wether its gonna last any time at all only time will tell. not sure if im being paranoid but if it is the alternater would i hear a slight whining noise not sure if it was ther b4 or if im just picking up on it now cos im listening out for anything that sounds wrong. i was kinda thinking that if it was the alternator my (check engine) light would still be on but to y surprise everything llooks fine do you know if it is the alternater which has let me down if it would hard=m the car if i just drove t till the battery runs out again???

just had a thought actually when i was driving home last night the needles and power seemed to boost when i accelerated then when slowig down and taking my fot off the accelarator it seemed to al dim again would this not suggest that the altenator could be ok ???

harvey

iTrader: (48)

"To solve your problem as cheaply as possible check your alternator belt is properly tensioned, then:
1) Charge your existing battery overnight. A good battery charger is £15 but a friend locally may have one.
2) Once charged your car should be mobile so like Phil says, down to Halfords for a free battery check.
3) If the battery is U/S replace. If the battery is OK the problem is probably your alternator.

A local specialist can repair it. Typically £35 here.
Check out the price of a service exchange or consider a second hand that is known to be good.
If you are stuck there is one here. £50.
Chances are it is the alternator belt or the battery if you are lucky.
Let us know."

So how is it now?

elmo505

seems ok been driving it yesterday and today no probs no funny lights no loss of power but ive gt a feeling i can hear a slight whining noise which im certain wasnt there b4 if the alternator was on its way out could it possibly make a funny whiing noise?

Scooby-Doo

Check voltage before startup then at idle then at 2000 rpm. You should see it jump to 14-14.5v just above idle.

The Zohan

Hi Elmo.

It does sound like an alternator fault or possibly an earth fault.

My understanding is that thew battery is really only ued to start the car and run electrics when it is not running and the alternator does the rest once the car is running including charging the battery.

Your battery may well be fecked but it may be due to the alternator not charging it.

If under warranty then let a dealer look at it. If it is the battery then it will be down to you to pay for it IMHO but the alternator should be covered.


Changing the battery might be a short term fix intil it runs low on power again if the alternator is faulty.

Good luck.

WR1 Ant

Unbleaveable with all the people correctly saying its an alternator or chargeing fault and you still go and buy a new battery, tomorrow you will be posting "MY NEW BATTERY HAS GONE FLAT WHY !!!!" As others have said all the battery does is store power for the next start up or for when electrical demand exceeds what the alternator can produce, whilst the engine is running power is provided by the alternator this also keeps the battery charged up, If the alternator fails whilst driveing you only have the power thats left in your battery when this runs out the car will do exactly what yours has done, Trust me its a chargeing fault, most likely the alternator particually as you have allready stated that its wineing. And buy the way I am an RAC patrol.

fatscoobyfella

Did your application form for the RAC have as many spelling mistakes as your last post?..
Leave the lad alone,at least he has a new battery for winter,and he will probably get a new alternator under warranty.
Job fixed.......

DevilHimSelf

a my00 still with subaru warranty??