Alternator Or Battery...........

[jerryd]

Travelling home from work tonight the headlights on the county started flickering, this steadily got worse and after 15 minutes or so the battery warning light came on :eek: The needle on the voltage gauge plummeted into the minus side of charge and within a few minutes my headlights were like candles.

I managed to get home and yes the battery was very flat, I checked the belts which are fine so could it be the battery or the alternator ?? Is there an easy way to check or do I need to get the vehicle to a garage and have it checked out ??

Going through my service records, the alternator was reconditioned in '98

[Bearman]

Travelling home from work tonight the headlights on the county started flickering, this steadily got worse and after 15 minutes or so the battery warning light came on :eek: The needle on the voltage gauge plummeted into the minus side of charge and within a few minutes my headlights were like candles.

I managed to get home and yes the battery was very flat, I checked the belts which are fine so could it be the battery or the alternator ?? Is there an easy way to check or do I need to get the vehicle to a garage and have it checked out ??

Going through my service records, the alternator was reconditioned in '98

Sounds like the alternator packed it in, but check it with a multimeter. Put the battery on charge overnight and see if it charges up. Hit it with a load tester if you have one. Also check for loose wiring around the alternator. The charge light should have come on if the alternator wasn't charging.

[trailcutter]

Travelling home from work tonight the headlights on the county started flickering, this steadily got worse and after 15 minutes or so the battery warning light came on :eek: The needle on the voltage gauge plummeted into the minus side of charge and within a few minutes my headlights were like candles.

I managed to get home and yes the battery was very flat, I checked the belts which are fine so could it be the battery or the alternator ?? Is there an easy way to check or do I need to get the vehicle to a garage and have it checked out ??

Going through my service records, the alternator was reconditioned in '98


kiss principle for me,,,,,,,,,,,,,,

start simple,,,,,

charge battery,,,,if it does,nt hold charge assuming its not dry as a chip then a cell is prob dead.

,,if it holds charge,then u can assume problem is else where. check voltage on battery whilst vehicle running (no acc on )at least 1500rpm,,,,,,meter should register somewhere in the vicinity of 13.5 -14 v,if lower than this u may have alt issues.

be sure to check the simple things first ,before u throw money or dive into engine bay,,,,,,,,,,such as batt terminals /are they spotless takes very little crap to affect the integrity of the connection ...alt connections etc etc ........

sure they,ll be a sparky on here that can set you straight,,,,,,goodluck.

[jerryd]

I'll check all the above in daylight tomorrow, I meant the "charge light" came on not the battery light !! I topped the battery up a couple of weeks back and terminals were clean and tight.

Just my luck it will be the alternator :( there goes my new springs and shocks :mad: again

[Bearman]

I'll check all the above in daylight tomorrow, I meant the "charge light" came on not the battery light !! I topped the battery up a couple of weeks back and terminals were clean and tight.

Just my luck it will be the alternator :( there goes my new springs and shocks :mad: again

If you have a charger, whack it on overnight and see what happens!!!

[bee utey]

Sounds like your battery is getting old if it couldn't hold enough charge to run the car for 1/2 hour. It may survive but maybe not well. I would be inclined to suspect worn out brushes in the alternator, 12 years is plenty to do that. May be cheap to fix if there's nothing else wrong with it.

[Bearman]

Could be a short somewhere in the headlight wiring if they were flickering before the alternator light came on. If the battery charges up, start it and test the alternator to see if it's charging and if all is good turn the lights on and see what happens.

[JDNSW]

The symptoms suggest, as others indicate, that the alternator is not charging. But test if possible by charging the battery. If it charges and holds a charge, then the problem is elsewhere - the battery could have caused the light dimming and ultimately the alternator to cut out if it had an internal short so that the voltage was less than about 9v even when charging, but I would expect it to show signs of overheating in this case. Much more likely is that the alternator had not been charging properly for some time and it just gradually went flat - if the alternator was charging just enough to keep the alternator light on, the charge could have been inadequate for some time.

First thing after the battery I would look at is the fan belt tension - a loose belt (and it does not have to be very loose) will reduce charge to a trickle, particularly if it is raining. Failing that, unless there is loose or damaged wiring, it is probably either the brushes or a diode on the alternator. Alternators are repairable, although whether it is cheaper depends on both the cost of a replacement and the labour costs of the repairer. Of course, the problem with repairs is they usually put the vehicle off the road for a few days.

John

[jerryd]

If after all these checks it is the alternator, am I correct in assuming that I will need the Isuzu item ?? Mine has the 4BE1 engine fitted.

I'll put the battery out of the territory in it tomorrow am and see what happens, then take it from there. Seems lots of little problems happening lately, it's becoming a bit like a puma :wasntme:

[JDNSW]

The 4BE1 engine is not a standard engine, so there is no knowing what alternator it has. However, if it is like the one on the 4BD1, with a vacuum pump on it, it will be a Nippon Denso one, and because of the vacuum pump, replacements are likely to be both a bit hard to find and expensive, making repair look attractive. As a matter of interest, the only time I have had an alternator fail on the 110 on the road, an auto electrician fixed it same day for about $100, just driving in off the street, although that was over ten years ago.

John

[jerryd]

The county started first time this morning and showed to be charging :o so I took it out for a test drive but after about 3 kilometres the charge light came back on,when I got home the battery was nearly flat again !!

I've now got the battery on charge so I'll see what happens later.

[jerryd]

Turned out to be the alternator :( So had it reconditioned today. The brushes were buggered, the bearing was buggered and a diode was buggered :eek: So $330 later and it's as good as new with 12 months warranty.

They did have trouble locating the correct bearing though, he told me he tried 20 or so different suppliers before getting one. Are these items that scarce ??

I did find a secondhand one in Sydney for $220, might be of some use to someone.

He also pointed out that the Isuzu lump had no glowplugs :D and that my starter motor was in need of a little maintenance, also that my air con doesn't work, and that the vehicle had a bad earth, which he put right ( a diy job ) Seemed like he was on the ball.

[Bearman]

Turned out to be the alternator :( So had it reconditioned today. The brushes were buggered, the bearing was buggered and a diode was buggered :eek: So $330 later and it's as good as new with 12 months warranty.

They did have trouble locating the correct bearing though, he told me he tried 20 or so different suppliers before getting one. Are these items that scarce ??

I did find a secondhand one in Sydney for $220, might be of some use to someone.

He also pointed out that the Isuzu lump had no glowplugs :D and that my starter motor was in need of a little maintenance, also that my air con doesn't work, and that the vehicle had a bad earth, which he put right ( a diy job ) Seemed like he was on the ball.

Jerry, Which alternator do you have. The bearings shouldn't be that scarce. If you have a 4BE1 you shouldn't need glow plugs. Being direct injection even in sub zero temperatures they don't need heating so I wouldn't worry about that. The starters usually only need a clean and regrease the gearing and check the brushes. You can do this yourself. With the gear lever rattle, I am a bit mystified why the washer replacement didn't fix it. The only other explanation I can think of is bearing wear. Are you sure its the gearbox lever and not the transfer one as these are notorious for rattling when the plastic boot wears/falls off the hi/lo selector finger.

[lardy]

I don't know if this has been posted because I couldn't be arsed to read the responses !!
I have had issues all week mainly because of the cold and the fact that my batteries had evaperated some during the last few months.....I have pushed started my 130 twice not ideal for the vehicle or me at 5A.M.
Check your batteries for distilated water content if low top up and charge (whilst off the vehicle) re-apply batteriage and crank her over.


OOps! I read your second post oh well leave it on I sposse may help someone equally slack as myself

[jerryd]

Jerry, Which alternator do you have. The bearings shouldn't be that scarce. If you have a 4BE1 you shouldn't need glow plugs. Being direct injection even in sub zero temperatures they don't need heating so I wouldn't worry about that. The starters usually only need a clean and regrease the gearing and check the brushes. You can do this yourself. With the gear lever rattle, I am a bit mystified why the washer replacement didn't fix it. The only other explanation I can think of is bearing wear. Are you sure its the gearbox lever and not the transfer one as these are notorious for rattling when the plastic boot wears/falls off the hi/lo selector finger.

I think it's the same item as fitted to a 4BD1, but I'm not 100% sure. I just assumed it was a hard to find item which is why he struggled to find bearings.

He said the starter just needed an overhaul as it was sticking, probably been through too many rivers :D I told him it was normal not to have glowplugs fitted which he thought was a bit odd. The rattle is definately the gearstick, if you lightly touch it with your finger it stops :mad: I might try and fit an extra washer in and see what happens.

[isuzu110]

Jerry,

Hi, saw your post. Just back from a month in the outback.

Your alternator is not a dedicated Isuzu one. When I had the vehicle I replaced it with a generic one with a vacuum pump.

Your starter motor is a rewound one that started life as a 24V one. It will be hard to replace when the time comes so I'd suggest preventative maintenance before it fails (brushes etc).

That vehicle has been in the snow in the Victorian high country and never needed glow plugs. Don't worry about them.

I don't mind the occasional phone call if you have questions like these. PM me if you have lost my number.

[Albert]

I replaced my stage 1 40A nippon-denso alt with a 70A one from the states. It is a hitashi one with the same numbers as the 4BD1-T. The mounts were different, I could have cut and shortend the pivot mount but didnt want to destroy it (Just in case) so fabbed up a new one.
The nippon had a tapered pully mount with key, the hitashi had a loose fit strait shaft with no key!:eek: just the nut tention to keep it spinning. I put a alloy pully on with a grub screw.
All up under $200, and I dont see the volt meter going down on the way to work in the mornings.

[ugu80]

Just an interesting point on glow plugs;

I have a 300tdi, a few times (half asleep in the morning) with the temp around zero to five degrees, I've turned the key too far and the engine has sprung into life as soon as the starter motor engages.