pux Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Hi guy's when driving along my head lights dim in and out and then my rev counter does what it feels like am i right in thinking my altinator is on its way out i have checked all my connections and earths and all seem ok Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Comical Engineer Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Hi guy's when driving along my head lights dim in and out and then my rev counter does what it feels like am i right in thinking my altinator is on its way out i have checked all my connections and earths and all seem ok Is your alternator belt loose? The alternator will charge normally under light load but when you put heavy load items like headlights, rear window heater etc on the alternator will have more resistance and slip. Normally an alternator either works or doesn't! If it doesn't then the charging light will come on (usually) indicating a fault. Does the car start ok i.e. battery still charged? If you can get hold of a voltmeter then the battery should give about 12.5 volts when not running and about 14+ volts with the engine running. I see you have checked the connections which is the other thing I would have suggested. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pux Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Hi, i will check the belt asap. As for starting in the mornings it struggles a little but fires up ok after a while i just put that down to it being cold!!! thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marc1187 Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 Just before my alternator died (300 disco) the rev counter started doing its own thing. Was in summer (if you can call it that!) so didnt notice any lighting issues, could also hear a bearing noise from the alternator when i stuck my head under the bonnet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pux Posted December 12, 2007 Author Share Posted December 12, 2007 Just before my alternator died (300 disco) the rev counter started doing its own thing. Was in summer (if you can call it that!) so didnt notice any lighting issues, could also hear a bearing noise from the alternator when i stuck my head under the bonnet.Ah that rings a bell, as there is a little noise like a bearing under the bonnet, i just presumed it was the usual suspect being the water pump Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pinny Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 my alternator went last year with similar symptons to yours but after about fifty miles it basically seized with a lovely noise so it was a new belt as well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheRecklessEngineer Posted December 12, 2007 Share Posted December 12, 2007 My rev counter does what it likes most of the time. A common failure is the wire on the back coming loose/breaking with the vibration - this makes the rev meter jump all over the place. I have yet to find a fix that lasts longer than 500 miles... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Disco_Dunk Posted December 14, 2007 Share Posted December 14, 2007 Also check that the pulley-wheel on the alternator isn't loose (so it's only spinning some of the time) - you'd have to slacken the belt to check. I found out the hard way the other week when the pulley got looser & looser until the belt jumped off and shredded itself. Dunk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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