just a quicky,

my battery is "spitting" out of the air holes in the filler caps, it is showing 12.5v on idle and revving it is upto 15.5, i gather this is too much by the physical signs i can see. am i correct in thinking the rectifier/diode pack or regulater is buggered?
Its a 2.0 pinto.

Is it easy to replace the aforementioned buggered part or am i best off getting a recon/scrappys alternator?

cheers and beers

Col

If I recall, the noraml charge level of a battery should be either 13.8v or 14.4v - I think its the lower one.

So.......you have something very wrong there!

Alternator seems prime candidate........trying summat from a scrappy is cheaper than buying a new one to find out it actually was the battery...!

cheers Steve, its a relatively new battery so the alternator is the prime candidate i think.

Cheers

Colin

I would try the mallet approach - smash the altenator for buggering a new battery, the regulator for not sorting it, the battery cos its deep fried (battered) and the computer as well for good measure, for convincing you that it is actually possible to build your own car.

Then melt the mallet for wrecking your pride and joy...

Regulator within the alternator is faulty. YOu could get another but scrap alternator sounds good to me.

13.8 to 14.4 is the order of the day.

Battery may be ok.... top it up with distilled water. Only the water will have boiled off.

Your battery can be checked very easily, look at the spitting (but not too close) if not all of them are spitting, this can be signs of a shorted cell or two (0r maybe all of them are shorted) if so its junk

next try a discharge test on it (its a v.low ohm volt meter that simulates starting) you place it on the terminals and test. Its the only reliable test of your battery. if you dont have one, then try a local freindly garage or scrappers....

if your regulator was truly goosed, then it would go upto anywhere from 30-50v, so i'd be looking at your battery first.

alternators, regulators can be rebuilt but at work, we just dump the old one and order a new one

Remember 90% of all AA/RAC call outs are due to the battery, so i'd check it first....

as a point to note i just paid £10 for a tested battery from my local scrappers with a 30 day exchange guarantee.

[Edited on 8/9/03 by eddie]

15.5 Volts across the poles of the battery is down to one thing and one thing only. Faulty alternator regulator.

A battery is designed to provide 12 volts ONLY. anything in excess is curtesy of the alternator which is designed to supply (approx) between 12 and 14 volts for recharging the battery. anything in excess of 14.5 volts and the alternator should at least be cheked but preferably replaced.

As for AA/RAC reported faults I wouldn't trust there figures with a barge pole.
Had one recovered to me with a "faulty alternator" all it wanted was the earth lead tightening.

Both of those services expect their recovery drivers to rectify fault in half the time so that they can be more profitable. If the instant fix is not apparent then they must get the vehicle recovered logging an "assumed fault" as the reason for recovery.

18 days off hell to go and counting down.

Enjoy.

And check the sides of the battery for signs of swelling. If the battery has got to hot then the sides will be bowed out instead of flat. If swollen then replace battery as well as alternator.

[Edited on 9/9/03 by jollygreengiant]

Sorry jollygreengiant but the battery is not designed to supply 12 volts only. Each cell is 2.2 volts. Check with Lucas if you don't believe me. 2.2 x 6 = 13.2 Volts.

I agree with the anything in excess of 14.5 volts and the regulator in the alternator should be checked.

Earth faults.... now that is a great problem. This is the single most common cause of electrical faults on cars. Rust gets between the joints and makes em bad. High resistance results.

Great to see on rear lights when all manner of unusual lighting can be seen like flashing brake lights and rear fog lights or whatever.

Spitting of the battery is because of the over charging which is done by the faulty alternator. Change the alternator first and then have the battery checked. It will probably be OK IMHO.

I know it was a long time ago since I served my apprenticeship but the memory hasn't faded that much.