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Old 24th August 2009, 09:45   #1
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Battery Not charging light on - Alternator giving 14+ !! What is it ?

Hi Guys ,

My Palio S10 battery conked off last month , I put in a new Tata Green.
Now the issue is few days back the battery died, the Tata Green guys recharged it and installed.
They checked the alternator was charging 14+ while idle, even with A/C head light on ( Full load) it was giving 13.9 odd.

I searced around the car for any current leakages (visualy if i had any split wires) I found out that the cabin light came up even if the doors were shut well. Then i checked the tail gate and the auto swith ( press kind of , the same way the home refrigerator door light works, it had rusted and fallen off so the cabin light was on all time, I cut off the switch and sealed it with electrical tape.

Now after that i drove about 20+ Kms this morning, the battery not charging light stays on, though it goes out for few seconds ,but it again comes up !

I have not taken it to A>S>S but what could it be ??

Between when the battery was reinstalled , the crank was crisp, but as soon as the engine came to life the RPM needle dipped to zero and the engine shut off.
I tried few times but the result was same, then I tried to crank with my foot on gas paddle i could hold the engine alive but I had to keep the RPM at 3k.
After 2 mins i stutt off and again restarted it started ok , but the car vibrated for 30 secs and then it was normal.

Could these issues be realated ??
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Old 24th August 2009, 11:00   #2
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AFAIK, 13.9/14V is normal for a Car. But anything above 15V should be throughly verified as it may ruin your electricals
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Old 24th August 2009, 11:05   #3
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Check the alternator regulator, seems like its acting up.
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Old 24th August 2009, 11:10   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sushrutha View Post
AFAIK, 13.9/14V is normal for a Car. But anything above 15V should be throughly verified as it may ruin your electricals
I could nt get your post .. but my car is giving 14 v full load , its was about 14.3 .. but no where near 15 .
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Old 24th August 2009, 11:52   #5
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Just called up Fiat *** reply " Sir Alternator gone change it " !

What the hell even before they have seen the car.. doesnt make sense spending 10 % of the car value ! ( Bunch of Jokers )

Guys my guess is it could be the alternator regulator( As suggested by Jaggu), Belt or even a worn out brush.

If it were the belt , i dont hear any kind of sound.
If any of the above three suspects are gone would the battery terminal reading on full load be 13.9 V odd ??

Could it be a earting issue with the warning light on the dash ??

How to verify at home ?? Any tell tell symptoms of these 3-4 culprits ??

@ Jaggu please throw some light sir .

Last edited by karizma_devil : 24th August 2009 at 11:54.
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Old 24th August 2009, 12:01   #6
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Sounds more like a regulator issue, unless you have a blown fuse preventing the juice from reaching the battery. may be your previous battery failure was actually due to the fault!
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Old 24th August 2009, 12:23   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sgiitk View Post
Sounds more like a regulator issue, unless you have a blown fuse preventing the juice from reaching the battery. may be your previous battery failure was actually due to the fault!

Sir which fuse are you refering to ?

No the earlier Exide battery was 3 + years old ..and one of the cells had 9 odd specific gravity.. from which I could conclude that the batterys gone !
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Old 24th August 2009, 12:36   #8
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Some (very few) cars have a fuse between the alternator and battery.

One would have suspected a bad ground - but then you will not be able to crank. Obviously the juice is not going from the alternator to the battery. At one time 14.4 to 15.4 was the nominal output required from the alternator. Now this number is more like 13.8+ as modern batteries are not happy with a higher charge.
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Old 24th August 2009, 12:41   #9
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The regulator assembly will be sitting inside the alternator, and A.S.S would love to replace the whole alternator. Talk to them and understand which part of alternator is damaged, then see if they can repair. OR try to see if you can get it repaired from a competent electrician from outside and A.S.S can install.
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Old 24th August 2009, 14:08   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaggu View Post
The regulator assembly will be sitting inside the alternator, and A.S.S would love to replace the whole alternator. Talk to them and understand which part of alternator is damaged, then see if they can repair. OR try to see if you can get it repaired from a competent electrician from outside and A.S.S can install.

Am bit reluctant to send the car to Balaji Thane TFASS.. they have very casual attitude , they dont have a "repair " in their dictonary ! Replace what ever be it !

Would Forune Fiat Powai be a good bet ???

Any one experienced ?
TVC Lucas make alternators were in later Palio Stiles .. can anyone confirm .. I guess 90 Amps TVS Lucas would be way cheeper than a imported Spanish make ( dnt remb the make on my car).

Can any one help me out with a competent electrical guy in Mumbai ?
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Old 24th August 2009, 14:20   #11
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I had a similar problem with a Palio 1.2, where the light on the dash was coming ON sometimes and the alternator output was normal. The problem was attributed to the regulator. Replacing the regulator sorted the issue.
The TATA service guys told me at that time that if you continue running the car, the battery would become so weak that the engine would stall/stop, as various components required to keep the engine running draws power from the battery.

Probably, you car stalling is due to a very weak battery.
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Old 24th August 2009, 14:56   #12
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wouldn't it be better if you buy a new alternator and be tension free? or else talk to the Lucas guys and see if they can work on the alternator.

i read somewhere on the forum that alternator repair costs around 6k and a new one costs 10K (lemme check if i can find the thread).

Edit: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ternator+palio

Last edited by planet_rocker : 24th August 2009 at 14:57.
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Old 24th August 2009, 15:17   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by planet_rocker View Post
wouldn't it be better if you buy a new alternator and be tension free? or else talk to the Lucas guys and see if they can work on the alternator.

i read somewhere on the forum that alternator repair costs around 6k and a new one costs 10K (lemme check if i can find the thread).

Edit: http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/techni...ternator+palio
I cheecked out with Fiat A.s.s new Alternator + Labour would be about 13.4-14 K !!!!!!!!

Thats 11-12 % of the cost of my car !

Lets me take it to a Lucas shop and check..
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Old 24th August 2009, 15:27   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sushrutha View Post
AFAIK, 13.9/14V is normal for a Car. But anything above 15V should be throughly verified as it may ruin your electricals
Quote:
Originally Posted by karizma_devil View Post
I could nt get your post .. but my car is giving 14 v full load , its was about 14.3 .. but no where near 15 .
Explained below by sgiitk

Quote:
Originally Posted by sgiitk View Post
At one time 14.4 to 15.4 was the nominal output required from the alternator. Now this number is more like 13.8+ as modern batteries are not happy with a higher charge.
I said don't worry if your car is producing 14V, 13.8 -14.2V is normal for a modern car, One should be worried if the current is produced in excess of 15V.
hope the point is clear
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Old 24th August 2009, 15:56   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by sushrutha View Post
Explained below by sgiitk



I said don't worry if your car is producing 14V, 13.8 -14.2V is normal for a modern car, One should be worried if the current is produced in excess of 15V.
hope the point is clear
Sir am confused then why is the battery not charging light on ... wonder if Bearing/ regulator gone bust ..it would show up 13.9 v at battery terminal on ful load.

I dont trust Fiat A.s.s.. they are hell bent on sticking a new alternator.
I have to do a lot of research and DIY
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