[Mk2] [Turbo] Seriously odd charging behaviour, the Mister 2 is now dead.... help please

[moscoworbust]

Hi,

I went away for 3 weeks and left the MR2 in the cold outside my work. i turn up and start it up fine, leave it running for 20mins to warm up and tootle off down the road, not spooling up to let the engine warm up even further. I then pop into tesci to get a full tank.

Then i try to start it and it won't, battery is dead or appears to be, wipers don't move very much, etc.

Call RAC, they take powere of the bettery to reset ECU then jump start me and no charge from alternator and the lights on the dash keep going on and off. They tow me home.

Now hom,e, i jump start it and it now reads 13.5v arfet 20min running. But the charging light and ct light are on then go off when i rev and the P.S. light goes on and off sporadically as if possessed. So i try and drive it, goes 20m with lights on and then wants to die again.

What is going on? battery seems fine, alternator was charging when it was ticking over on 13.5V. lights on dash are going on/off etc.

I'm Thinking poor earth lead connection? i'll try tomorrow. then i 'm lost, any suggestions? What could possibly have happened during my 3 weeks away? only cold and damp would be the cause.


Also when i start it without a jump it makings a dut dut dut dut, noise like the starter is not engaging. Is that just to do with not enough juice?


Tom.

[teccyjim]

Ive had a similar experience recently, only mine happened overnight! Changed alternator, all seems well!

Jimbo

[moscoworbust]

thats what i think i'll end up doing? But they are stil quite a lot of money. I'm just annoyed i can't work out what it is, all i did was leave it standing for 3 weeks. The only sensibel thkng is that deposits built up ion the metal bushed, like the white stuff that builds on the block if you leave a car for too long.

How could i work out it's the reg not the alt? whats a diode pack?

Thanks for the reply.

[nitric4k]

make sure your altinator plug isnt loose i had this and it turned out the plug catch had broke

it moves and pulls when u rev the engine if its loose it gives an intermitant fault

[moscoworbust]

I'll check that. I've got the alternator being tested on a bench as we type.

One odd thig was the round plug with the threee pins had white goo over it and in the plug base. Is this some sort of conductor paste? or something that shouldn't be there?

[screech205]

Sounds like a bit of grease on that plug, shouldn't hurt anything.

Check the wiring to the plug on the alternator mate, sounds exactly like what my old car did!

Turned out to be a corroded wire in the circuit between the fusebox and the alternator. Test the voltage on each pin of the plug, they should all be 12v+.

If any one of them isn't then the alternator will not put out a charge. It could be that one of the wires is hanging on by a thread and when it has some more current put through it, the wire cant handle it and the alternator doesn't see 12v through that wire.

HTH

Steve