BG SP charging problems

hitokiwi · 31-01-2010, 05:31 PM

Well, my BG seems to be eating brand new batteries. Before i went overseas a little over a month ago, i put in a brand new battery because the old one had gone flat. I noticed today that the new ones gone flat. It's not really completely flat but it definately doesn't have enough charge for the engine to turn over.

When i put the new battery in, i replaced the terminals with new ones and cleaned the wires and all with battery cleaner. I was able to start the car and the battery was reading a little above 12 volts. This is a 2 volt difference from my BA, which i'm sure isn't normal. The alternator belt seems to be fairly tight but not tight enough that i'm worried.

I'm wondering where i should go next? Could it be the alternator or regulator? I haven't noticed the dash/head lights dimming or anything while the cars running or whatever. I'm thinking about disconnecting my stereo as well from the battery but i dont think it's that. I can't think it's the stereo, it's grounded properly to a point on the chassis that was sanded back to bare metal before i bolted the wires down.

Any suggestions?

hitokiwi · 31-01-2010, 05:33 PM

actually i wouldn't be suprised if my alarm is causing some problems. the alarm goes off whenever you disconnect the battery.... or it goes flat.

Mad Mat · 31-01-2010, 05:49 PM

ur regulator is gone mate. happened to me a couple of weeks ago.

rodhog · 31-01-2010, 09:30 PM

alternator should be charging at 13.8-14.4 volts and under load never go below 12.5 volts for a car of that era with a mitsi unit.

time for new one.

you might see 12 volts but if you hook and ampare meter up you would find it's a trickle. The mitsi units of that era do a weird thing like that. some times the charge when cold but soon as they heat up they die. Or they even if your unlucky overcharge.

hitokiwi · 01-02-2010, 12:15 AM

yeah according to my multimeter it's sitting at 12 and a half at idle. I dont even want to know what it drops down to under load.

Just looking at that alternator makes me shudder. Looks like theres alot of stuff i need to remove first in order to get access to it right?

Mad Mat · 01-02-2010, 12:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hitokiwi

yeah according to my multimeter it's sitting at 12 and a half at idle. I dont even want to know what it drops down to under load.

Just looking at that alternator makes me shudder. Looks like theres alot of stuff i need to remove first in order to get access to it right?

from memory. u can get to it under the car as its located on the back part of the engine or front. hmmm can't remember but i do remember that u can access it from under the car.

hitokiwi · 01-02-2010, 12:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mad Mat

from memory. u can get to it under the car as its located on the back part of the engine or front. hmmm can't remember but i do remember that u can access it from under the car.

thats gonna make things easier. I already have to put the car up on stands anyway to do the brakes. Might as well kill two birds with one shotgun.

mussing · 01-02-2010, 03:15 PM

Sounds like your alternator is gone man. I had the same problem and ended up changing my alternator twice by myself, as the first time the replacement unit was also faulty.

Removing the alternator is a bit tricky- the way I did it was with the car on the ground, so I had to disconnect it, lower it down onto the driveshafts and exhaust below, and fish it out from the other side. If it's on stands you might be able to get it out from the right wheel well once you remove the plastic piece there, not sure. But anyways here's how to do it the way I did (instructions followed largely from the Haynes manual).

Before doing anything make sure you have an identical alternator to replace it with, and if possible get one with the pulley fitted. While you're at it you may as well replace the alternator belt too, since it's convenient.

1. Disconnect the cable from the negative terminal of the battery, remove the battery.

2. Remove the charcoal canister and fuel filter on the right side of the engine. Before you remove the fuel filter you'll need to relieve the pressure in the fuel system. To do this, first remove the fuel filler cap. Second, remove the rear seat cushion. Third, disconnect the fuel pump electrical connector (a white connector about 2cm x 1cm in size under the seat). Fourth, start the engine and wait for it to stall, then turn the ignition to off. When that happens, the fuel system is depressurised. Back in the engine bay, put a rag around the fuel line to prevent spillage, then clamp the line as you disconnect the fuel pump. Reconnect the fuel pump electrical connector and refit the rear seat cushion.

3. Detach the electrical connector from the alternator. From memory I think it was a size 8 nut holding on the top terminal. On the lower one, the big plastic plug might be a bit hard but will give when you yank it hard enough.

4. Loosen the alternator adjustment, pivot and lock bolts and take off the drivebelt. From memory the lock pivot and adjustment bolts were size 12 and the lock bolt was maybe 15?

5. Remove the adjustment and lock bolts from the alternator adjustment bracket.

7. Lower the alternator and bracket down onto the driveshafts / exhaust below, then reach in from the space where the charcoal canister and fuel filter were and pull it out that side. It's tricky and will require some maneuvering but it will come out.

Replacing the alternator is pretty much the opposite of refitting, however what the manual doesn't tell you is that lining up the new alternator on the bottom lock bolt is an absolute nightmare

. Because the new one's mounting rack was maybe .5mm wider than the previous one, when I did it simply refused to be mounted on the top and bottom at the same time. The way I ended up doing it was to mount it at the top with the adjusting bolt, then get it roughly in place, and I used a tool that my dad quickly made up to get it over the holes - just a piece of rod tapered at one end to slide in where the bolt would go - and using that we finally managed to line it up and replaced it with the lower bolt. After that it's simply a matter of connecting the terminals and putting the new alternator belt on and tightening it (the belt deflection for a new belt is 8-9mm perpendicular to the direction of the belt, once it's run in for more than five minutes it's 6-7.5mm), as well as replacing the battery, charcoal canister and fuel filter.

Viola, replaced alternator

.

The first time it took me practically a whole afternoon as I was working blind from instructions, but the second time it took only about an hour.

31-01-2010, 05:31 PM	#1
hitokiwi Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sydney Car: 93 323 Astina BG Posts: 117	BG SP charging problems Well, my BG seems to be eating brand new batteries. Before i went overseas a little over a month ago, i put in a brand new battery because the old one had gone flat. I noticed today that the new ones gone flat. It's not really completely flat but it definately doesn't have enough charge for the engine to turn over. When i put the new battery in, i replaced the terminals with new ones and cleaned the wires and all with battery cleaner. I was able to start the car and the battery was reading a little above 12 volts. This is a 2 volt difference from my BA, which i'm sure isn't normal. The alternator belt seems to be fairly tight but not tight enough that i'm worried. I'm wondering where i should go next? Could it be the alternator or regulator? I haven't noticed the dash/head lights dimming or anything while the cars running or whatever. I'm thinking about disconnecting my stereo as well from the battery but i dont think it's that. I can't think it's the stereo, it's grounded properly to a point on the chassis that was sanded back to bare metal before i bolted the wires down. Any suggestions? __________________ My Ride: http://www.astinagt.com/forums/vbpic...?do=view&g=453

31-01-2010, 05:33 PM	#2
hitokiwi Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sydney Car: 93 323 Astina BG Posts: 117	actually i wouldn't be suprised if my alarm is causing some problems. the alarm goes off whenever you disconnect the battery.... or it goes flat. __________________ My Ride: http://www.astinagt.com/forums/vbpic...?do=view&g=453

31-01-2010, 05:49 PM	#3
Mad Mat HONEYWELL REPRESENT Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Salisbury - Inner City Car: 1997 BA Hardtop - Had a 2003 BJii J48 Sport20, and 2x bg SOHC astina hatches Posts: 5,011 View Photos By: Mad Mat	ur regulator is gone mate. happened to me a couple of weeks ago. __________________ PROJECT "Catalina" 1994 323 BG Hatch 2005-2007 Crashed into truck 1991 323 BG Hatch 2007-2008/9 SOLD 2003 BJ SP20 J48 Hatch 2008-2011 Regretfully SOLD 1997 BA I4 Sedan 2012-CURRENT 1985 BF 323 Hatch 2014-2015SOLD 1989 MX5 2015-2015

01-02-2010, 12:15 AM	#5
hitokiwi Junior Member Join Date: May 2007 Location: Sydney Car: 93 323 Astina BG Posts: 117	yeah according to my multimeter it's sitting at 12 and a half at idle. I dont even want to know what it drops down to under load. Just looking at that alternator makes me shudder. Looks like theres alot of stuff i need to remove first in order to get access to it right? __________________ My Ride: http://www.astinagt.com/forums/vbpic...?do=view&g=453

31-01-2010, 09:30 PM	#4
rodhog Senior Member Join Date: May 2005 Location: Sydney Lakemba Car: mx-6 626 Gs300 Maz2 was 95 KF BA-HT Posts: 2,024 View Photos By: rodhog	alternator should be charging at 13.8-14.4 volts and under load never go below 12.5 volts for a car of that era with a mitsi unit. time for new one. you might see 12 volts but if you hook and ampare meter up you would find it's a trickle. The mitsi units of that era do a weird thing like that. some times the charge when cold but soon as they heat up they die. Or they even if your unlucky overcharge.

01-02-2010, 03:15 PM	#8
mussing Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sydney Car: 1990 323 Astina BG SP Posts: 1,071 View Photos By: mussing	Sounds like your alternator is gone man. I had the same problem and ended up changing my alternator twice by myself, as the first time the replacement unit was also faulty. Removing the alternator is a bit tricky- the way I did it was with the car on the ground, so I had to disconnect it, lower it down onto the driveshafts and exhaust below, and fish it out from the other side. If it's on stands you might be able to get it out from the right wheel well once you remove the plastic piece there, not sure. But anyways here's how to do it the way I did (instructions followed largely from the Haynes manual). Before doing anything make sure you have an identical alternator to replace it with, and if possible get one with the pulley fitted. While you're at it you may as well replace the alternator belt too, since it's convenient. 1. Disconnect the cable from the negative terminal of the battery, remove the battery. 2. Remove the charcoal canister and fuel filter on the right side of the engine. Before you remove the fuel filter you'll need to relieve the pressure in the fuel system. To do this, first remove the fuel filler cap. Second, remove the rear seat cushion. Third, disconnect the fuel pump electrical connector (a white connector about 2cm x 1cm in size under the seat). Fourth, start the engine and wait for it to stall, then turn the ignition to off. When that happens, the fuel system is depressurised. Back in the engine bay, put a rag around the fuel line to prevent spillage, then clamp the line as you disconnect the fuel pump. Reconnect the fuel pump electrical connector and refit the rear seat cushion. 3. Detach the electrical connector from the alternator. From memory I think it was a size 8 nut holding on the top terminal. On the lower one, the big plastic plug might be a bit hard but will give when you yank it hard enough. 4. Loosen the alternator adjustment, pivot and lock bolts and take off the drivebelt. From memory the lock pivot and adjustment bolts were size 12 and the lock bolt was maybe 15? 5. Remove the adjustment and lock bolts from the alternator adjustment bracket. 7. Lower the alternator and bracket down onto the driveshafts / exhaust below, then reach in from the space where the charcoal canister and fuel filter were and pull it out that side. It's tricky and will require some maneuvering but it will come out. Replacing the alternator is pretty much the opposite of refitting, however what the manual doesn't tell you is that lining up the new alternator on the bottom lock bolt is an absolute nightmare . Because the new one's mounting rack was maybe .5mm wider than the previous one, when I did it simply refused to be mounted on the top and bottom at the same time. The way I ended up doing it was to mount it at the top with the adjusting bolt, then get it roughly in place, and I used a tool that my dad quickly made up to get it over the holes - just a piece of rod tapered at one end to slide in where the bolt would go - and using that we finally managed to line it up and replaced it with the lower bolt. After that it's simply a matter of connecting the terminals and putting the new alternator belt on and tightening it (the belt deflection for a new belt is 8-9mm perpendicular to the direction of the belt, once it's run in for more than five minutes it's 6-7.5mm), as well as replacing the battery, charcoal canister and fuel filter. Viola, replaced alternator . The first time it took me practically a whole afternoon as I was working blind from instructions, but the second time it took only about an hour.