540i not charging?

"Scott Dorsey" <kludge.RemoveThis@panix.com> wrote in message
news:g65clg$d1d$1@panix2.panix.com...
> Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.RemoveThis@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>
>>I've just bought a 540i touring which has bought a huge smile to my face
>>...
>>
>>Except the battery light is now on and it aint charging ...
>
> Okay.
>
>>I have tried a new battery to no avail ...
>
> Why would you do that?
>
coz a knackered battery can make the red light come on?

>>Any ideas where next ?
>
> Measure the voltage across the alternator when the thing is running. If
> you have a nice high voltage on the alternator but the battery voltage is
> low, start looking for fusible link and cable issues. If you don't have
> a nice high voltage on the alternator, replace the alternator. The
> regulator
> is built into the alternator so the two go as a unit.

will check tomorrow - thanks

>
> How many miles is on the alternator, and what year is the car?

it's a '98 R reg with 80k miles - is this good or bad?

> --scott
>
> --
> "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.TakeThisOut@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>"Scott Dorsey" <kludge.TakeThisOut@panix.com> wrote in message
>news:g65clg$d1d$1@panix2.panix.com...
>> Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.TakeThisOut@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>I've just bought a 540i touring which has bought a huge smile to my face
>>>...
>>>
>>>Except the battery light is now on and it aint charging ...
>>
>> Okay.
>>
>>>I have tried a new battery to no avail ...
>>
>> Why would you do that?
>>
>coz a knackered battery can make the red light come on?

Maybe, but I'd sure want to do a load test before dropping the money on
a new battery. And I'd want to look at both running and idle voltages
across the battery.

That red light comes on when the voltage across the battery buss drops
below a preset level. It can come on because the battery is very badly
failed and is pulling down the line. It can come on because the alternator
is bad or the cabling to the alternator is bad. Or, it can come on because
the electronics in the instrument cluster are bad and give a spurious
indication.

Without knowing voltages, you know nothing about what is actually going on.

>> How many miles is on the alternator, and what year is the car?
>
>it's a '98 R reg with 80k miles - is this good or bad?

That's fairly new for an alternator failure, I would think. But it could
happen.
--scott

--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

In article <dlHhk.31728$E41.28296@text.news.virginmedia.com>,
Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.RemoveThis@ntlworld.com> wrote:
> BMW £365+, Bosch £180? , Hella £185, GS&F £135 - we're going for Hella
> as best compromise of cost, quality, hassle etc

Given that BMW don't make alternators that's a big price to pay for the
box BMW put the Hella one in...

--
*If a parsley farmer is sued, can they garnish his wages?

Dave Plowman dave.RemoveThis@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

In article <dlHhk.31728$E41.28296@text.news.virginmedia.com>,
Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle RemoveThis @ntlworld.com> wrote:
> That's fairly new for an alternator failure, I would think. But it
> could
> > happen.

> it has ... the windings look (and smell!) burnt out ... makes me wonder
> why though?

One possibility is the cooling vents being blocked with leaves, etc. If
it's a water cooled one, perhaps not.

--
*Re-elect nobody

Dave Plowman dave RemoveThis @davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

"Dave Plowman (News)" <dave.RemoveThis@davenoise.co.uk> wrote in message
news:4fc372442bdave@davenoise.co.uk...
> In article <dlHhk.31728$E41.28296@text.news.virginmedia.com>,
> Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.RemoveThis@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>> BMW £365+, Bosch £180? , Hella £185, GS&F £135 - we're going for Hella
>> as best compromise of cost, quality, hassle etc
>
> Given that BMW don't make alternators that's a big price to pay for the
> box BMW put the Hella one in...

I had a Volvo 480T many years ago for which I once bought a Volvo cam belt
.... the belt was in a Britax bag, in a Renault bag in a Volvo bag! ... I
swear each bag cost me £10 ...
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

Dr Dolittle <d.dolittle.TakeThisOut@ntlworld.com> wrote:
>>
>> That's fairly new for an alternator failure, I would think. But it could
>> happen.
>
>it has ... the windings look (and smell!) burnt out ... makes me wonder why
>though?

Take 'em apart and see.

The thing is, if two adjacent windings touch, it will act like a second
shorted winding across the whole thing... and that shorted winding will
get really hot really fast. So if the varnish gets damaged just a little
in winding, or if something rubs against the inside or outside of the
field coil, everything can go to hell very quickly.

It's also possible for regulators to go berserk in ways that overheat
the field coil without damaging the armature windings. If that is the
case you'll probably see signs of overheating on the regulator board.

>BMW £365+, Bosch £180? , Hella £185, GS&F £135 - we're going for Hella as
>best compromise of cost, quality, hassle etc

The BMW one is either made by Bosch or Hella, right?

I don't mind rebuilds either, if they are actually good rebuilds done by
a local rebuilder who you can deal with, rather than by a chain store.
If a rebuild fails, everyone will give you a replacement... but you are
still out all the time you spent changing it. I have seen some pretty
horrifying things in chain store rebuilds too... they'll fix what is
immediately wrong but leave old bearings in, etc.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging? 

In article <g6a1pe$vo$1@panix2.panix.com>,
Scott Dorsey <kludge.TakeThisOut@panix.com> wrote:
> I don't mind rebuilds either, if they are actually good rebuilds done by
> a local rebuilder who you can deal with, rather than by a chain store.
> If a rebuild fails, everyone will give you a replacement... but you are
> still out all the time you spent changing it. I have seen some pretty
> horrifying things in chain store rebuilds too... they'll fix what is
> immediately wrong but leave old bearings in, etc.

Indeed. In the UK some are just cleaned up secondhand ones from breaker's
yards.

--
*Organized Crime Is Alive And Well; It's Called Auto Insurance. *

Dave Plowman dave.TakeThisOut@davenoise.co.uk London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.
 >> Stay informed about: 540i not charging?