VN problems

[MrNutter]

Hi everyone. I've just rescued the missus from the side of the road. She told me initially that the VN's immobiliser stopped working but it turned out to be a flat battery, a jump start got it going again no problem. As I drove it home though the charge light wouldn't go out & the headlights were visibly dimmer than usual. By the time I was pretty close to home it had started idling very quickly, probably about 1500rpm. Once I pulled into the driveway & put it in park, it just died again & wouldn't restart. It tries to turnover once then just starts clicking (starter solenoid I think) while the door locks start cycling lock/unlock.

As far as I know the alternator is working properly (I'll check to make sure in morn) but the battery light has always come on & off from time to time while driving. The battery is an Exide (480cca I think) & is only 12mnths old. There's no big power drawing electronics, just a standard CD player (no amps etc) & the factory fitted equipment.

Given that I'm a points & plugs man & that I don't know jack about EFI, does anyone have any clues as to what my problem/s might be from the info I've given?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[somefool]

Voltage regulator (and bushes) on your alternator is most probably expired.
I had the same problem, battery was fine, alt wasnt charging. $40-$60 for a new regulator and 5-10 minutes fitting it

[Krisp]

there is a wire that goes into the positive battery terminal. its a small wire in the colour brown i think. check that it could be damaged or loose. the alternator wont charge the battery without a good connection there

[somefool]

oh and to confirm that it is your issue (it may not be) test the voltage across the terminals when the car is running. should be around 14.7v
12 is too low, 15.5+ is too high.
Check your wiring, clamps, earths make sure they are tight, ect.

[Krisp]

and mrnutter if you cant dianosed i see your in perth where abouts?

[MrNutter]

Thanks for the replies.

I checked all the wiring I could by the torchlight & everything seemed tight with no breaks anywhere but I'll have to wait until tommorow to check it out properly. I've got to duck out tommorow to get a multimeter so I can check the alternator etc. The fast idle is the bit I'm really confused about. I figured that might point to an ECU problem but as I said I'm crap with EFI so I could be way off the mark with my understanding of how it works. It was running normal after I jumped it & most of the way home (bout 10km). It was only 500m or so from home that the idle really jumped up.
Krisp I'm in Dianella.

[Krisp]

not too far from my work, i work in malaga if you need parts to test against let me know, i have alterators coil packs sensors and ecu spares

[MrNutter]

Thanks Krisp. Very kind of you to offer. I'll see how tommorows tests pan out & let you know how I get on.

[mr calais 5.0]

How did you go did you fix the prob?

[MrNutter]

Not yet Mr Calais 5.0. Just waiting on a mate to bring over his multimeter after he knocks off so I can check it out. It's my only car at the moment & it's easier to wait for the mate rather than hike up to Supercheap to buy one.

Funnily enough I tried turning it over this morning & it came to life even though I havn't hooked the battery up to a charger as yet. I did notice that I can actually hear the alternator though, which isn't normal. It's making a rumbling/grinding sound kind of like a buggered wheel bearing so I'm thinking it is probably knackered. The good news is that I can get an alternator from my local Holden wrecker for $60 with a 3month warranty so if the alternator is gone I can get it back on the road cheap until I can afford to drop the money on a new one. It was still idling a bit quick though, probably about 1000rpm. Not sure if that's the ECU uping the revs to try & charge the battery or what but if it doesn't settle down after I get the alternator/regulator fixed I'llk try reseting the ECU & see if that does the trick.

[MrNutter]

Well I managed to get it all sorted out. Turns out the whole alternator was stuffed. Once I pulled it out & spun it by hand I realised just how much noise it was making. Very bad. One of the spring loaded feet in the regulator was almost worn completly away as well & wasn't making full contact. The $60 alternator has fixed it up though & I enjoyed a nice long drive yesterday with no problems.

Thanks to everyone that offered advice & assistance.