VS v6 owners check this out

[Patrio7]

ok after not checking mine i went to go to a lan last night but my car wouldnt start, so i went out and got some jumpers, started her up and made my way to mates place [ about 4km ] and she dies at a set of lights, left it on the side of the road for the night, come back and loand behold the alternater wire came off of its terminal, corroded to **** and the insulation was shot [ brittle ] My car has done 230,000, S1 vs'96 so i got bulma back home with some amplifyer power cable but i checked it before killing the engine and the battery end wasnt unusually warm but the alternater end was pretty warm. [ total of about 5mins on the road @ 60km/h, 30º day, aircon off stereo off.

the wire was a bit thinner than the one that buggered up so im thinking i need to get some proper replacement gauge wire and re-crip both ends making a new cable, my question is what would i be looking at for a new length of whire and where would be the best place to get some decent stuff, i wouldnt mind forking out to make sure it wont happen again in a hurry.

sorry to grave dig a thread but didnt want to make a new one linking to this when i may as well of just posted here.

any help or information would be muchly appreciated, thankyou.

 

[sixshooter]

ok after not checking mine i went to go to a lan last night but my car wouldnt start, so i went out and got some jumpers, started her up and made my way to mates place [ about 4km ] and she dies at a set of lights, left it on the side of the road for the night, come back and loand behold the alternater wire came off of its terminal, corroded to **** and the insulation was shot [ brittle ] My car has done 230,000, S1 vs'96 so i got bulma back home with some amplifyer power cable but i checked it before killing the engine and the battery end wasnt unusually warm but the alternater end was pretty warm. [ total of about 5mins on the road @ 60km/h, 30º day, aircon off stereo off.

the wire was a bit thinner than the one that buggered up so im thinking i need to get some proper replacement gauge wire and re-crip both ends making a new cable, my question is what would i be looking at for a new length of whire and where would be the best place to get some decent stuff, i wouldnt mind forking out to make sure it wont happen again in a hurry.

sorry to grave dig a thread but didnt want to make a new one linking to this when i may as well of just posted here.

any help or information would be muchly appreciated, thankyou.

An Auto Electrician will be able to assist you with the wire + crimps you need.

btw thx for bumping this thread up. I remember reading it before I got my car and this is something I haven't checked over yet.

Cheers,

 

[anarky]

Anyone got an exhaust pipe? Another fault perhaps is the baffler breaking down. Rattles heaps now, and I have a big split behind the muffler.

>anarky

 

[sixshooter]

BLOODY HELL !!! mine show signs of burn back on the wire aswell @ 125,000 km

It must be a design fault that the wire is not of suitable guage or is too long to handle the amperage the alternater discharges...causing heat build up in the wire and causing and the connection to loosen over time.

Mine has burnt back about 5cm and the plastic wire tidy stuff covering the wires has melted fusing to the wire coating...the connection isn't loose however.

Hmmm...I dont know if I'll be a tight arse now and cut the wire back and buy another lug or go to the sparkies for some heavier guage wire...:unsure:

Anyhow this thread ought to be made sticky as this looks like a common thing occuring that could be deadly if combined with a fuel leak from the injector lines.

Thanks for the headsup markovr !!! :thumbsup:

 

[markovr]

Mine has burnt back about 5cm and the plastic wire tidy stuff covering the wires has melted fusing to the wire coating...the connection isn't loose however.

Hmmm...I dont know if I'll be a tight arse now and cut the wire back and buy another lug or go to the sparkies for some heavier guage wire...:unsure:

Anyhow this thread ought to be made sticky as this looks like a common thing occuring that could be deadly if combined with a fuel leak from the injector lines.

Thanks for the headsup markovr !!! :thumbsup:

Probably the inconvience of when it goes is the drama.The battery doesnt get charged as the wire strands eventually break one by one with the heating and cooling of the wire over time by the loose crimp on the lug at the back of the alternator. The insulation being heated too causes it to go brittle and fall of.It is sometimes hard to see all this when the top engine cover is on .I just got a wire of same or bigger gauge and cut the old wire back to where the insulation was normal and bared back and barrell lugged to it and reinsulated.I think the connection ended up being inside the conduit.

 

[anarky]

Is that why my battery always dies every few months? :|

>anarky

 

[Patrio7]

well you could check the wire to make sure it isnt a dodgy connection but the car can drain the battery in about 5minutes so basicly you'll be driving and the headlights will be dim as all hell and then it just stop when the revs get low [ in my case i was braking for a yellow light ]

that for check your alternater regulater, the battery fluidlevels the charging wire, the terminals and the posts etc etc, theres a few places where it can give up really.

 

[anarky]

The apparant problem is starting it. A new battery will crank over the engine very fast, and it fires quick. An older battery (1mth+) will not. I know the battery is fine. Perhaps the starter solenoid is worn? Perhaps if it is, it can be draining more power when it gets hot.

>anarky

 

[neatrx3]

Ive had exactly the same thing twice on my vs statesman s2 v6!!! Initially the alternator light flickered unitl the next day the charging cable broke off. I only discovered it by accident while taking the engine cover off. As i work in an electrical industry, i used double 16mm2 insulated flex cable similar to arc welding type to renew the entire cable back to the battery (nb: automotive cable sizes are different to industrial electrical). The double insulation can withstand greater temperatures than standard automotive type....so far so good!

 

[anarky]

I should give this a go. What sort of economy do you get? I just want to get some idea of how well or unwell my engine is running. All please reply.

>anarky