polo died the other morning on me way to work..

got a new battery and changed the alternator

was driving it yesterday seemed fine was driving perfect

drove down the town this morning and she died again

waited 5 mins and it started again but wouldnt stay running

then wouldn start atal.. got a jump got about 500m then it died just toed it home

anyone able to shed some light on my problem..??

bbbummmp...!!!!

anyone...????

Bumping your post twice within an hour wont win you many friends here :) give people time to reply.

check for spark,could be the coil

As above, coil could be on it's way out?

Check the rest of the ignition components whilst your at it.

As above, coil could be on it's way out?

Check the rest of the ignition components whilst your at it.

thanks will check later and keep yous posted..!!

Not sure but could the head have gone? cutting out and being hard to start is sign but could be wrong

Not sure but could the head have gone? cutting out and being hard to start is sign but could be wrong

start with the simple stuff 1st!

id have a look at the dizzy, hall sender etc

You say that you have a new battery and that you 'changed' the alternator, is that a new alternator or S/H? If it is S/H, are you sure that it is a good one.

The way that I read your problem, you have run out of volts, not just run out of sparks!

I would tend to do the following:

Re-charge your battery;

Get the engine started;

Check the alternator output.

If that is a NEW alternator (they can be duff, of course), I would also check and replace if necessary, the cable which goes from the alternator main terminal to the starter motor, if you do need to replace this cable, it is very important to use a new cable with at least the same cross sectional area as the original, and of course, disconnect the battery negative terminal before working on the alternator.

Regards.

You say that you have a new battery and that you 'changed' the alternator, is that a new alternator or S/H? If it is S/H, are you sure that it is a good one.

The way that I read your problem, you have run out of volts, not just run out of sparks!

I would tend to do the following:

Re-charge your battery;

Get the engine started;

Check the alternator output.

If that is a NEW alternator (they can be duff, of course), I would also check and replace if necessary, the cable which goes from the alternator main terminal to the starter motor, if you do need to replace this cable, it is very important to use a new cable with at least the same cross sectional area as the original, and of course, disconnect the battery negative terminal before working on the alternator.

Regards.

before i replaced the alt. it was juttering and droping revs when idle droping so far it would cut out sometimes.. had the car running with this alt. in and the idle is perfect was driving perfect before it just died.. givin me an awful head ache now at this stage.... getting a s/h coil pack for it tomrrow... haven got the funds to buy a brand new one at the moment.. . all leads and plugs are fine.. what should be the output of the alt..??

An easy way to check if the alternator is working is to disconnect the battery whilst the engine is running.

If it cuts out the alternator isn't working but if it carries on running it shows that the alternator is providing enough current to run the engine, it doesn't show that it is charging the battery though.

STOP! Don't do it.

If you disconnect the battery with the engine running, you are quite likely to need yet another alternator, this is because the high voltage spike which will be generated will most likely kill your voltage regulator, (and might not do the ECU much good either)

Your easiest way to check that the alternator is charging is to connect a voltmeter across the battery terminals, you may find that that (if the battery is fully charged , you get anything up to 13 volts)

Start the engine and note the reading as you increase the revs (nothing drastic, the alternator is geared up ,so 1500 RPM on the clock is quite enough) voltmeter should now read over 14 volts , a little higher if the battery is on the flat side.

If you don't get an increase in voltage, check the continuity of the cable between battery +ve and the alternator main terminal before you condemn the alternator itself.

I can't emphasize enough how important it is NEVER to disconnect any major item withe the engine running.

Regards.

That's the way i've always done it and it's never damaged anything.

You've just been lucky!

was at it most of the day still no closer to finding out the problem.. changed the dizzy - coil pack - still the same will only stay running for about 5 minutes then cut out and not start again for about ten minutes...

A couple of things which you could try, first the temperature sensor (plenty of info on here about that) the other is a long-shot and shouldn't really matter, but just try it with the fuel cap taken off!

I think after that you need to find out if, when it won't start, you still have a spark and still have fuel there.

rite think I've narrowed it down my means of a volt tester to the alternator not chargin the battery when the car is running when tester is attached and car is running you can see the figure on the screen droppin and droppin till the car cuts out from lack of power from the battery

Edited 11 October, 201015 yr by polo-black_N_red

wel could it be the alternator thats the problem the fact the battery is just losing volts while the car is running.. or could it just be a drain.. have checked head unit / lights nothing seems to be on..

It does sound like the alternator is not giving enough (any?) output.

When the battery has been fully charged, left disconnected and allowed to stand for a day or so, it should be quite capable of starting the engine, if it won't, then it is the battery that is causing, at least some of the problem, but as you say that you can see the voltage actually going down, it does sound like the alternator, but before you spend your hard earned cash, re-read what I said about the alternator main (output) cable, also, when you turn on the ignition, does the ignition warning light come on? I ask this because without a supply to the alternator via the warning lamp bulb (that's what the thin cable to the alternator is for) it may not give an output. If the answer to this question is 'NO', you could check by connecting a test light bulb between that small alternator terminal and battery +ve. If that doesn't light, then the alternator is at fault (either brushes or voltage regulator, which are both replaceable). If it does light (and it's a big 'if'), then start the engine and see if there is any output.

Regards again and do keep us posted.

rite think I've narrowed it down my means of a volt tester to the alternator not chargin the battery when the car is running when tester is attached and car is running you can see the figure on the screen droppin and droppin till the car cuts out from lack of power from the battery

Have you checked the alternator fuse ontop of the battery?

There is a little black box ontop of the battery, open that and you should find a 110A fuse, if this is blown then thats your problem.

It does sound like the alternator is not giving enough (any?) output.

When the battery has been fully charged, left disconnected and allowed to stand for a day or so, it should be quite capable of starting the engine, if it won't, then it is the battery that is causing, at least some of the problem, but as you say that you can see the voltage actually going down, it does sound like the alternator, but before you spend your hard earned cash, re-read what I said about the alternator main (output) cable, also, when you turn on the ignition, does the ignition warning light come on? I ask this because without a supply to the alternator via the warning lamp bulb (that's what the thin cable to the alternator is for) it may not give an output. If the answer to this question is 'NO', you could check by connecting a test light bulb between that small alternator terminal and battery +ve. If that doesn't light, then the alternator is at fault (either brushes or voltage regulator, which are both replaceable). If it does light (and it's a big 'if'), then start the engine and see if there is any output.

Regards again and do keep us posted.

it is starting now no bother, charged the battery the other night so the battery is fine

.. but its still not getting charge whaen the engine is running ... yeah the alt. light comes on as normal and goes off when the engine is turned on..

rite think I've narrowed it down my means of a volt tester to the alternator not chargin the battery when the car is running when tester is attached and car is running you can see the figure on the screen droppin and droppin till the car cuts out from lack of power from the battery

Have you checked the alternator fuse ontop of the battery?

There is a little black box ontop of the battery, open that and you should find a 110A fuse, if this is blown then thats your problem.

yeah all the fuses seem fine...

rite think I've narrowed it down my means of a volt tester to the alternator not chargin the battery when the car is running when tester is attached and car is running you can see the figure on the screen droppin and droppin till the car cuts out from lack of power from the battery

Have you checked the alternator fuse ontop of the battery?

There is a little black box ontop of the battery, open that and you should find a 110A fuse, if this is blown then thats your problem.

yeah all the fuses seem fine...

Seem fine or are fine?

Did you find the exact one I'm on about? Its an exposed fuse and at first doesn't look like a fuse, just a piece of thin metal held in place by two nuts.

Thats all I can think of if everything seems fine but the battery is being drained and not charging when being run.

Anything else would cause the battery light to come on while running.

Edited 13 October, 201015 yr by kwijibo_coupe

Seem fine or are fine?

Did you find the exact one I'm on about? Its an exposed fuse and at first doesn't look like a fuse, just a piece of thin metal held in place by two nuts.

Thats all I can think of if everything seems fine but the battery is being drained and not charging when being run.

Anything else would cause the battery light to come on while running.

aaah i see i just checked the 4 fuses along the top box... any pics on here of that fuse..??