Hello all,
merry christmas and happy new year to you all.
when driving home the following lights were on;
1) low brake fluid level warning
2) disscharge warning light
3)lowoil pressure light
then all of a sudden the power cut for a second then came back on but my ABS light came on and the car started to chug.
managed to get home.
I have searched the threads but little joy.
if it has already been aswered then please point me in the right direction.

I reset the ECU before I started my journey but no joy.

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

check your alternator output, could be low voltage causing all the probs....fairly common on older mr2's.

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Pete
ST185
Basingstoke

thanks will check it on the moro. i have the manual here so i will run through the charging sustem checks.

I never really do long journeys so maybe the battery hasnt been replenished and couldve goosed the alternator?

thanks though peter

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

As above. I also had my windscreen wipers woudl not turn off when getting odd output from teh alternator - dash lights flashing & rev counting bouncing all over - It was like the car had been taken over by gremlins!

_________________
JP
GT4DC Treasurer

Grey St185 RC
Silver BMW E46 M3
Multicolour yawn Honda VFR400
Silver Honda Civic Type-R

Another vote for battery/alternator problem - I have also fallen foul of weird stuff happening with the electrics due to a flattened battery

_________________
Kris
95 ST205 - slept for 10 years, now waking up...
Avensis
http://www.gtfours.co.uk
_______________________________________
Turbocharging - the replacement for displacement

another battery or alternator vote although it is possible a main earth has gone astray

You should be able to get a charging and battery test at Hellfrauds I think if the car will get there.

maybe charge it up for a couple of hours and see if it behaves

would it be aproblem to drive with ?

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

what do you mean?

will it be ok to drive as is?

or

will it drive badly due to this fault?

_________________
Pete
ST185
Basingstoke

will it be ok to drive with to the garage. i am going to try get a jumpstart to get the battery changed

also i know it does chug but why is this is it because the battery isnt sending enough power to the electrics, because i though the alternator would have provided the power.unless it aint working . boo hoo

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

Do you have a multimeter?

If you have measure the battery voltage, then start the car and re-measure the voltage - this might help in diagnosing the problem.

_________________
Kris
95 ST205 - slept for 10 years, now waking up...
Avensis
http://www.gtfours.co.uk
_______________________________________
Turbocharging - the replacement for displacement

I don't know how technically minded you are but I generally test the system by the following procedure.

1) test battery voltage with ignition off - 12.6-13.5V is OK ish

2) Start car and leave to idle - a battery voltage of 13.2-13.8V is good. ish again!

3) Manually rev the car to 3000rpm - a battery voltage should rise buit not further than 13.8-14V. If it is under your alternator has probably packed up and is not outputting a charge. Over 13.8-14V and your voltage regulator on teh alternator has packed up - this can be rebuilt and cost me £35 from a local electrical motor specialist.

If teh volatges all look fine you will proabably find your battery is dead and will not hold the charge. If your voltage regulator is dead is quite often kills the battery too as you are trying to overcharge it from teh alternator.

The above is more of a home based derived method. I am sure someone will be able to correct my errors!

_________________
JP
GT4DC Treasurer

Grey St185 RC
Silver BMW E46 M3
Multicolour yawn Honda VFR400
Silver Honda Civic Type-R

Looks pretty close JP

With a few revs battery voltage should reach over 14V though. 14.4V is the target

If the alternator has packed up then the car will drive OK with a charged battery but as the battery goes flat the problems will return. If you're driving anywhere make sure it's not far and avoid using the heaters, wipers lights, stereo etc, etc
If it's packed up then a jumpstart will not help. You could try swapping batteries from the other car and using that to charge yours up

thanks for your help all,
i have to go and get a multi meter.
my car is stuck at the local spares shop.
my dilemma is whether to get a new battery for now which is £50,
or
rermove the battery and purchase a charger £20.
or
get a new battery and the alternator changed .£??

I am technically minded but not sure the rules on battery memory regarding charging.

if my batt has full discharged will it be goosed and not be recahargeable or would it work?

could it be loose wiring .

am i right in thinking the leads from the alternator would go straight to the fuse box or battery. I am wondering if it would be easy to do a continuity test along the circuit path or does it dissapear into the never never of the car.

thanks agian.

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

from the manual it looks like the regulator is inside the alternator
is this true and would it be fixed with a refurb?

is it easy enough (apart from the physical) to remove the alternator?
tha manual looks fairly staright forward but it never is.

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THIS IS MY 4. THERE ARE MANY OTHERS LIKE THIS ONE, BUT THIS IS MINE.
red st185, running 10 psi all gears, powerflow cat back, and air filter. oh and fab scoop splitters

Hi,
The voltage regulator is inside teh alternator. If you know someone who refurbs alternators they shoudl sort teh voltage regulator - this is often the problem. The alternator is pretty easy to remove and is a 10-15 min job if you know what you are doing - if not it will take upto an hour for you to find the location of all teh bolts. Undo all and then wiggle the alternator up and down (teh same plane as you take up any slack in teh belt) with a crowbar prising it out of the bracket. It will basically be an interference fit into teh top bolt hole on teh bracket.

_________________
JP
GT4DC Treasurer

Grey St185 RC
Silver BMW E46 M3
Multicolour yawn Honda VFR400
Silver Honda Civic Type-R