Just back from my jollies and have only been out on a couple of short runs, but I'm getting the charging lights (batt/cat overtemp/rear bulb failure) flickering on now and again. It's okay at idle and seemingly comes on at random (ie. not over bumps). Battery is pretty new, the belt is fairly new and looks fine & the correct tension, crank pulley looks fine. Does it just need a decent run or is it the first sign of the alternator being on the way out?

Cheers,
Jon

Sounds like alternator not connected or not working.
I had those light symptoms (although not flickering) when my alternator regulator died.

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St205 WRC - Running sweet.

Cheers, yeah still having the same symptoms on the commute this morning of 20 miles...so I don't think it's going to resolve itself. Like yours I guess it is the regulator at fault. Think I'll go new as 2nd-hand seems like a false economy. Looks like it's common to the 3SGE cars with the cooling cowl to be swapped over. Mind you my car is missing the cooling hose which probably partly explains the failure if it has been getting too much heat.

Least it's only a 10 minute job to change it.

Cheers,
Jon

If its just randomly flickering, I would check alternator contact point for loose corroded connections. Clean them up maybe.
Could be the brushes on the alternator? May need replacing.

I would just check first with a meter to confirm. I would have thought your battery would be dead by now if it wasn't charging.
With the engine running, the voltage across the battery should be greater than 14V. If its less, then its not charging.
Leave it running with meter connected and see if you get random dips in the voltage.

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St205 WRC - Running sweet.

It's quite common for the large terminal on the back of the alternator to get hot / corroded and end up with a poor connection between crimp & wire. First think to check.

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If at first you don't suck seed, try drier grain.

Cheers, looks like you might be right. Is that the main oval plug inside the cooling duct that acts as a 'patch' cable?

No, the large terminal (M6 / 10mm nut) on the back. (May be inside duct).

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If at first you don't suck seed, try drier grain.

Cheers, that bit was fine, I checked it when putting the new alt in. I removed the cooling cowl and plugged the loom in direct without the patch cable and it's been fine since. Just need to get a new patch cable I guess, even though I can't see anything wrong with it.