Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

--
Adam

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes
with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for
all the journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power
in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any
problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the
next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.


Ran my old diesel Volvo for about 2 hours begore the battery gave up.
Five minutes from my destination, as well.
Can you scare up a spare battery just in case?

--
No plan survives contact with the enemy.
[Not even bunny]

Helmuth von Moltke the Elder

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(")

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes
with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for
all the journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power
in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any
problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the
next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

I'd have thought that running for 45 minutes with headlights on was pushing
it... maybe the battery recovered a little at the level crossing.

Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or knock off
work early so it's still light.....

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes
with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for
all the journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power
in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any
problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the
next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

--
Adam

You will be soon up **** creek without a paddle.

On 30/10/12 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Not for long. wifes car lost its headlights after less than an hour of
being towed.


--
Ineptocracy

(in-ep-toc-ra-cy) €“ a system of government where the least capable to
lead are elected by the least capable of producing, and where the
members of society least likely to sustain themselves or succeed, are
rewarded with goods and services paid for by the confiscated wealth of a
diminishing number of producers.

On 30/10/2012 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Headlights are going to be the killer (although make sure no heated rear
screen / mirrors etc are on). I would expect much over an hour would be
pushing it with the lights on. (you will get considerably more time in
the day)


--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

David WE Roberts wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.


Ran my old diesel Volvo for about 2 hours begore the battery gave up.
Five minutes from my destination, as well.

Can you scare up a spare battery just in case?

Yes, but it takes 50 minutes to swap the battery:-(

On the plus side I do not need headlights in the morning to get to work and
I am quite happy to do a rush hour crawl though a town centre with just the
parking lights on for the journey home (I'll just switch the headlights on
for the last 15 miles home).

The lack of a heater is not a problem as I am working outside all day.

--
Adam

Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

I'd have thought that running for 45 minutes with headlights on was
pushing it... maybe the battery recovered a little at the level
crossing.

The level crossing was 5 minutes into the journey. I knew I was in for a
wait as the gatekeeper told me there were three trains to pass.


Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or knock
off work early so it's still light.....

Afraid not.

--
Adam

John Rumm wrote:
On 30/10/2012 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems. The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator
changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Headlights are going to be the killer (although make sure no heated
rear screen / mirrors etc are on). I would expect much over an hour
would be pushing it with the lights on. (you will get considerably
more time in the day)

The battery showed 12.02V when I started to recharge it. The van started OK
at that voltage. However there is no need to restart the van between
journeys to and from work so that helps.

--
Adam

In article , ARW
o.uk scribeth thus
David WE Roberts wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.


Ran my old diesel Volvo for about 2 hours begore the battery gave up.
Five minutes from my destination, as well.

Can you scare up a spare battery just in case?

Yes, but it takes 50 minutes to swap the battery:-(

On the plus side I do not need headlights in the morning to get to work and
I am quite happy to do a rush hour crawl though a town centre with just the
parking lights on for the journey home (I'll just switch the headlights on
for the last 15 miles home).

The lack of a heater is not a problem as I am working outside all day.


If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

--
Tony Sayer

ARW wrote:
Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or
knock off work early so it's still light.....

Afraid not.

And that is because the school holidays are our busiest times. Normally
there is a spare van I could use.

I might also add I have no idea how to swap the alternator:-) - it looks
like the power steering pump is bolted to it. I'll leave the swapping of the
alternator to my brother on Monday morning. The worst case is using a VW
Polo to get to and from work.

--
Adam

In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
On 30/10/12 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Not for long. wifes car lost its headlights after less than an hour of
being towed.

Front wheel drive van?

Conventional filament bulbs would pull about 11-12 amps but halogens?

Cooling fan is on a huge fuse so must take a bit. Instruments? Who
knows!



--
Tim Lamb

tony sayer wrote:
In article , ARW
o.uk scribeth thus
David WE Roberts wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of
the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has
some power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart
the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a
problem.


Ran my old diesel Volvo for about 2 hours begore the battery gave
up. Five minutes from my destination, as well.

Can you scare up a spare battery just in case?

Yes, but it takes 50 minutes to swap the battery:-(

On the plus side I do not need headlights in the morning to get to
work and I am quite happy to do a rush hour crawl though a town
centre with just the parking lights on for the journey home (I'll
just switch the headlights on for the last 15 miles home).

The lack of a heater is not a problem as I am working outside all
day.


If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have tickets for
Ascot.

--
Adam

In article , Tim Lamb
wrote:
In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
On 30/10/12 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes
with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on
for all the journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday
so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for
the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Not for long. wifes car lost its headlights after less than an hour of
being towed.

Front wheel drive van?

Conventional filament bulbs would pull about 11-12 amps but halogens?

headlamps have used halogens for very long time. My 1972 Cortina had them -
55w each

--
From KT24

Using a RISC OS computer running v5.18

The Natural Philosopher wrote:
On 30/10/12 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems. The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator
changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Not for long. wifes car lost its headlights after less than an hour of
being towed.

Why did she need the headlights?

--
Adam

In article ,
"ARW" writes:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Can't see how that helps in this case.
So you start the engine with the jumpleads, disconnect them,
and the engine will conk out soon after, if not immediately.
Driving along with jumpleads connected sounds like a good way
to end up with a fire in the engine compartment when they fall
off.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have tickets for
Ascot.

That could be a bearing or slipping belt, but doesn't mean
it's not generating (although it probably won't last long
like that).

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 17:51:20 -0000, "ARW"
wrote:

Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

No idea about a modern common rail diesel, but on a petrol fuelled vehicle a
couple of amps is a typical standing electrical load, with a fully charged
battery in good condition a couple of hours running using headlights is
achievable if you don't need the ability to restart. Made occasional bursts of
the heater blower to keep the screen clear and sometimes used the radio.
(BTDTGTTS)

Stick a clamp ammeter suitable for DC round a battery cable and guess your range



--

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 5:51:21 PM UTC, wrote:

Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.
No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.
It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.
The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.


Headlights are the main load, 55w ea is around 10A, plus around 1A for rears. ISTR mechanical ignition eating a few amps. 15A 65Ah is 4hrs if fully charged. Its longer than a car because of the battery capacity.

A spare battery will help, plus parking it on a hill so you can bump start it. The average petrol tranny is push startable on level ground, I don't know about diesel. If you've got to preheat it, that'll drain the battery fast.

If you break down away from home, towing is pricey these days, just about no-one is willing to use a tow rope any more, everyone wants to trailer it. I've done enough towing to understand why.

If you end up moving it when the engine conks out, don't forget 95% of the brake effort is powered by the engine.


NT

ARW wrote:


Yes, but it takes 50 minutes to swap the battery:-(

On the plus side I do not need headlights in the morning to get to work
and I am quite happy to do a rush hour crawl though a town centre with
just the parking lights on for the journey home (I'll just switch the
headlights on for the last 15 miles home).

The lack of a heater is not a problem as I am working outside all day.


Could you gerry rig a spare in the footwell into the fag socket? It should
take some of the load whilst driving and keep the main one going a bit
longer. Unplug when starting of course

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/

"She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon."

ARW wrote:

Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait. No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the
wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need
the van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

I'd have thought that running for 45 minutes with headlights on was
pushing it... maybe the battery recovered a little at the level
crossing.

The level crossing was 5 minutes into the journey. I knew I was in for a
wait as the gatekeeper told me there were three trains to pass.


Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or knock
off work early so it's still light.....

Afraid not.


Drop it in a local place near work (Kennington I assume) and let them fix it
in the day?

--
Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/

"She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon."

"Andrew Gabriel" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"ARW" writes:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Can't see how that helps in this case.
So you start the engine with the jumpleads, disconnect them,
and the engine will conk out soon after, if not immediately.
Driving along with jumpleads connected sounds like a good way
to end up with a fire in the engine compartment when they fall
off.

True, you're better off fully charging 2 batteries, reconnect one and keep
the other in the back (with tools) to swap over when the first one gives up.
Should be able to charge them both overnight for the morning run, then
charge them both (if needed) at work for the trip home.

On 30/10/2012 19:24, Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
"ARW" writes:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Can't see how that helps in this case.
So you start the engine with the jumpleads, disconnect them,
and the engine will conk out soon after, if not immediately.
Driving along with jumpleads connected sounds like a good way
to end up with a fire in the engine compartment when they fall
off.

You don't need much power to run an old engine - I had an alternator
fail, discovered this when I stopped to phone home and could't start the
engine again. (can't remember why the light didn't come on, but it
didn't). I got a tow start, then we drove the remaining distance home
following in close convoy turning my lamps on when other cars were
around (or likely to be). Fortunately it's quite quiet round here at
night :-)

This was an old diesel though, so it only needed power for the stop
solenoid - I wonder how much ECUs and electric injectors take.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:33:44 PM UTC, Tim Watts wrote:
ARW wrote:





Yes, but it takes 50 minutes to swap the battery:-(



On the plus side I do not need headlights in the morning to get to work

and I am quite happy to do a rush hour crawl though a town centre with

just the parking lights on for the journey home (I'll just switch the

headlights on for the last 15 miles home).



The lack of a heater is not a problem as I am working outside all day.





Could you gerry rig a spare in the footwell into the fag socket? It should

take some of the load whilst driving and keep the main one going a bit

longer. Unplug when starting of course



--

Tim Watts Personal Blog: http://www.dionic.net/tim/



"She got her looks from her father. He's a plastic surgeon."

I got a device in Halfords which plugs into the fag socket and has jump lead connectors to connect a battery for a winter top up of a weak battery.

"ARW" wrote in message
...
ARW wrote:
Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or
knock off work early so it's still light.....

Afraid not.

And that is because the school holidays are our busiest times. Normally
there is a spare van I could use.

I might also add I have no idea how to swap the alternator:-) - it looks
like the power steering pump is bolted to it. I'll leave the swapping of
the alternator to my brother on Monday morning. The worst case is using a
VW Polo to get to and from work.

Go with the Polo, at least it'll get you there. And more importantly, home
again

If your van conks out in the middle of nowhere, you've lost a day's work and
you've still got to get it home or to a garage if you're not with AA.

Andrew Gabriel wrote:
In article ,
"ARW" writes:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might
get you out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Can't see how that helps in this case.
So you start the engine with the jumpleads, disconnect them,
and the engine will conk out soon after, if not immediately.
Driving along with jumpleads connected sounds like a good way
to end up with a fire in the engine compartment when they fall
off.

I see your point.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have
tickets for Ascot.

That could be a bearing or slipping belt, but doesn't mean
it's not generating (although it probably won't last long
like that).

I am 99.99% sure that the alternator has failed. The power steering runs off
the same belt and that works fine.

Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
"ARW" wrote in message
...
ARW wrote:
Mentalguy2k8 wrote:
Can't you source a new one locally ASAP and fit it yourself? Or
knock off work early so it's still light.....

Afraid not.

And that is because the school holidays are our busiest times.
Normally there is a spare van I could use.

I might also add I have no idea how to swap the alternator:-) - it
looks like the power steering pump is bolted to it. I'll leave the
swapping of the alternator to my brother on Monday morning. The
worst case is using a VW Polo to get to and from work.

Go with the Polo, at least it'll get you there. And more importantly,
home again

If your van conks out in the middle of nowhere, you've lost a day's
work and you've still got to get it home or to a garage if you're not
with AA.

I am a member of the AA (the car one).



--
Adam

"ARW" wrote in message
...
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes
with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for
all the journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power
in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any
problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the
next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

--
Adam



I had a similar problem in December last year. Please remember to undo the
caps to
the battery cells when charging. I forgot, and it didn't t half go off with
a bang. It blew
a bloody great hole in the end of the battery!!

Mike

On 30/10/2012 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15 minutes with
the engine off at a level crossing) but with the headlights on for all the
journey apart from the level crossing wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some power in
it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until Monday so
the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the van for the next
3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.


I would have thought that a man of your calIber would have inserted an
ammeter into the battery connection to see what current you were
drawing. You should then be able to work out approx how long a battery
of specified capacity will last.
--
Cheers,
Roger
____________
Please reply to Newsgroup. Whilst email address is valid, it is seldom
checked.

ARW wrote:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might get you
out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Alternatively, try one of the cigarette lighter jump lead sets and one
of the jump start batteries with a cigarette lighter socket built in.
Disconnect for starting, and connect while running. You don't even need
to open the bonnet. Or make up a lead with a cigarette lighter plug on
one end and a pair of decent Crocodile clips on the other.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have tickets for
Ascot.

Let's hope the bearings don't fail totally, then. Electrically, there's
normally no problem running with no charge from the alternator, but a
mechanical failure can be a bit dramatic.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:11:03 +0000, charles wrote:

In article , Tim Lamb
wrote:
In message , The Natural Philosopher
writes
On 30/10/12 17:51, ARW wrote:
Bugger just failed. Tonights journey home took an hour (inc 15
minutes with the engine off at a level crossing) but with the
headlights on for all the journey apart from the level crossing
wait.

No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

It's a 65Ah battery in a diesel van and the battery still has some
power in it now that I am back home - enough to restart the van
without any problems.

The problem is I cannot easily get the alternator changed until
Monday so the 8A battery charger will be on overnight and I need the
van for the next 3 days. Recharging at work is not a problem.

Not for long. wifes car lost its headlights after less than an hour of
being towed.

Front wheel drive van?

Conventional filament bulbs would pull about 11-12 amps but halogens?

headlamps have used halogens for very long time. My 1972 Cortina had
them -
55w each

Well,

Ford Focus estate with a tired battery - only about 15 minutes with head
lights on, then battery voltage too low to run EMU and it was all stop.

Good luck - I'd bet on the polo me.

Avpx



--
Lady Ramkin's bosom rose and fell like an
empire.
(Guards! Guards!)
20:30:01 up 10 days, 3:52, 7 users, load average: 0.89, 0.72, 0.76

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 7:42:59 PM UTC, Mentalguy2k8 wrote:

If your van conks out in the middle of nowhere, you've lost a day's work and
you've still got to get it home or to a garage if you're not with AA.

It's not just the inconvenience of conking out that's a problem, but also systems like the SRS/Airbag self-monitoring function which often have a test for low voltage.

If tripped it may latch the malfunction light, disable the SRS, and require a garage with the right tool to reset it (which might cost).

Mathew

John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
tony sayer wrote:

If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might
get you out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..

Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Alternatively, try one of the cigarette lighter jump lead sets and one
of the jump start batteries with a cigarette lighter socket built in.
Disconnect for starting, and connect while running. You don't even
need to open the bonnet. Or make up a lead with a cigarette lighter
plug on one end and a pair of decent Crocodile clips on the other.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...

Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have
tickets for Ascot.

Let's hope the bearings don't fail totally, then. Electrically,
there's normally no problem running with no charge from the
alternator, but a mechanical failure can be a bit dramatic.

Nothing that the cutting the belt would not cure?

--
Adam

On 30/10/2012 17:51, ARW wrote:
No heater on, no radio on and just an occasional use of the wipers.

Heater is fine. Heater _fan_ is what you must avoid. Slipstream may
give you a little warmth.

Andy

One of the members of our motorhome club had the alternator fail at the
end of his holiday, just as he was setting off for home. He had to be at
work on the Monday, he was at the top end of Scotland, and couldn't hang
about. He tied his little Honda genny onto the roof platform, and fed
the mains voltage into one of his chargers. Linked the habitation
circuit fed from that charger to the vehicle battery via a long length
of TV coax. It worked fine, got him home. Several times he forgot to
disconnect whilst starting and strangely the TV cable didn't catch fire.

Bill

ARW wrote:
John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
tony sayer wrote:
If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might
get you out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..
Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Alternatively, try one of the cigarette lighter jump lead sets and one
of the jump start batteries with a cigarette lighter socket built in.
Disconnect for starting, and connect while running. You don't even
need to open the bonnet. Or make up a lead with a cigarette lighter
plug on one end and a pair of decent Crocodile clips on the other.

Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss of
tension?...
Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have
tickets for Ascot.

Let's hope the bearings don't fail totally, then. Electrically,
there's normally no problem running with no charge from the
alternator, but a mechanical failure can be a bit dramatic.

Nothing that the cutting the belt would not cure?

You may find that you need muscles in your legs and arms that you didn't
know you had, as the power steering pump will stop working if what you
have posted is correct. Ditto the vacuum pump for the brake servo. You
also need to be careful that the fan belt doesn't drive the water pump,
as that can cause a *very* expensive overheating problem very quickly
indeed.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 13:35:27 -0700, Mathew Newton wrote:
If tripped it may latch the malfunction light, disable the SRS, and
require a garage with the right tool to reset it (which might cost).

A little bit of electrical tape to cover the light is a lot less faff.

On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:33:41 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:
Could you gerry rig a spare in the footwell into the fag socket? It
should take some of the load whilst driving and keep the main one going
a bit longer. Unplug when starting of course

Ahh, the automotive equivalent of a mains cable with a plug at both
ends :-)

Wonder what the typical current limit via a fag lighter socket is? Are
they fused these days? Drive for the spark and ECU probably isn't much,
but things like the radiator cooling fans probably need a fair bit.

John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
tony sayer wrote:
If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might
get you out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..
Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Alternatively, try one of the cigarette lighter jump lead sets
and one of the jump start batteries with a cigarette lighter
socket built in. Disconnect for starting, and connect while
running. You don't even need to open the bonnet. Or make up a
lead with a cigarette lighter plug on one end and a pair of
decent Crocodile clips on the other.
Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss
of tension?...
Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have
tickets for Ascot.

Let's hope the bearings don't fail totally, then. Electrically,
there's normally no problem running with no charge from the
alternator, but a mechanical failure can be a bit dramatic.

Nothing that the cutting the belt would not cure?

You may find that you need muscles in your legs and arms that you
didn't know you had, as the power steering pump will stop working if
what you have posted is correct. Ditto the vacuum pump for the brake
servo. You also need to be careful that the fan belt doesn't drive
the water pump, as that can cause a *very* expensive overheating
problem very quickly indeed.

So worse than having to walk around instead of driving around to the fwb's
tonight:-(


--
Adam

ARW wrote:
John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
John Williamson wrote:
ARW wrote:
tony sayer wrote:
If you have a spare battery and a set of jump leads that might
get you out of a fix if the worst comes to the worst..
Now I can do that. And I do have very good set of jump leads.

Alternatively, try one of the cigarette lighter jump lead sets
and one of the jump start batteries with a cigarette lighter
socket built in. Disconnect for starting, and connect while
running. You don't even need to open the bonnet. Or make up a
lead with a cigarette lighter plug on one end and a pair of
decent Crocodile clips on the other.
Sure the Alternator is duff, not just a simple fan belt loss
of tension?...
Totally sure, it's whining like a posh bird who does not have
tickets for Ascot.

Let's hope the bearings don't fail totally, then. Electrically,
there's normally no problem running with no charge from the
alternator, but a mechanical failure can be a bit dramatic.
Nothing that the cutting the belt would not cure?

You may find that you need muscles in your legs and arms that you
didn't know you had, as the power steering pump will stop working if
what you have posted is correct. Ditto the vacuum pump for the brake
servo. You also need to be careful that the fan belt doesn't drive
the water pump, as that can cause a *very* expensive overheating
problem very quickly indeed.

So worse than having to walk around instead of driving around to the fwb's
tonight:-(


Unfortunately, yes. As someone else has said, the Polo sounds like an
excellent idea.

--
Tciao for Now!

John.

On Tuesday, October 30, 2012 9:29:26 PM UTC, Jules Richardson wrote:
On Tue, 30 Oct 2012 19:33:41 +0000, Tim Watts wrote:

Could you gerry rig a spare in the footwell into the fag socket? It

should take some of the load whilst driving and keep the main one going

a bit longer. Unplug when starting of course



Ahh, the automotive equivalent of a mains cable with a plug at both

ends :-)



Wonder what the typical current limit via a fag lighter socket is? Are

they fused these days? Drive for the spark and ECU probably isn't much,

but things like the radiator cooling fans probably need a fair bit.

Fused so plug in when car parked for 1 hour with indignation on to have cigar lighter live. Blew my fuse once because I was not careful