View Full Version : is it my alternator
andreas395
02-01-2009, 18:29
when the car is running at stand still and my lights are on when i rev the engine my lights go brighter and when not reving go dimmer again :?
Justin..
02-01-2009, 18:46
aye.
andreas395
02-01-2009, 18:55
how easy is it to change can i change the belt aswell when i do it
where is the best place to get one want a new one
mk1 clio
02-01-2009, 19:05
when the car is running at stand still and my lights are on when i rev the engine my lights go brighter and when not reving go dimmer again :?
sorry to hijack slightly, but i have the exact same problem, but with a brand new alternator? any ideas people?... Im assuming battery, but its only about a year old...
Justin..
02-01-2009, 19:11
make sure all your earths are clean and eveything has a good clean contact
Mr.AdamB
02-01-2009, 19:12
possible an earth has come loose.. i had all sorts of weird thigns foudn a loose earth and they all went away... tis comming loose again and there comming back so. look at ure earths make sure there tight.
Check your belt is correctly tensioned
Then go on diagnosing outputs etc.
andreas395
02-01-2009, 20:58
where are the main earths on this car
Tbh as arj says, make sure belt is good and tight first.
If not or if you need a new one I think it's been covered a few times how to replace and tension aux belts.
There's a bit earth at the front of the car by the gearbox.
matts-valver
03-01-2009, 02:20
i had this prob on my raider nd i was a dodgy earth
mk1 clio
03-01-2009, 03:00
I have removed, cleaned and refitted the standard earth strap (i think its standard) gearbox to chassis one, looks a bit on the small side tho.. Supose it couldnt do any harm to refit a larger one with thicker cable and a couple of lugs...
The belt was also brand new with the alternator.. and is tensioned ok..
What cranking power and Ah value should the battery be as standard? its on a valver engine if it makes a difference?...
Cheers people..
Make up some additional grounding cable with old battery jumper cables. Connect one from battery negative to the chassis ground as near as you can get to the alternator. Or anywhere else that see high current.
It's not uncommon for the lights to go slightly dimmer on idle, both my valvers do it, it's fine.
The alternator doesn't output quite as much current on idle as it does at say 2000rpm.
andreas395
05-01-2009, 22:26
i checked my alternator today with a multimeter on the battery and it said 14.56 volts so thats fine.
how do i tighten the aux belt as mine is very noisey at the moment. it looks quite new was prob changed when the cam belt was done 8000 miles ago before i bought the car :)
Is it noisy on full lock? Check it's not the bearings on the power steering pump or alternator causing the screetching first.
It's not uncommon for the lights to go slightly dimmer on idle, both my valvers do it, it's fine.
The alternator doesn't output quite as much current on idle as it does at say 2000rpm.
Agreed, how bad does it dip?
andreas395
06-01-2009, 17:37
Is it noisy on full lock? Check it's not the bearings on the power steering pump or alternator causing the screetching first.
as you have said that i do get a nasty noise some times on full lock does not sound healthy like a clocking noise but only some times what could that be :? but the belt noise is just like most cars when it damp or cold as it has been want to get rid of it i thought if i tighten it might help
how do i tighten the aux belt
Copied and pasted from a previous post I made (mostly)
Open bonnet.
Remove drivers light, making sure not to damage grill or paintwork.
Remove retaining bolt on the hose guiderail, pull the hoserail up to get clearance to the adjustment pulley. You may need to jack the engine up a touch from the sump.
The pulley has an allan key in the middle which need to be loosened to allow the pulley to tighten the belt up more. When you loosen it, it will slacken off. Dont worry, just leave yer ratchet spanner/adapter/allan bit in the bolt. Get a spanner, turn the collar anticlockwise, and youll see the pulley moving toward the front of the car...thus tightening the aux belt. Get it to desired tension, about 1-2mm play in middle of belt from PS pump to alternator pulley, then tighten the allan key type bolt quite firmly to lock the tensioner pulley in place.
That's more or less it off the top of my head.
It's not uncommon for the lights to go slightly dimmer on idle, both my valvers do it, it's fine.
The alternator doesn't output quite as much current on idle as it does at say 2000rpm.
Agreed, how bad does it dip?
It might not be uncommon, but all it's highlighting is a tired charging system.
There shouldn't be any dipping of the lights at idle.
Is it noisy on full lock? Check it's not the bearings on the power steering pump or alternator causing the screetching first.
as you have said that i do get a nasty noise some times on full lock does not sound healthy like a clocking noise but only some times what could that be :? but the belt noise is just like most cars when it damp or cold as it has been want to get rid of it i thought if i tighten it might help
Tighten the belt, its showing signs of being loose.
It's not uncommon for the lights to go slightly dimmer on idle, both my valvers do it, it's fine.
The alternator doesn't output quite as much current on idle as it does at say 2000rpm.
Agreed, how bad does it dip?
It might not be uncommon, but all it's highlighting is a tired charging system.
There shouldn't be any dipping of the lights at idle.
I agree with the fact that it shows an inefficient charging system but i disagree with the fact its a 'tired' charging system.
My valver had a brand new alternator and a brand new battery and my lights get brighter as i rev the engine.
The alternator simply doesn't output as much current as it could do on idle. Also, the age old french wiring probably isn't that great either.
Really don't think it's anything to worry about. If the voltage is no less than 12v on idle when you have a lot of load (lights, indicators, fans, etc on) on the system then don't see a problem. Just make sure there's enough to charge the battery under load :)
Also, be careful, don't just assume you need to tighten the belt because it's screetching. Mine screetches, but because of my power steering pump, when i turn the wheel. I ended up tightening my belt even more when it first started happening as i assumed it was slipping, but it's my PS pump bearings that are shot. I still haven't reset it back to the original tension but i cba. Engine is coming out soon anyway!
andreas395
06-01-2009, 21:46
ok thanks for the help guys just one more thing how hard is it to change the power steering pump 8)
fiddly, lots of brackets etc to come off
It's not uncommon for the lights to go slightly dimmer on idle, both my valvers do it, it's fine.
The alternator doesn't output quite as much current on idle as it does at say 2000rpm.
Agreed, how bad does it dip?
It might not be uncommon, but all it's highlighting is a tired charging system.
There shouldn't be any dipping of the lights at idle.
I agree with the fact that it shows an inefficient charging system but i disagree with the fact its a 'tired' charging system.
My valver had a brand new alternator and a brand new battery and my lights get brighter as i rev the engine.
The alternator simply doesn't output as much current as it could do on idle. Also, the age old french wiring probably isn't that great either.
Really don't think it's anything to worry about. If the voltage is no less than 12v on idle when you have a lot of load (lights, indicators, fans, etc on) on the system then don't see a problem. Just make sure there's enough to charge the battery under load :)
Also, be careful, don't just assume you need to tighten the belt because it's screetching. Mine screetches, but because of my power steering pump, when i turn the wheel. I ended up tightening my belt even more when it first started happening as i assumed it was slipping, but it's my PS pump bearings that are shot. I still haven't reset it back to the original tension but i cba. Engine is coming out soon anyway!
"Also, the age old french wiring probably isn't that great either." that could be described as tired :wink:
There shouldn't be dimming on idle.
Thinking about it logically, Renault wouldn't fit an alternator which isn't up to the job.
If your getting dimming still, it might be worth checking your wiring/earths etc.
Its not fair to say its an acceptable setup tho. Before you know it, people are saying Clio headlights are rubbish - i wonder why..
He mentioned he had a new belt fitted 8000miles ago with the alternator.
So it would be a good assumption that the belt may have stretched or loosened slightly since fitment. And just needs some adjustment now.
He's also mentioning a clonking noise and screeching.
The clonking noise can be when the belt is jumping over the PAS pulley, because the belt is loose.
The powersteering is a fair one to point the finger at. But keep things simple. - An alternator fitted recently, The belts making noises.
Tension it to the correct tension, and then see the result and go from there.
My PS pump made no noise before i changed the belt, and the tension was the same (tensioner wasn't even touched) after i fitted the new belt, albeit slightly tigher with it being a new belt, thats when the screetching started.
Just listing all possibilities thats all.
I find it perfectly acceptable that dash lights/headlights dim on idle. I think the voltage/current is lower on idle than at higher revs on any car, you always expect the voltage to rise when you rev the engine...
Justin..
07-01-2009, 23:05
erm, not really as the regulator on the alternator isnt working very well if it rises with revs
andreas395
08-01-2009, 17:33
erm, not really as the regulator on the alternator isnt working very well if it rises with revs
wheres that mate and how much does it cost to change 8)
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