randominbread

Your right there!! If it is designed to slip then its a poor design!! I just can't see how: 1. it's not squealing like a stuck pig, 2. it's still pumping out cold air and 3. Why it's designed so you can't adjust the belt tension easily.

If the air con works fine i.e it gets cold in the cabin, then you have to assume that the air con pump must stop / start like that. Reason being there's no nasty noises and it gets cold as expected. Also there is no way a jammed pump can suddenly free up like that, only to jam again, then free up, then jam etc and still work satisfactorily! Does the the air con tensioning pulley move to pull the belt tight?

Those voltage readings are fine. Its a little higher than yesterday's figures but the battery has been slightly drained over night by the clock and alarm etc. If you go out for a good drive and come back and measure again the readings will be similar to what you had yesterday. All's good mate.

Does the air con tensioner move to tighten the belt when air con pump starts?

I ment to say with the wishbone parallel to the road surface, not perpendicular.

I think I've got it Tony. Let me run this by you. With the wishbone perpendicular to the road surface and a damper with 4" of travel( 2" compression and 2" in extension) The wheel will experience a positive camber in extension but a negative camber in compression. If the car is lowered so that the wishbone is now at a 45 degree inclination the same damper will now only allow the wheel to have greater/ lesser levels of negative camber. It's a trigonometry problem, with a wishbone at 45 degree of arc from the road surface being the worst case. I hope I've got that right?

How an alternator works Please wait a few moments for Video to Load!

I thought a suspension damper only had linear travel?

To be fair I've never looked on line for info on DC electricity. I'd start at looking how batteries work and go from there. The best way would be to get a small battery and some lights, of various wattage, and wire them up and do resistance,voltage and current checks. You'd learn a lot from mucking about than reading complex theory. Especially fault finding. Your first mission - fix the xmas lights, that are bound to be broken, using just your multimeter set to resistance (the horse shoe shaped setting) DO NOT PLUG THE LIGHTS IN AND DO VOLTAGE CHECKS!!

I'd fit what ever size wheels and tyres are the cheapest for it, the right fitment of course. Save yourself some money, especially if you can get the wheels cheap because their common.

The readings you've just taken are really good, you couldn't ask for better really. Tomorrow, just for fun, take a measurement directly from the +ve terminal of the alternator. Leave the -ve lead of the multimeter on the -ve battery terminal. You shouldn't see much difference from when you measured across the battery. This will prove to you that you don't always have to take a reading from the suspected faulty component, thus saving you from taking off the intercooler or any other stuff. Always do the simplest voltage checks possible. Why not study up on basic DC electricity, You've already got all the kit you need - the multimeter!!

It's reading a bit high, but its to be expected to jump up in voltage when you load the alternator though. Start you car again but leave everything off, let it settle for a few minuets then check the voltage again.

True enough mate, just thought it might be an option if you get desperate to use your car. Don't blame you for finding the correct fitment, especially when you've only got a 10mm gap between the belt and an obstruction.

Your right about pattern parts! Could you put a few washers onto it to temporarily bodge it? Then fit the belts and go for a drive

If it doesn't screw in all the way, then it may be that the blind hole hasn't been tapped deep enough?

My local Renault main dealer is really good on some parts and a complete rip off on others!! Right stupid question, have you tried just fitting the stubborn bolt on its own, then fitting the other 2? Is there a blob of paint on the edge of the mounting holes which may stop the bolt from aligning?

Sorry to hear your having trouble fitting the new alternator. Did you compare your old one with the new ones? How much is an alternator from the stealers? What make was your old alternator?

surly you should pray to Alloy Akbar!

"What I don't understand is the first sign of alternator failure is the battery light coming on and my headlights had hardly dimmed the other night driving home" If I remember correctly the battery light signifies low volts not a lack of current. An alternator should provide constant voltage and variable current. The current provided by the alternator varies depending upon the load placed on it. Your alternator seems to be providing the voltage but not the current, which is possibly why your battery light didn't come on. Would have been good for you to prove it with a few more checks. Next time don't jump the gun!

Right you jumped ahead a bit, I'd have liked to have done a few more checks first before removing the alternator. The alternator is still the suspect item but you haven't proved it unserviceable by fault diagnosis. You proved the battery is serviceable by 1. making sure it could be recharged, 2. ensuring its voltage remained constant over time (with no load applied) and 3. It stored and provided enough current to start the engine. Thats all the checks needed to prove battery serviceability. What I would have liked you to have done next, is to discharge the battery slightly by leaving the lights on and engine off for 1-2 minutes. check the voltage at the battery again and leave the lights on until the voltage measures 12.5 - 13v. Then start the engine and see if the alternator can recharge the battery with no other loads applied. With your battery measuring high at 13.5 - 14V it can mask the alternator problem.

It's easier just to measure at the battery - saves taking stuff off to get access. I wouldn't take the intercooler off until you've done the checks I've suggested first.

Yep, with everything off and the battery maintaining 14V then all's good so far.... Start the engine and connect the multimeter across the battery terminals again. should read about 14-15V make sure you rev the engine above idle so that the alternator can reach its operating speed. There's no need to monitor it for 3 minutes this time as we already know the battery is good. If the readings are about 14-15V, then idle the engine and switch on all the lights, radio, rear heated window etc. Should hear the engine labour at idle as the alternator kicks in and provides the current to the various loads. Check the multimeter again and make sure its measuring at least 12V Without wishing you bad luck, I can't see you getting beyond this point without an negative result from all the checks.

Cool, I'm happy that your battery is serviceable if its holding a steady 14.05V. Now we check for a short to earth or an unexpectedly large current draw. Right go and re-connect it to the car and measure the voltage again over 3 minuets. Make sure the engine is off, ignition key out, interior light is off and the radio and any other ancillary equipment. We're looking for the battery to maintain 14V over the 3 mins.

Thats slightly unusual, have you disconnected it from your battery charger?

make sure you leave the multimeter attached to the battery and watch the readings over a couple of minutes