Help please, something electrical

[ssim33on]

Hi I have been having a few problems of late and just hope that someone can help.

It started about 2 weeks ago when i noticed that the red ignition light on the dashboard was staying on??
Then about a week later I started the car, (sounded like the battery was a bit flat, but started). Drove for a few miles with wippers, lights and radio on, pulled over and the car wouldn't start luckily i was in a quite village where i could just park him up and get the bus, when i got back he started fine though? which i thought was very strange, but i just got on with it.

until yesterday, where he wouldnt start at all, so charged the battery and that got me to where i wanted to go, but then hen i came to coming home, he wouldnt start (at battery again). Eventually i stumbled across a friend who had a battery pack, which started Brian, (my car), I drove him for a bit but had no lights or radio at all.
Then half way through the journey he just cut out, called my dad, tried to push start it, drove a further 100 yards until it cut out again.
Which ment that it ended in a tow home,

I originally thought that it was just the old battery that wasn't holding enough charge but now i think it is something a bit more serious

So any help at all who be much appreciated
Thanks
Tom (& Brian)

[autolycus]

Since you noticed the ignition light staying on, has it always been on (when the engine's running) or was it a one-off problem?

Is the fan belt still there, and roughly correctly tensioned?

If you get the engine running, then turn the headlights on, do they get brighter when you rev the engine?

Do you have any electrical test equipment, such as a multimeter?

Kevin

[mogbob]

Tom
It may be that you have more than one problem so I'd have a crack at the battery charging ( or rather lack of it ) first.
The red ignition light might simply be due to the fan belt not being tight enough and allowing the dynamo ( ? I assume ) pulley to slip.
Could be the brushes in the dynamo need replacing more logically.
Charge up the battery at home and whilst you are waiting give the ignition system a visual check over for loose/ iffy connections and broken wires on the low tension side ...coil/ distributer/tiny earth lead inside the distributer/condenser screwed down tight.High tension stuff...carbon tip inside the distributer still there, leads sound to plugs and coil.Rotor arm in decent nick ?
If you have a multimeter........
What battery voltage across the terminals, do you get with the engine off and with the engine running... what voltage reading then ?
Eliminating the battery / charging system first is the way to go.It may be that the battery is dead or dying but the checks may narrow this down.Let us know what you find, report back and we can elminate the rest for you.
Bob

[chesney]

When this happened to me, it was because the wire had fallen out of the spade connector on the dynamo..

[bmcecosse]

As above - you MUST solve the charging problem before using the car again. Crazy to be driving with the red light on! Could be as simple as the loose wire and loose fan belt mentioned above. HAve there been any changes to the car recently - battery removed/polarity reversed - anything like that. The running problems are just down to low battery volts. Don't change anything else until you get the red light problem resolved !

[ben-me-123]

I had a similar problem, and it turns out that my voltage regulator box needs replacing as it's just not doing it's job properly, overcharging/discharging the battery as it sees fit...

[bmcecosse]

Reg box can usually be revived by cleaning the contacts....and then resetting as per the Manual.

[ben-me-123]

I'll give that a try then, but it looks pretty fried... i think it's got wet... which is a pain...

[autolycus]

Ten days since the question was asked: five people took the trouble to offer advice: not a peep back from the OP.

Do we treat this one as closed, and add ssim33on to the list? It's a bit disheartening.

Kevin

[ben-me-123]

"the list" now I'm worried?

[autolycus]

"the list" doesn't really exist, so nothing to worry about. But there are several people who have asked for help, and have either failed to respond to it, or been stroppy if the answer wasn't the one they wanted, which means awkward old boggers like me just won't bother with them if they pop up again.

I'm also far less inclined to try to help people who can't be bothered to write in some semblance of English.

Kevin

[granneb]

"the list" doesn't really exist, so nothing to worry about. But there are several people who have asked for help, and have either failed to respond to it, or been stroppy if the answer wasn't the one they wanted, which means awkward old boggers like me just won't bother with them if they pop up again.

I'm also far less inclined to try to help people who can't be bothered to write in some semblance of English.

Kevin

Can't disagree with a fellow Jubilee City inhabitant

[lambrettalad]

hi
Jubilee City

[autolycus]

Jubilee City

The clue is in granneb's location - if you were a trainspotter at the right time.

Now I live nearer 18A.

Kevin

[bmcecosse]

17 A http://www.railuk.info/steam/getshed.php?id=93

[JOWETTJAVELIN]

26A for me. We have some fine express locos coming through now - Duchess of Sutherland for the last few weeks and hopefully Union of South Africa soon - can't wait to see that hammering through.

All this twice every Fri. until September.

[bmcecosse]

Lucky lad!!