Morris Minor Owners Club

Hello everyone,

This is my first post so nice to join you all!

Just need some advice..how do I check if the alternator is working?

Many thanks,

Danny

Welcome to the forum..... Simple check - shine the headlights on a wall - then start the engine - and rev up slightly - do they get brighter??? Better check of course is with a DC voltmeter - standing the battery volts will be ~ 12.5 and with the engine running should be 13.5/13.8 volts. Then check again with headlights and heater blower running - should still be 13.5 volts although you may need to rev up slightly..... Multimeter on ebay for ~ £3 - handy to have in the car.

Danny
A warm welcome to the Forum and a Happy New Year.
If you have a Multi meter, set it to Volts ( 20 volt setting ) and measure the battery reading by touching the probes to the
positive + and negative - terminals. A healthy battery should show 12.6 v / 12.7 v ' ish.
Keeping loose leads,your tie and any loose clothing away from moving parts, now start the engine and repeat the test.With the engine running, it should intially read circa 14.2 volts if the alternator is OK.

Does the ignition light shine " on " when you turn the ignition switch and then go out within a moment or two of starting the engine ? Or does it not light at all ? If the above test is OK but " no ignition light " at all, then either the wire to the bulb has come adrift behind the speedo or the bulb has blown.

Keep the questions / queries coming Danny.Give as many of the symptoms as you can and describe any recent work that has been done on the vehicle, either by yourself or a garage.The more hints / clues you can provide, the quicker the very expert gang ( myself at the lower end of the list ) on the Forum can come up with a solution for you.
The Forum always love to know " what happened next " , so follow up posts on the Forum ,are anticipated / looked forward to.
Bob

Although obviously not the 'best' - this is perfectly adequate for car electrics. http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/DIGITAL-LCD-M ... 51b76b0409

Hi there,

Thanks for your replies.

Charging battery now and it looks like it was already fully charged. Could it be just a connection fault and if so, where would I check? The car is trying to turn over but slowly fades to a clicking noise. The ignition lights and normal lights eg indicators/ headlights work. Any thoughts or suggestions?

Thanks again,

Danny

Also,

The two white switches (either side of the speedometer on the dashboard) above the window wiper switch on the left side and light switch on the right side are confusing me as I don't know what they're for and which way they should be switched?! Could they be stopping the car from turning over?

Any help is much appreciated!

Danny

check the leads and battery posts,but sounds very much like battery is done for,without meters ,just put headlight on,and then try to start it,if it shows no sign of turning over, just a click,assuming the connections and earth are ok,and the headlights dim,then try a known good battery.Switches sound like additions for something,spot lights,reversing light maybe, Are they connected to wires behind the dash.PHOTO may help.

Thanks for that,

Will give a new battery a try and let you know what happens.

Will get a photo sent through as well.