S60 Electrics: - Battery Light flickering then staying on.

id101 · Feb 27th, 2010, 09:31

hi there,

i'm thinking i may have a broken alternator what happened was i thought i noticed a light flickering whilst driving back form work but no error messages or anything. then driving to work the next morning i actually noticed it as it happened more often but also an electrical system error message but again it only flickered on and off so it didnt stay on long enough to read it. then on way home again it flickered some more and then stayed on for 20 minutes then flickered a few more times before staying on again. turned as much electrical stuff as i could whilst driving back but battery pretty much dead now as it wont turn over, ie starter clicking and all dash lights light up and dim when turning ignition, so battery dead.

in all the time driving it it never coughed, spluttered or anything like that.

my question is, is it likey the alternator dead or could it be a dodgy wire due to the way it was flickering and gradually gettting worse? or am i looking at something completely different.

ta.

bertuk · Feb 27th, 2010, 10:30

hi id101 check the battery earth straps etc make sure they are tight and not corroding or loose, does sound like your alternator many need replacing or reconditioning, also have the battery checked

id101 · Feb 27th, 2010, 10:34

Quote:

Originally Posted by bertuk

hi id101 check the battery earth straps etc make sure they are tight and not corroding or loose, does sound like your alternator many need replacing or reconditioning, also have the battery checked

cheers.

just had a look again, doesnt look corroded particularly, i'll try cleaning them up. tried starting it, there was a bit of charge caught by surprise otherwise i prob would have go it running, however the warning message and battery light didnt stay on or in the cae of warning message stay on afterwrds.

all very strange!

Georgey dee · Feb 27th, 2010, 19:06

Sounds like a charge fault.

get your multimeter out and make sure your getting 14v at the battery when the engine is running.

bombay121 · Feb 27th, 2010, 20:49

Hi there,

When my alternator went the red battery light would come on as well as a warning message in the DIM and a red triangle. The message was 'electrical system failure stop safely' this happened quite a few times while on the motorway, I would pull over to the hard shoulder turn off the ignition and start it again and it was fine. Can you get a fault code reader as when mine went it was storing messages?

Cheers
Dan

id101 · Feb 28th, 2010, 22:41

jump started it earlier, started off ok no warning lights, then after a minute or so battery light returned and elec system failure msg. then a few minutes later the tickover went from smooth to not firing on all cylinders and gradually died till it stopped all in about 30seocnds to 1 minute whilst the warning lights on the dash appeared to go mental all flashing on and off! battery is on charge now overnight.

is it still most likely the alternator?

Georgey dee · Mar 1st, 2010, 15:38

It does sound like the Alternator.

Your battery will be shot now too as they don't like rapid dis-charging followed by a rapid re-charge.

skorjancl · Jul 8th, 2019, 19:02

Hi id101 and the rest of the forum.

Don't want to spam the forum with same thread. I have an exact issue on my 2004 s60 d5. First the battery light appeared on the dashboard than went away. The next day it started appearing more frequently and lastly it stayed on to the part that ABS turned off and anti skid module etc. Clearly its running out of electricity. Checked my alternator and its charging with 14.2. So my question.. have you figured out your problem? Diodes, voltage regulator.. Some other beast?

Thanks and all the best,
Luka

Brendan W · Jul 8th, 2019, 22:35

Hi Luka,
Set your meter to a low AC voltage and check the charging. A small value like one volt is acceptable but 20 volts is not.
If a diode fails in the rectifier it can still put out 14 Volts at idle with low load but will not be able to keep the system voltage high under load and some modules will start to signal warnings if the voltage is too low..

Feb 27th, 2010, 09:31	#1
id101 New Member Last Online: Oct 16th, 2011 23:03 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wolverhampton	Battery Light flickering then staying on. hi there, i'm thinking i may have a broken alternator what happened was i thought i noticed a light flickering whilst driving back form work but no error messages or anything. then driving to work the next morning i actually noticed it as it happened more often but also an electrical system error message but again it only flickered on and off so it didnt stay on long enough to read it. then on way home again it flickered some more and then stayed on for 20 minutes then flickered a few more times before staying on again. turned as much electrical stuff as i could whilst driving back but battery pretty much dead now as it wont turn over, ie starter clicking and all dash lights light up and dim when turning ignition, so battery dead. in all the time driving it it never coughed, spluttered or anything like that. my question is, is it likey the alternator dead or could it be a dodgy wire due to the way it was flickering and gradually gettting worse? or am i looking at something completely different. ta.

Feb 27th, 2010, 19:06	#4
Georgey dee Premier Member Last Online: Feb 14th, 2024 18:36 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norwich View Photos By: Georgey dee	Sounds like a charge fault. get your multimeter out and make sure your getting 14v at the battery when the engine is running. __________________ HAD; 440 GLT(Loved it), 850 GLT auto(Loved it), S70 2.5T(Nothing but problems!), 850R auto(Loved it!!), S60 D5 SE (Nothing but problems!) GOT; S60 D5 SE Lux Auto RAF Marham Track Day Co-Ord'

Mar 1st, 2010, 15:38	#7
Georgey dee Premier Member Last Online: Feb 14th, 2024 18:36 Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Norwich View Photos By: Georgey dee	It does sound like the Alternator. Your battery will be shot now too as they don't like rapid dis-charging followed by a rapid re-charge. __________________ HAD; 440 GLT(Loved it), 850 GLT auto(Loved it), S70 2.5T(Nothing but problems!), 850R auto(Loved it!!), S60 D5 SE (Nothing but problems!) GOT; S60 D5 SE Lux Auto RAF Marham Track Day Co-Ord'

Feb 27th, 2010, 10:30	#2
bertuk Senior Member Last Online: Sep 1st, 2017 22:00 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: liverpool	hi id101 check the battery earth straps etc make sure they are tight and not corroding or loose, does sound like your alternator many need replacing or reconditioning, also have the battery checked

Feb 27th, 2010, 20:49	#5
bombay121 Member Last Online: Mar 6th, 2020 18:51 Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Coalville	Hi there, When my alternator went the red battery light would come on as well as a warning message in the DIM and a red triangle. The message was 'electrical system failure stop safely' this happened quite a few times while on the motorway, I would pull over to the hard shoulder turn off the ignition and start it again and it was fine. Can you get a fault code reader as when mine went it was storing messages? Cheers Dan

Feb 28th, 2010, 22:41	#6
id101 New Member Last Online: Oct 16th, 2011 23:03 Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: wolverhampton	jump started it earlier, started off ok no warning lights, then after a minute or so battery light returned and elec system failure msg. then a few minutes later the tickover went from smooth to not firing on all cylinders and gradually died till it stopped all in about 30seocnds to 1 minute whilst the warning lights on the dash appeared to go mental all flashing on and off! battery is on charge now overnight. is it still most likely the alternator?

Jul 8th, 2019, 19:02	#8
skorjancl New Member Last Online: Jul 30th, 2022 21:45 Join Date: Jul 2019 Location: Ljubljana	Hi id101 and the rest of the forum. Don't want to spam the forum with same thread. I have an exact issue on my 2004 s60 d5. First the battery light appeared on the dashboard than went away. The next day it started appearing more frequently and lastly it stayed on to the part that ABS turned off and anti skid module etc. Clearly its running out of electricity. Checked my alternator and its charging with 14.2. So my question.. have you figured out your problem? Diodes, voltage regulator.. Some other beast? Thanks and all the best, Luka

Jul 8th, 2019, 22:35	#9
Brendan W Premier Member Last Online: Apr 2nd, 2024 19:50 Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Wexford	Hi Luka, Set your meter to a low AC voltage and check the charging. A small value like one volt is acceptable but 20 volts is not. If a diode fails in the rectifier it can still put out 14 Volts at idle with low load but will not be able to keep the system voltage high under load and some modules will start to signal warnings if the voltage is too low..

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