Technical Battery indicator shows red whilst steering wheel needs 'hulk' to turn

[scubiz]

Yo peoples,

This is my very 1st posting on this website :slayer: , however i'm really in utter

I was leaving the office when all the sudden i realised that the battery indicator was not going to disappear even after the engine was left idle for 2 minutes. So thinking RTFM (Read the F****** Manual) came into light.

It says that probably the battery ain't recharging properly...so i said hey...drive it to da nearest mechanic and check da problem...the :bang: part is that not only the indicator light did not want to disappear...but the steering wheel all of a sudden was really heavy when turning.

So Heroes and Heroines of the FIAT World please come to my aid :worship: coz i'm really (lost for words)

Scubiz

 

[custard]

dont know for sure but you may have fiats electric power steering as fitted to seicento's.this would cause heavy steering if your not getting a charge.

as for the battery light.alternator belt may have snapped,loose connections,dead alternator to name a few

 

[scubiz]

Thanks for da prompt reply homz...

Gee that complicated huh...I was just banking on a leak at the power steering container etc...

Do you think it is inter-related?...

 

[custard]

well you may have hydraulic power steering but as you are having battery problems and the steeringi s heavy i guessed on electric power steering.
if so fixing the charging fault will most likely clear the steering problem.

if you have a pic of your engine bay i could look for a power steering resevoir or if you know what to look for have a look yourself

 

[scubiz]

I'm still a bit .

My car is the 1.8 Bravo GT...to my basic understanding of the car, i don't think it has an electric power steering...

 

[custard]

regardless.check the battery connections and connections to the alternator are tight.
if you have a multimeter take a reading off the battery with the engine running

 

[scubiz]

Roger that...heading to my car now...will update you hopefully in a jiffy...

Thanks again and very much appreciated

 

[scubiz]

Bro, i reckon i know what was the problem...

Somehow i was blind not to see that the accessory belt was no longer there :bang: ...hence probably that is why the battery is not re-charging itself and in the same time that is why the battery indicator light is showing...

Arrrggghhh...how silly of me...

Than again...u reckon that my logic is legit?

 

[hmallett]

I think it's hydraulic power steering on the Bravo.
My best guess would be that your auxillary drive belt has snapped. This would run your alternator and the power steering pump. I would strongly advise that you don't try and restart the engine. If the belt has snapped, and it gets caught in the cambelt, then it's game over, and you'll be facing a large bill.
Check under the bonnet for a snapped belt. If there is one, it'll obviously need replacing. The belt itself will be cheap, but getting it changed (if you can't do it yourself) will cost a little bit more.
I know this because I had exactly the same thing go on my Coupe.
However, I'll say it again, don't try and start the engine until you're sure that there's no fragments of broken belt in there still....
H

You beat me to it I see!

 

[scubiz]

Yo hmallet,

Thanks for the advice...actually i was just about to start the car and was thinking...hey i should reply to the forum 1st...

I just hope it snaps off without any complications...just wondering...let's say IF it gets caught in the cambelt...what are the indications/noise/immediate effect be?

 

[hmallett]

The indications are that your cambelt will probably snap, you'll hear a horrible noise, your engine will stop, and you'll be faced with a large bill for replacing bent valves and possibly damaged pistons.
When this happened on my Coupe, I was very lucky that it didn't take the cambelt with it - it normally does.
H

 

[scubiz]

Ouch...

So in other words...i have to really really really make sure that the belt is stuck or protruding under the bonnet...

Alrighty than...i just hope it snaps off completely without touching any of the engine parts...This does happen right...

Wokay...here we go...

Thanks again...will get back to you...

Laterz

 

[custard]

yeah theres a decent chance it just came straight off.

 

[scubiz]

Ok...a decent chance is what i'm really hoping for...looking at the engine from the top...i see no damage to any of the area in close proximity to the auxillary belt...

Now...the next 1million dollar question...

Am i able to drive the car...let's say...10-15km to the nearest mechanic without expriencing other major problems?????

 

[hmallett]

If the auxillary belt is completely removed, then it's probablly OK to drive it, though you'll have no alternator or power steering. The only thing to check is that the snapped belt doesn't run the water pump too, though it doesn't on the Coupe.
H

 

[custard]

if the power steering belt is gone you would really struggle to drive it.power steering cars have a higher ratio and are so much harder to turn without power.
also its unlikely your battery would last im afraid.
no breakdown cover?

 

[omot]

hello!
if the belt doesn't go over the water pump i think you can drive the car,but i advise that you don't turn the lights on or anything what pulls a lot of power from the baterry and you should get there!
good luck!

 

[Hellcat]

I think it's all been said. Let us know how it gets on..