General Battery light on

[koalar]

Add a jump lead earth cable.. As a yes/ no test

A far better way is to do a voltage drop test under load

If it under 200 millivolts your good to go and move on

Jump leads are hit and miss in my opinion, getting a good connection on a rusty block is harder than you imagine, if your stuck in the middle of nowhere, yes it will get you going again, often takes several attempts at getting a good connection when jump staring a car and that's if you are using the relatively easy battery connections not the blocks

Seen several failures of this method, putting the jump leads on the lifting eye is quite common, they are painted and isolated from the block, yes I have fallen into this trap myself

I have a good example on a Suzuki alto here at the moment where someone has tried to fix a bad earth and failed, they have cleaned the earth strap eye but have not cleaned the rusty block it's bolted to

I will post some picture of voltage drops testing later today and link them here

 

[koalar]

Look to see if alternator body is cracked (it happens..)

Good first check, if it's cracked there no point in testing anything else and cost nothing and quick

Almost always due to either driving through floods or the cars been stood awhile and the parts have grown together

 

[koalar]

Here's how to.test the earth lead

Koalar random thoughts | FIAT Panda (Mk3)

Hi koaler success someone had insulated the small thread that fits inside the battery tray with tape presumably to stop it rusting I took the tape off so I could get the bolt off then the gauge instantly went to 3/4 so thanks for your help

www.fiatforum.com

 

[YellowPuntoFiat]

Add a jump lead earth cable.. As a yes/ no test

Look to see if alternator body is cracked (it happens..)

Check the small gauge wire is in place on the Alternator


Personally I would fit new brushes to YOUR ALTERNATOR, Slots of people find replacement units cause issues

Thanks everyone for your help. I have to admit this has been a nice learning experience. In the end I did go and replace the alternator and it is working again. Took a chance because I needed the car for Monday... But I also wanted to comment on the work that I did since I did replace it on my own.

As this thread and others do provide nice help, I have to say that I was unable to get anything around that top bolt of the alternator. The air compressor is above it and there is really little room around. Even after watching several videos and having the car up on jacks, I couldn't do it that way. If you don't have air conditionining, then this may not be an issue.

My solution:
1. Go to your favourite mechanic and ask them to take the gas out of the air conditioning system. They can use it when you come back to recharge. Remember not to turn the air con on when you drive back home.
2. Remove the auxiliary belt.
3. Remove the air con lines going into the compressor (which sits above the alternator). There are two screws holding the lines lines in and a bracket at the based of the alternator.
4. Remove the air condensor. Unplug the connector. There are three bolts (one at the top and two in the back). These are long bolts.
5. Now you have easy access to the top bolt of the alternator and follow the others instructions to remove it.

Hope this helps.

 

[varesecrazy]

Chances are the2 x brushes had worn away to their limit,

They are a £20 from Marelli, or £5 from a supplier, did this several times over the years,

Glad the new Alternator caused no issues