TaffyTim 6 Posted December 4, 2007 For ages now my battery light has been glowing dimly, as i hadnt broken down i tried to ignore it and keep the car at high revs so the alternator would self excite (my learnt phrase of the day ). A week or so ago I change my battery and the light went off. Today it has come back on From reading old topics it sounds as if (correct me if im wrong) that my excitation cable is shorting out somewhere and causing this problem. Can someone post a pic of which cable this is on the alternator so i can try and clean up the connection then try and follow it to make sure its not shorting out somewhere. Am i right in thinking it will eventually lead to the battery? Ta Tim Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony 1,000 Posted December 4, 2007 If it's glowing dimly then it's unlikely to be shorting out - it would be on brightly if that were the case. I've seen lots of 205's that do it when you have the cooling fan on high, and Jackherer had a poor main power cable between the battery and starter/alternator (IIRC) cause it. Oh, and you only need to rev the engine to 3-4k once to self-excite the alternator and then it'll keep charging regardless of revs - you don't need to constantly hold the engine at high revs. Anyway to answer your question, the exciter wire is the thin spade connector that goes onto the alternator - usually a brown wire, number 7A if I recall. Worth checking the main positive cable on the alternator (that's the thick cable) is tight and has a good connection to, but unplug the battery before touching it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaffyTim 6 Posted December 4, 2007 If it's glowing dimly then it's unlikely to be shorting out - it would be on brightly if that were the case. I've seen lots of 205's that do it when you have the cooling fan on high, and Jackherer had a poor main power cable between the battery and starter/alternator (IIRC) cause it. Oh, and you only need to rev the engine to 3-4k once to self-excite the alternator and then it'll keep charging regardless of revs - you don't need to constantly hold the engine at high revs. Anyway to answer your question, the exciter wire is the thin spade connector that goes onto the alternator - usually a brown wire, number 7A if I recall. Worth checking the main positive cable on the alternator (that's the thick cable) is tight and has a good connection to, but unplug the battery before touching it! ok ta for the tips, i will get out there tomorrow and have a check on all the cables Does anyone know when mi's stop playing up, I cant wait to get there..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Anthony 1,000 Posted December 4, 2007 Does anyone know when mi's stop playing up, I cant wait to get there..... The day they go through the pearly gates of the scrapyard usually Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaffyTim 6 Posted December 5, 2007 I went under the car today and cleand up the connections on the thin wire thats free in the pic below and the thick wire that was attached with a 10mm nut and the light has gone out. I would have also cleaned the blue wire but i didnt see it when i was under the car The good news is the battery light has stopped glowing and it looks as if i did this simple thing months ago i could have saved myself allot of aggravation anyway heres a pic for anyone else that liike me couldnt find one, its taken from below: Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TaffyTim 6 Posted December 12, 2007 Like a good horror story the offender has come back...so much for my handy work! As the light is now glowing dimly again my next port of call is the main power cable between the battery and starter/alternator as Anthony suggested. So here is a basic question, where is the starter motor found, as if im following a cable i want to make sure im following the right one and Ive never noticed it Are there any other bits that i should try cleaning while im there getting cold?? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
welshpug 1,621 Posted December 12, 2007 look at the Throttle body, under that will be the starter motor Does anyone know when mi's stop playing up, I cant wait to get there..... The day they go through the pearly gates of the scrapyard usually naah, when they're still where Peugeot intended I love mine, most reliable car I've ever had Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Turbo 3 Posted December 12, 2007 Try tapping the alternator with a hammer while the engine is running, not a girly tap but not so hard that it will break! A mate of mine was having bother with his battery light coming on dim and after a couple of days his battery would be drained, he tried a new battery and still no good, he took it to a garage and got the bloke to check it over and the alternator was only putting out 11.something volts, he tapped it with a hammer and it shot up to 14v and has been fine ever since! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
