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I enjoyed seeing all your cars at Stoneleigh and chatting to some of you. It is amazing how different each car is and how many clever ways people have of solving all the problems kit cars can present us with. I was pleased that my car made it there this year but had a small problem on the way back. I got stuck in traffic and as the engine was beginning to get a little hot, turned the heater blower fan on to try to dissipate some heat. I have a voltage gauge fitted and noticed that it was reading in the red with the heater fan on. It wasn't a faulty gauge because after stopping to spend a couple of hours in Stratford I had a flat(ish) battery and had to bump start the car (good job the car park was on a hill!). In normal driving the voltage gauge shows a high positive reading, but when the electric engine fan cuts in it drops significantly and the heater fan takes it into the negative. The alternator is new but the battery is quite old. Is either one of these likely to be the problem or could there be a wiring problem? Any ideas would be welcome. Cheers. Paul
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Re: Charging problem on way back from Stoneleigh
Hi Paul. An old battery is always a likely culprit. How well does it normally spin the starter? First check the battery terminals are squeaky clean! Also have a look at the battery earth connection on the chassis. My Kenlowe fan pulls about 20amps when running which is like four headlights on main beam! It actually dims the lights at night and that's with a whacking great Bosch alternator on the V8! Check what output is quoted for your model alternator and then check what amps all your accessories add up to, cooling fan, lights, wipers, heater motor. I bet you had them all running with the horrid weather last weekend! Peter.
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