Rev counter playing up...advice??

[malverner]

1600 TD JX...tonight rev counter dancing a bit then settled at zero...shortly after battery light coming on faintly when revving..

What the blithering heck is all that about ??! Alternator connection or what...?

[andysimpson]

1600 TD JX...tonight rev counter dancing a bit then settled at zero...shortly after battery light coming on faintly when revving..

What the blithering heck is all that about ??! Alternator connection or what...?

Almost certainly alternator has expired.

[madmyk]

Eh up.

My batt light came on flickering, eventually (after months) a connector wire eventually broke, which I then eventually fixed and the light eventually worked fine.

Don't know if this will sort your problem but you will have to check it.......

Eventually



Hope this is of some help,
Myk.

[busvanman]

had this a while back it turned out to be the little blue wire on the alternator had gone brittle and broken off, I shortened it and put it back on and sorted like madmyk says...........

[Mocki]

the rev counter on a derv takes its signal from the alternator, if both the rev counter and the battery light startdoing wrongness, its a alternator of connection problem, both wires travel the same route, both through the same multiconnector plugs, so start there, cleaning and checking........ although chances are its the alternator going south......

but check engine earthing as well...

[malverner]

Thanks for all the advice so far..

Have checked cleaned red/black and blue at alternator...connections and wires seem fine.

When starting, the rev counter will rise if I rev it, but only the first time I rev it. It then settles on the first marking above zero, and stays there until engine switched off. What does that indicate?

What's the little black box on the alternator itself with the short wire?

In terms of checking the rest of the wiring, what does that involve? Does it involve opening the black box in the engine bay as well as the underdash fuse box?

Finally (!) is there an quick and easy way to find out if the alernators shot?

[v-lux]

My rev counter comes back to life if i give the dashboard a quick bash.

But ive got no problems with the charge light. Guessing mines a dodgy connection under the dash somewhere.

Damn electrics!

Can you put a meter on the leads from the Altenator when the engine is running? Just to make sure you are getting full voltage from the Alternator?
Should be about 13.6 i think

[garyd]

Your symptoms seems similar to those I've had. I should have a good look at the multi block electrical connector on the back of the dash pod.

As you sit in the vehicle it is at the right side of the pod pointing down to the front of the vehicle. If you can get your head there, look up under the dash and you should be able to see the white nylon block about 3 inches long and half inch wide. It has about 14(?) connections in one row.

Giving this a 'wriggle' may solve your problems. If not then you will need to remove it and check whats inside. The pod side of the connector is a plastic film with copper conductors, folded around the end of a projecting piece of plastic - mine had been broken. (repaired by sticking a piece of 1.5mm modelling 'Plasticard' in it's place). The film & conductors can be a bit delicate so go easy. I needed to clean the copper and be careful about just where I left the connector at the end of wriggling - trial & error really.

Hope this helps - let us know how you get on.
Garyd

[malverner]

gary d ..my vans a lhd westfalia...will the pod you're referring to be the same?

[madmyk]

Malv,

Do a temp wire replacement on the wires from your alt (Just bodge the connections with an equivalent thickness wire) to try it out. Don't tap into the existing wires, just use good new piece from say black wire connector to wherever it goes to, see if owt changes. Repeat for others (best to do all at same time if pos).

Mt wires 'looked' ok, but were shot (age thing plus heat from engine).

If you PM your number I can call you.

Myk.

[malverner]

I've PMed you... thanks