Well here it is from the start as of a few months ago the car was parked up and sat for a little while, so the battery went flat after like 1 week, once the car was running again it was alright, then while driving the cars battery light started to flicker on the dash, but i didn't notice anything wrong running wise, just if if sat for a few days it might not have enough juice to tick it over, so still dealing with that present fault to this moment, now the car is starting to stall on low revs or idle and now it's doing it while at a low speed while in the process of changing gears and then stalling, but when idling is really rough, kinda at my whits end really as i've been i'll since xmas night, i've changed the fuel filter as it was due too be done, but i'am thinking it's running rough and stalling as a result of the charging system and causing the fuel stop solenoid to drop, i'am thinking on replacing the wiring loom from the battery to alternator as i think the problem is there, i'am not able to get it on a fault code reader at the mo' but i will be doing so shortly, but last time there was something relating to the alternator saying the b+ voltage was low or splaradic <-- excuse the spelling but i will update when i can. thanks in advance for any advice

hi, I recently had similar problems, bad starting, tickover and stalling although not as bad as yours sounds, when i had replaced everything electrical i could think of and it was no better i took it to my local scooby dealer (nearby to me) and the mechanic said it was the thermostat and explain ed what was happening but i didn't realy understand but the fault as he diagnosed was the thermostat, i'd given everything else a go so why not, lo and behold £80 later and it hasn't missed a beat since.

Hope that helps

First thing I would do is change the coolant temp sensor ( Genuine VAG part only). It's notorious for failing & causes the ECU to fuel incorrectly.

Edited 7 January, 201313 yr by pauldazzle

honestly feel like going mad

Battery went flat after 1 week? Sounds like the battery has had it's chips for a start. Have you had it drop tested?

Battery went flat after 1 week? Sounds like the battery has had it's chips for a start. Have you had it drop tested?

+1

Before you start changing sensors fix the thing that is obviously wrong

well it's just over a year old brand new bosch £130 battery wouldent like too think it's that, but it's holding a charge, so i dunno, but i'll get an other battery from some where

How do you know its holding a charge, sticking a volt meter on it is not enough. Whats important is the ability to provide the required amps to run the starter etc. The battery could report 12V but not be able to provide enough juice. I would be looking at Battery first, then the wiring between the Alternator and battery including all the earth straps, then the Alternator itself.

If it's going flat after a week of sitting it's not holding charge. It could mean that there is something else wrong causing it not to charge but as above start with the battery.

If it's only a year old take it back to where you got it.

It could be the alternator or it's wiring failing to charge the battery correctly?

If you could borrow/swap a known good battery for a week that would clear that of the list. Alternator could be a cause of serveral of the other issues could it not?

Tom

My thoughts are revolving around the battery itself, or the sprague clutch in the aternator drive pulley.

What voltage is there across the battery terminals with the engine idling, but the lights and HRW off? It should be around 14.3v.

My thoughts are revolving around the battery itself, or the sprague clutch in the aternator drive pulley.

What voltage is there across the battery terminals with the engine idling, but the lights and HRW off? It should be around 14.3v.

That Sprague was what I was thinking, or just a general alternator fault that's not charging the battery properly and/or providing sufficient power for the car when running.

Tom

How do you know its holding a charge, sticking a volt meter on it is not enough. Whats important is the ability to provide the required amps to run the starter etc. The battery could report 12V but not be able to provide enough juice. I would be looking at Battery first, then the wiring between the Alternator and battery including all the earth straps, then the Alternator itself.

+1 I am with this

Battery needs to be checked properly. Just because it is a year old do not rule it out else you will be changing parts for no reason.

After that the alternator to Batter charging wires are well known to cause issues and the flickering light on dash as the charging sometime happens and then stops. There is a connector on gearbox that joins the wires from battery loom to alternator.

found here:

Mine were shot along with someones rubbish job of cooling fan wiring fix.

replaced a section of wires , cleaned up connections and used some electrical silicon and no more issues.

Again could also be alternator......

Just thinking out loud...

If you had a nearly battery, but the engine is running then would you not still get 14.3 at the battery because of the alternator? Taking this one stage further, the alternator is designed to provide what is needed from it when the engine is doing some work, not sat idling. Assuming therefore you haven't got every light and electricity consuming item turned on, then the car should run quite happily even with a nearly dead battery when driving, it is starting it that will be the issue?

The above line of reasoning and the collection of issue you have when the car is already running and you are driving that make me tend towards an alternator and/or wiring issue and the flat battery is a side affect of these. Hence I think I would check the voltage across the battery with the engine running, check the wiring, I guess throw in a check of the fuses on top of the battery.

Tom

Unless a nearly dead battery happens to have a high internal resistance. There are several ways in which a battery can die, including bent plates, sulphation, low specific gravity of electrolyte...

All behave in very different ways. Either way, a quick drop test on the battery will rule that out.

thanks bowders for the pics i noticed there is a broken wire there at that place, so i'am gona check the plug make sure it's all in tact and clean it up, take off the wire from starter and alternator and clean it up, i did check with a voltage meter a week ago but the meter had a faulty connection, but while it worked briefly the alternator was charging the battery and was charging at 14v~ once rev'd up then idle'd but at idle i wasn't able to get a proper reading, so gona get into town tomorrow and get a voltage meter and crack on with the checking, there is a few guides on youtube to check if the battery is at fault or the charging system so i hope tomorrow i get some where, as the insurance company wants to install a black box and well this is gona zap my bettery unless i get this fixed....

Halfords will check the battery for you, more often than not FOC

Halfords will check the battery for you, more often than not FOC

thanks mate might take a trip down and see them i know most of them anyways so should be a hastle free visit i hope

thanks bowders for the pics i noticed there is a broken wire there at that place, so i'am gona check the plug make sure it's all in tact and clean it up, take off the wire from starter and alternator and clean it up, i did check with a voltage meter a week ago but the meter had a faulty connection, but while it worked briefly the alternator was charging the battery and was charging at 14v~ once rev'd up then idle'd but at idle i wasn't able to get a proper reading, so gona get into town tomorrow and get a voltage meter and crack on with the checking, there is a few guides on youtube to check if the battery is at fault or the charging system so i hope tomorrow i get some where, as the insurance company wants to install a black box and well this is gona zap my bettery unless i get this fixed....

Your welcome. What I found is similar to your symptoms in that I have a charge sometime but not constant. I found the wires and the multiplug to be the problem. Even if the insulation looks good mine had a crack in the wiring , so i replaced wiring to confirm i had a solid charge consistently.

Well i took a trip down to halfords and well the guy there stuck a battery tester on it, said only 400mah was in the battery out of 740mah and the battery was at 56% charge, said something was draining the battery, and it might not take a full charge but it's not goosed, but tomorrow i'll get more into the rest of the wireing as today "wife" was poorly

think i got it sorted now the 2 wire that plug onto the alternator where snaped at the multi plug above the stater motor, so cleaned all the earthing points connected the broken wire back up and now at idle i get a steady 14.4V charge from the alternator so i think it's sorted now, thanks guys for the help and thanks to bowders as the pic of the multi plug is where the problem lay, so thanks guys

think i got it sorted now the 2 wire that plug onto the alternator where snaped at the multi plug above the stater motor, so cleaned all the earthing points connected the broken wire back up and now at idle i get a steady 14.4V charge from the alternator so i think it's sorted now, thanks guys for the help and thanks to bowders as the pic of the multi plug is where the problem lay, so thanks guys

You are welcome buddy , glad you got it sorted.

it is good to share experiences that are factual in helping fellow members.

thanks once again mate