Hi,

 

A few days ago I drove to work and parked, turned off the engine and got out. Then I realized there was still some space to move in, so I go back in and tried to start the car. But it didn't start. All I got was the Battery Light and EPC light turned on. I didn't have time to handle it so I left alone and went on with my day. At the close of business the car started just fine with no hint of trouble. I then drove to a friend's place (20 mins away) and parked for 5 minutes. When I came back, it was the same issue. The car didn't start.

 

I got 3 different mechanics to check it out (separately) and their conclusions were all the same: the battery is bad and the alternator is still fine and charges the battery. So I got a new battery, but the same dam thing happened yesterday. I had to resort to disconnecting the negatie terminal of the battery when I park so there will be some charge to start the car. This is really frustrating.

 

Their reasons for saying it's not the alternator is that if the alternator is bad and the negative terminal is disconnected with the car running, the car will go off. Is this true? If this is true, is something leeching my battery directly?

There is a common fault on the Fabia MK1 where the alternator load wire becomes corroded and eventually breaks. Everything appears to be working correctly but the battery is not charging correctly, so overtime the battery becomes discharged.

 

Quiet possible the Fabia MK2 is the same, since its basically the same car with a different skin.

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/topic/216887-alternator-load-signal-wire/

Thanks for the response, mannyo. I didn't get an email that someone had responded so didn't check back sooner.

 

Is it a simple wire change that I can do by myself or is there any more complexities to it?

 

Edit: How can I confirm this is the issue before doing anything on it?

Edited 2 April, 201412 yr by tadtoad

Have a look at this from a seat forum, the fault lights do not always show.

http://www.seatcupra.net/forums/showthread.php?t=209472

Thanks, I'll definitely check it out this weekend. I'll post an update on how it goes.

I looked under my car last night and saw this plug sticking out. It's sticking out just behind the front bumber on the drivers side, just under the battery area. Is this what's causing the issue? If not what is it? I can't find where to plug it back in to,

A few days ago I drove to work and parked, turned off the engine and got out. Then I realized there was still some space to move in, so I go back in and tried to start the car. But it didn't start.

<snip>

At the close of business the car started just fine with no hint of trouble.

<snip>

Surely that would suggest that it is not a battery problem?  The battery would not recharge itself during the day?  Some sort of overheating problem perhaps?

@vxh26 I thought it was an overheating issue too, but the temperature gauge was at 90 like normal. And when I popped the hood, the coolant wasn't boiling so I ruled that out. Plus, the dash didn't indicate any warnings. This won't drain the battery though.

UPDATE: Ok so I spent some time on my own trying to track down the problem like in the link, but had no luck. I'll have to get a mechanic to take a look at it.

 

Concerning the picture I posted above (not the best pic), anyone know what that is? 'Cause I tried looking for where it fit in but just couldn't find any.

UPDATE: I finally had some free time and too the car to the mechanic's. Turns out the positive terminal and wires on the battery case had a layer of rust/corrosion on them which caused partial contact.

 

The mechanic sand-papered each connector and the car is back to normal now.

 

The stuff in the pic is the Airbag sensor BTW. That got hooked back too.

Edited 20 April, 201412 yr by tadtoad

Good that is fixed.

 

Comedy of errors that was not the the very first thing checked by each mechanic or technician..

Odd not to spot it when checking the terminals were tight.

& when fitting a new battery.

 

If not already done,

put some Petroleum Jelly on the terminals now.

(Not Copper Grease.)

 

george

Hi,

 

I'm a newbie to this forum, having read this thread I hope this helps someone with similar problems in the future.

A volt meter is invaluable for this type of problem and you can get one for about £5 on ebay these days.

Firstly, if the car does not start, a healthy battery should read about 13v to 14 volts. I know it's a 12v battery,

but a battery voltage decreases with the amount of power or amps you try to take out of it and should read above 12v with

every thing on in the car. 

If the voltage is low, take the battery out and connect it to a charger,  chargers usually have a current reading to 

show how many amps are going into the battery, it's best to set the charger to a low charge rate. The current reading should not decrease quickly, if it does then that that is usually bad news as this indicates to me that the battery is not taking charge and most likely needs replacing.

Once charged, connect the battery back in the car. With everything off, the voltage reading over the battery should not decrease, if it does significantly then something might be draining the battery while the ignition is off.

Turn the ignition on, if its a charging problem the car should start. With the lights, stereo and the heater all on the voltage over he battery should not drop below 12.5v, a higher reading indicates that the alternator is doing its job properly.

If the voltage dips lower, either the alternator is not generating enough current or the current cant get to the battery. Check the battery connections especially the battery -ve lead to chassis connection, a good spay of WD40 and a twist of a spanner works well here. Also there's usually an earth lead from the alternator to the engine casing, this can degrade and need replacing.

I haven't had to do this for a few years, but if the alternator belt is worn or the tension is not correct, then the alternator will will not be able to produce enough power to charge the battery. Check your manual and adjust or replace the belt.

Lastly, if the engine does not turn and you hear a ticking noise when the ignition switch is turned it might be the starter motor or the wiring to the starter motor.

 

Well that's it, hope this helps someone

I used petroleum jelly for decades to protect battery terminals but don't any more having read VAG's maintenance policy on this subject. Two quotes from ELSAWIN:

! Caution

In order to prevent damage to the battery pole terminals as well as the battery poles, pay attention to the following:

Neither grease nor oil the battery terminals...

and

! Note

It is not permitted to use rust solvent, contact spray or grease on the battery pole terminals as the tightening torque via the thread to the screwed connection is exceeded through the missing static friction and leads to the fracture of the screwed connection.

The workshop procedure for cleaning any corrosion or contamination on battery pole terminals is to clean them using a wire brush battery pole cleaner.