hello!

i have a 2000 felicia (1.3 petrol). it's my first car and our first six months together have been a rollercoaster of expense and fun. in this time i've had a new starter motor and a new battery, so i've learnt what the clicky-clicky solenoid noise of a dead starter motor is, and the growling of a dying battery. (when i got the new battery the guy checked that there was no unnecessary drain on the battery and he said it looked okay).

this morning when i tried to start the car absolutely nothing happened. no click from the starter, nothing. the internal dome light doesn't come on either. this sounds like a really dead battery to me - is this likely?

more info: as the weather's been getting colder, the battery light on the dashboard has started appearing until the engine warms up (and in the last week or so has been glowing for a couple of miles). when it first got cold the engine would stall immediately on starting. i've got round this by accelerating a bit when i start it and letting it sit for a minute.

generally i take it on really short trips (2-4 miles) daily, but last weekend i took it on a 200 mile round trip which i would have hoped would charge the battery (if the battery charging is working properly). could my use have something to do with it not charging?

thanks so much for any help and sorry for waffling!

update: i've just whipped out the battery and connected it to a battery charger and i'm quite worried now. the battery seems to have about 75% charge...

so can anyone think of a reason why all the electricity would be completely dead? are there any fuses or relays that can kill all power?

Sounds like your alternator is dying..

i wondered about that from googling. is it expensive to fix? (and if so, how expensive?)

Alternator cost for the 1.3 depends on whether your Felicia has Power Steering/ Air con or not.

For the 'non PS/AC' Felicia I would imagine it would cost you about

understood that it's not definitely the issue, thanks. but i am glad that i have the non air-con/ps edition if this is the problem.

Its quite common for the voltage gegulator to pack up on them. Usually when that happens you dont get any light on the dash at all.

But does sound like a dicky alternator to me.

I also have the same problem with the battery light on the dashboard showing when I first start the engine put I just rev the engine and it goes off. Sounds like its a common problem :(

I would also like to add that i recon my alternator has packed in, 22,000 Miles, R reg 1.3 Lxi. Charges a healthy 13.5 - 14v when the car is running with no load, but as soon as you put main beam, the back window, and the fans on it drops to barely 12v. So im guessing it's weak.

Ill be phoning gorners in the morning to see if they can sort it out, iv no doubt they will charge me between

Then i relaised they moved to wigan and decided otherwise :S

Its quite common for the voltage gegulator to pack up on them. Usually when that happens you dont get any light on the dash at all.

Ah, this was my favorit's favourite trick! driving along the road, suddenly no lights, indicators or anything else electrical. all within a week of buying the thing (my first skoda). Fun i had with that car...

Have you checked that the alternator belt is tight enough and not worn, and that the ground connection to the alternator is in good condition?

Can make a difference to it's efficiency. But this does definatley sound alternator related. Can you change the brush/resistor pack easily on these like you can on other makes?

I have owned 3 Felicia's, everyone of them has had an alternator go. I think it is the major weakness with this car. I have had two that failed and one that started putting too much voltage through the battery. With that one the symptom was the airbag light came on on the dash. Was fixed only for the battery to pack in a few days later. The AA said the faulty alternator had probably buggered the battery.

most of my cars go like that too.

as for the lights its usually me switching them off down the roads lol

update:

i took her to my local garage who said it was indeed the alternator and refurbed my existing alternator and gave me a year's warranty on it. so all in all not a bad deal. she's running fine now (once she warms up!).

thanks for all the advice.

my 120 used to have a voltage regulator fault, fun with pulsating lights, dunno what people thought coming the other way with this car slowing blinking at them

open boot, give it a smack and it would be ok for a few weeks.

had a metro that used to love dying in the rain ....... all electrics engine the lot........ good old BL eh?

This might have what you need or any other bits, you could even buy the lot if you have space to store it for "future needs"

http://www.silverlakeautoparts.co.uk/breakerdetails.aspx?ID=4548

They are one of the best breakers I know & can be trusted