Load sensor wire or alternator?

[Ackadappa]

Hi guys/girls,

For a while when starting my Fabia (52 plate Fabia 1.4 mpi 8v) the battery/alternator light stays on for a few seconds and beeps until i rev the engine.

Coming home the other day the entire car died. No power to even put the windows up, no power steering etc..

Got it jump started and got home. Pulled out the battery out and charged it up. It kept its charge for a few days so i put it back in and took the car for a long run out. Battery light kept coming on and off the whole way.

I assume the alternator is dead but my friend reckons it could be the load sensor wire or DMF wire?

Any advice greatly appreciated..

Im pretty useless when it comes to cars but will give things a go.

Thanks.

(The car has done 68,000 miles)

Edited 15 October, 2015 by Ackadappa

[Phil-E]

Quick to way to tell. Turn the ignition on but don't start the engine.

 

If the battery light is not lit up then it's likely to be the signal wire.

 

Phil

[Breezy_Pete]

Sounds like alternator to me, or a bad earth connection.

 

Measure voltage between the battery terminals, before and after starting the engine, to aid diagnosis.

[Ackadappa]

Cheers. Ill check after work.

[poiuytre111]

This is possibly a good indicator but is not infallible - I had a charging problem in a Mk1 TDI that was not due to alternator and the red light acted normally.  I bodged a fix by tricking 50milliamps into the field coil  (intercepting wire at alternator and using a 250 ohm resistor to +12v) which restored normal charging but I would have gone looking for the classic broken wire if I had known what I do now.

Quick to way to tell. Turn the ignition on but don't start the engin

 

If the battery light is not lit up then it's likely to be the signal wire.

 

Phil

[Ackadappa]

Update:

Couldnt see any problems with the wiring.

Changed alternator.... Problem fixed!

Cheers guys!