Can anybody tell me why every light is flickering on my mk 1 1.4 fabia also i have a battery drain problem at the same time.

Lights are flickering usually due to a weak battery and/or charging issue.

Obv the battery drain will need rectifying after diagnosis. An amp clamp is an easy and effective way to measure current draw.

The only time I have seen flickering lights on my car is when the steering angle sensor was packing up.

Been having any power steering related trouble?

The only time I have seen flickering lights on my car is when the steering angle sensor was packing up.

Been having any power steering related trouble?

Agree - probably just need to replace the steering angle sensor and the flickering will go away and the power steering will be more consistent.

Agree - probably just need to replace the steering angle sensor and the flickering will go away and the power steering will be more consistent.

 

Well, I'd want some proof it is that before diving into stuff - VCDS scan for starters

Flickering lights are strongly indicative of a large but intermittent load being applied to the car electrics - I haven't heard of anything else that causing this - what had you in mind ?

OK thanks for all the info already replaced the steering angle sensor and that did not cure the lights flickering.

Really need to measure voltage right at the battery terminals, with engine idling.  Do that with nothing extra electrical switched on and then again with say headlights on dipped beam and cabin fan on 4.

Also, does your battery light in the cluster come on when you switch the ignition on (before starting engine) and go off again when you have started the engine?

 

Do you own a battery charger?

Have you investigated the source of the current drain mentioned earlier yet?

 

Edit: Having just looked under the bonnet of a colleague's 8v 1.4, it's super-easy to measure the voltage right at the alternator on this engine, there's nothing in the way. Is yours the 8v/mpi engine?

 

That's another really useful measurement to see whether the alternator itself is putting out the right voltage, because it can only regulate itself relative to local conditions and has no feedback on what is going on at the battery. So: red meter positive probe where the thick wire attaches to the back of the alternator, black negative probe to somewhere metallic on the body of the alternator.  That way you exclude any bad connections elsewhere and get to see what the alt is doing.

Edited 12 February, 201610 yr by Wino