Early morning plea for help ! 2004 e53 3.0 D

[Smeeagain]

Hoping someone can help. On our way to folkstone to get eurotunnel for a meeting in France (back today)
Battery light has come on while driving. Dont think it is the battery itself as it is only 3 months old so Im thinking alternator unless anyone has alternative suggestions
So a couple of questions
At some point I will have to switch off engine - as i have both jump leads and a powerpack jump starter with me if I can get it started will it keep running?
If it is the alternator and the engine is running will it just eventually stop?

[Steamyrotter]

sounds like alternator
it will eventually die as you need electric for the injection system

mine has done this same hthing and i ended up replacing the regulator on the back of it.
PITA to do but cheap to try before swapping out the alternator

alternatively it may sort itself out once you have stopped!!

[kjb1]

check all terminals are tight etc,


Sent from my iPhone

[AW8]

I would have thought any issue with belts would be visible and audible thus chances of it being this are slim  however, do check condition and tension as major slipping might be a factor and a later tot belt failure could be relatively catastrophic.

My money is on alternator or a poor connection.

[X5-D-Sport]

I had this symptom 3 weeks ago... assumed the alternator was failing or seizing up..

Turned out to be the Crank-Pulley !
This pulley is similar to a dual mass flywheel, with a big rubber doughnut between the inner & outer metal rings... the rubber fails and then the pulley belts won't turn...

May be worth a peep...

[Smeeagain]

Ok so here's what happened in full

Left at 0445 the other morning to drive to Folkestone. Battery light came on and I reckoned it  was the alternator, this battery not charging, thus, battery would die. I was on my way to an important work meeting so couldn't have the car breakdown in France on the way
Emailed the customer explained I may be a little late, changed the eutorunnel to a later departure, went and got a hire car at 8am in Folkestone. There was a garage next door so got them to source an alternator while i was out the country and i would pick the car up that evening when I returned
When i was in France they called to say they couldn't get one for 3 days, so we agreed they'd charge up the battery and Id try driving home - after all Id got there just (the car stopped in the hire car forecourt!)

Got about halfway home, was coming of the M25 onto A3 when it dies. AA man came out and diagnosed alternator of course. As it was 9pm at night there was nothing he could do although it did say if it had been during the day he would have gone and got one and fitted it. So he called a tow truck. He did say that they can be up to 3 hours waiting time but in fact we had a tow truck in less than ten mins. We set off down the A3 about 75 mins to home. the driver had to stop about 25 mins from our house as he was over his hours so we waited another 45 mins. We got home about midnight
Car has gone in to garage today for new alternator

Smee

[X5Sport]

That car is surely beginning to test your mettle by now!  >:(

[Smeeagain]

Its not been that bad to be honest. I'm actually now wondering if all the battery problems pre-xmas were maybe being caused by the alternator killing the battery (even though that never showed up in all the tests) and if the new battery has been stronger and shown up the alternator to be at fault. Or maybe just a con-incidence. Who knows.

Its the first time I've had to be towed home by the AA in this car at least and it has done 195k miles so I don't think a battery and an alternator is that bad. Almost all my posts have been about 'consumables' - batteries, discs, bushes, alternator etc etc - all of which are entirely reasonable given how much mileage it has now.

It was just the wrong day, of all days, for it to play up .... !!

Smee

[shadrack]

[quote="X5Sport"]
That car is surely beginning to test your mettle by now!  >:(
[/quote]

are you confusing smee and steamyrotter?

[briankerrys47]

[quote="shadrack"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
That car is surely beginning to test your mettle by now!  >:(
[/quote]

are you confusing smee and steamyrotter?
[/quote]Touche

[Steamyrotter]

[quote="shadrack"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
That car is surely beginning to test your mettle by now!  >:(
[/quote]

are you confusing smee and steamyrotter?
[/quote]


Oooooh  you bitch..............  >:(




Well actually fair point i suppose...
::)

[X5Sport]

Well......Smeerotter or SteamySmee.....take your pick

[Smeeagain]

no offence to Rotter but Smee is not Steamy !  )

[Steamyrotter]

[quote="Smeeagain"]
no offence to Rotter but Smee is not Steamy !  )
[/quote]

Where is the bloody LIKE button??????  lol

[shadrack]

[quote="Steamyrotter"]
[quote="shadrack"]
[quote="X5Sport"]
That car is surely beginning to test your mettle by now!  >:(
[/quote]

are you confusing smee and steamyrotter?
[/quote]


Oooooh  you bitch..............  >:(




Well actually fair point i suppose...
::)
[/quote]

lol, i just couldnt help it! you have more patients than me, however i just bought a jimny jeep only to find i need a full rear floor pan and the 4wd isnt working.....now i know why it was so so cheap.....ordered parts but need time to do it now