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AU Falcon battery or alternator problem!

38K views 21 replies 7 participants last post by  zoomer 
#1 ·
Hi all.Just on my way home from work tonight,and noticed the battery light was on my dash.I only work not even 10 minutes from home,so when I got home I popped the bonnet to have a look to see if the battery terminals were all on tight,and nothing was loose.All seemed to appear fine.I looked down the clear plug on top of the battery and it was a green colour reflection,which I believe is correct.The car started when I left work without any problem whatsoever,which is why im concerned as to why the battery light is on.Could it be my alternator,and if so how can I check this myself.Also if I need to replace an alternator in my AU series 1 Falcon 2000,is it difficult.Cheers for any help.Scott.
 
#2 ·
Hey Scott mate it sounds like the alternator replacing it is easy. If you remove it and take it to an auto electrician they will tell you if its dead or not and if it is they will usually do a good price for a swap over unit hope this helps
Scott.
 
#4 ·
Before taking it out....

Grab a multimeter and measure the voltage across the terminals....then start the car and measure the voltage with the engine running

You should have 12.2v or better at rest (no engine running), and between 13.4 and 14.6v when the engine is running....

The light could be indicating that you have a dropped diode in the alternator or the regulator has begun to fail, there are other possible things as well, but these are the main 2 faults that seem to cause the majority of grief with them.

Once the light on the dash starts to glow, unless it is a missing fan belt, there is a problem....get the car to the auto electrician so they can determine how bad it is
 
#7 ·
That alternator looks a lot like the one sitting in my garage....the one I have here was purchased to replace the one in my old EBII, my brother picked it up for me but apparently it was different to the one I needed...maybe the goose pulled it off an AU thinking they were the same..

I will take a look at it and see if I can get some numbers or a model off it to find out for you....he took it off a working car....god I hope the guy that owned the car didn't need it :)
 
#8 ·
I called a couple of places today before work.Gee,im amased at how different the over the phone quotes were.I had a $360.$450 & a $505 quote,all from 3 different places.I called a mate who works in a spray shop on his days off as a Firie.Couple doors down from the spray shop is an auto elect that the spray business uses.Anyway the guy who owns the auto elect joint,told my mate to take my car down there tomorrow,and he will check it out for me,and if it does end up being the altonator,he will put a reco in it for $200,fitted.So because of working over weekend coming,im going to take that option.Im thinking it sounds ok.
 
#9 ·
That will be your safest and cheapest bet champ no warranty if you do it your self lol
 
#11 ·
Well guys,got car back today.All good,but was not $200 like first thaught.Ended up being $360.What the problem ended up being was,i had a leak in the power steering tube,just above the alternator.Oil had been dripping down,right into the alternator brushes.Not COOL.And,the serpent belt (fan belt),was cracking in a lot of places.So,he replaced alternator,belt and put on a new power steering pipe.All told,i think the price was pretty good considering what I was quoted from the other places for just an alternator.What say you?
 
#12 ·
I personally find that a Design Fault, my EBII (gone now) had the exact same problem, my brothers EF and His EL also had it....seems Ford failed to notice the possibility of fluid leaking and gravity working...who would of thought that could happen...

Glad to see your car fixed at a reasonable price
 
#19 ·
I personally find that a Design Fault, my EBII (gone now) had the exact same problem, my brothers EF and His EL also had it....seems Ford failed to notice the possibility of fluid leaking and gravity working...who would of thought that could happen...
Furd MAKES SURE of it bud. :bored:

Am babysitting uncle's AU3.
There's both the power steer reservoir overflow
AND the water pump above alternator.

I keep the hydraulic topped up often (rack leaks) and have
had the coolant pipe bubble loose at the waterpump outlet,
both giving the generator a bath...


Anybody know much about Furd thermostats?

Since I've been using this chariot the temp needle has sat 3/7ths
between N & O of the NORMAL... but few wks ago in traffic jam
it suddenly dropped to 1/4 & has stayed down there since.
Not losing any coolant afaik.

Hs always taken a fair while to get up to temperature in the mornings though,
like 15-20mins before heater does anything noticeable come winter.
 
#17 ·
I am neither a ford or holden person, I have owned both and each has their differences...I would rather drive an old Classic Holden or Ford than these new artsy fartsy toys with plastic everywhere
 
#21 ·
Ford Falcon 2002 AU Series II - Changed alternator, no power

Hi all,
replaced battery because battery light, abs light and dash and head lights were dimming. new battery was drained next day and the same problems occurred. so then replaced alternator. now car has no power. no dash lights and not cranking.

please help...
 
#22 ·
Hi all,
replaced battery because battery light, abs light and dash and head lights were dimming. new battery was drained next day and the same problems occurred. so then replaced alternator. now car has no power. no dash lights and not cranking.

please help...
did u do a current leakage test to see how much/fast you're losing?

you have a severe short circuit in the system, if it's able to flatten a full battery overnight. You'll be looking at 3-5A minimum...

Won't be the battery (=storage), unlikely be the alternator (=generator) afaik shorts like that will be much downstream... either some live wire has grounded out or a light/relay left stuck on.
 
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