![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
![Thumbs Down :thumbsd:](./images/smilies/thumbsdown.gif)
After a year sitting outside the house in the elements with minimal use, my MGF was grumpy - which is unusual, because it is generally just amazingly reliable. Unless the battery is flat. Which was kinda the problem that I am starting this thread to discuss...
Several problems cropped up as I was going round to revive the car from its slumber. I had disconnected the battery to prevent battery drain during the period of disuse. Annoyingly, the bonnet release cable has seized. That was a problem not only in terms of battery re-connection, but also because I needed to pump up the hydragas system (despite replacement, re-gassed hydragas spheres from a well-known supplier) - again, for the third time. This needs investigating as well, but there are other things to check on first.
Opening the bonnet without the cable release is do-able - but for obvious reasons, I'll not detail the process here. However, because of modifications to my car, the usual approach was not possible, but I was able to do it. With the bonnet now opened, I lubricated the release mechanism and pumped up the suspension. And I also spent about 20 minutes clearing out all the accumulated leaf mulch...
With the battery re-connected, obviously the MG just started first time on the key, like it always does. However, some dash lights no longer work, including the indicator dashboard turn signal tell-tale lamps (the left one works intermittently), and that is despite the external lamps all working as they should - I suspect that there has been corrosion/dirty contact somewhere - and this may or may not be relevant to the subsequent flat battery issue.
Then there is the EPAS, which turned on its warning light. Often this leads to the steering being over-assisted, but there was no assistance to the steering. Effectively, the EPAS was switched off. The warning light and assistance would then come on and off intermittently - again, I suspect that this is possibly because of a dirty/oxidised connection somewhere because there appears to be some correlation with road conditions (bumps etc). Further investigation needed.
However, everything else was fine, and had a lovely short drive on the Saturday for an evening meal. One odd thing on that journey: the battery charge light came on - flickering dimly, but then going out if I increased engine speed. Then a bump in the road seemed to coincide with it going out. Hmm. Odd - another dirty connection? But everything was running fine, so I adopted the "ignore it until it becomes a problem" approach.
Yesterday (Sunday) I decided to drive my MG to see my dad in Wiltshire. Much longer trip, but I figured it would help shake out any remaining issues. I was, as it turns out, quite right that it would!
Beautiful sunny morning with clear blue skies. Little K-series engine burbling away, the first stop was to the petrol station.
First new problem: the fuel cap lock is amazingly stiff. It needs cleaning/ lubricating - any suggestions?
Filled up - and EPAS decided to start working again. Happy days! Good omen? One observation though: although brimming the tank and the engine at operating temperature, neither of the dashboard gauges were reading what they should - being a fraction lower on their respective scales. Odd. Poor earth somewhere?
However, after driving on the North Circular for around 15 minutes, I was enjoying basking in the sun and remembering why I loved my MG so much, I noticed that the SRS, then the EPAS and then the ABS warning lights were coming on in succession over a period of a couple of minutes. I had a very bad feeling about this.
On Project Shed a few years ago, I lost the alternator belt that had shredded itself, and that the shredded belt took out the alternator with rubber fragments. Charge light came on, but the car still ran. I finished the day's competition and thanks to very friendly co-competitors, I had borrowed battery packs to nurse the car back to my father's place so that I could replace both the Alternator and the drive belt. My observation from that trip was that the engine ECU (MEMS1.9) is the least sensitive ECU to low battery voltage: the other ECUs controlling things like ABS etc, throw in the towel first - and I reckoned (correctly) that this was what was happening here - a cascading series of ECU faults due to low voltage. Strangely, however, there was no battery charge warning light lit, which caused mild initial confusion, but with all the other signs, I was sure that battery charge was the problem.
I turned around immediately and, I kid you not, the engine stopped as the battery voltage finally dropped too low for MEMS just 100 metres away from my house - and I was lucky enough to have enough forward momentum to turn off the main road and coast straight into the same parking spot I had left 30 minutes earlier.
I LOVE my MG! It gave its all to get me home.
That is as far as I have got in terms of investigations, as I took another car to go see my dad. Next weekend will be the time to really start investigating and sorting out a number of issues that I have identified. It's a long list, of which the battery is just one
![Rolling Eyes :roll:](./images/smilies/icon_rolleyes.gif)
To me, this sounds like either a bad battery connection or a bad alternator. The fact that the engine stopped suggests bad alternator, as the alternator ought to be generating enough power to run the engine even in the absence of a battery.
The weird thing however is that the charge light that transiently lit the previous day was conspicuous by its absence. Odd. However, the alternator will need a charge light to actually charge the battery, so there is a chance that there is a bad connector to the dash, that led to the non-operation of the alternator that in turn has led to dead battery while driving. I don't know if this is the answer yet, but it is one of the scenarios in my mind.
Plan of action:
1. Get the bonnet open again (cable still seized - not sure if I can clean this up and getting it working again, or whether it needs replacement? I'll need to remove the bumper to look at this properly, but of course I need to open the bonnet to do that!)
2. Before removing the battery, turn on ignition to see whether the battery light comes up on the initial dashboard light check - if it fails to come on, then I think that'll be the answer.
3. Charge the battery
4. Re-fit battery, and check battery voltage at rest and with engine running - the former should be 12V on a charged battery, and 14V (give or take) and a charging battery with a functioning alternator. If the voltage remains at 12V with the engine running, then the fault lies with the alternator.
That should get me a long way on the diagnostic route. I'll likely need to remove and attempt to clean all the dashboard multi-plugs too (all the external lights and turn signals are all working as they should, so I think a dash connector is the most likely issue). Hopefully this is something simple, but if I need to replace the original to the car (27 year old) alternator, I do have a spare in the garage
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)
Any other thoughts on what the cause might be or things to check? More updates to come as I work through this problem
![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif)