Battery + alternator?

[johnw]

Hi,

For some time now, various warning messages have been appearing on the display intermittently. So far, these have been:

Stop! Battery charging fault.
I haven’t seen this message for quite a while, but a two months ago it was appearing every day, sometimes even for extended periods while driving on the motorway. As soon as I left the motorway, it would disappear immediately. I connected an OBD reader, and indeed, the charging voltage would sometimes drop to 12.5 volts.
Check ABS / traction control system.
I’ve been having this issue since April. This message appears frequently on the display, but not constantly. I checked the systems (when it was safe to do so), and while the message is displayed, both ABS and TC seem to work normally. I also ran a diagnostic scan, but there were no fault codes stored. I really have no idea what could be causing this. Could the battery simply be sending this fault signal to the ECU?

I’d really appreciate any opinions or advice.

Thanks in advance!

 

[Sean197]

12.5v with the engine on would certainly seem to point to the alternator being goosed

 

[burrellbloke]

Do you know if your alternator has ever been replaced?

We started to get the same warnings and intermittent behaviour so on my Clio so we swapped out the regulator for a new regulator. We thought that would solve the issue but it did not. The battery was charing fine and on one long journey the warning battery charging fault stayed on for over an hour but ultimately did not cause a problem.

From what I can tell alternators on Clios are very, very fussy and act in an almost digital way wanting precise power, and when they don't get it they throw up a fault that may not even be a genuine issue.

The fault was solved on my Clio by getting a second hand OEM alternator.

Some people are content to just live with the dash warnings even though the alternator and battery are working okay.

But, I would check your battery first and consider replacing that first if it is old as Clio's get very upset when they are not fed the electrical power that they demand.

 

[rustedandrotten]

Alternator regulators on these are very specific! The Bosch regulator is NLA and they provide a generic one for new and reconditioned ones, it does not work with the ECU regardless of what people tell you., wildly varying voltages, alternator warnings, steering lock warnings etc, etc.. Also check the exciter wire to the alternator and the state of the connector, these can get a bit manky. This appears to be a recurrent and shitty problem on this era Clio’s that has condemned many to an early and unnecessary grave. We have a 197 that has been driving us crackers for best part of a year now and it mainly seems to stem from a replacement Bosch alternator that pumped voltages all over the place and has probably damaged various components..starter solenoid, pas pump…coils……… headlamp bulbs………been a nightmare and still ongoing. I found a new regulator, genuine Bosch with the correct series and serial number in Poland having searched and phoned all over the uk….£20!! Best advice check the ORIGINAL alternator regulator and brush pack numbers and replace only like for like, bear in mind Bosch have been bought out and the new owners have discontinued huge amounts of replacement parts and stockists will attempt to fob you off with generic replacements, either find NOS or a secondhand OEM unit, good luck, you will need it!!