Poorly 197 :(

[alliemam197]

My 197 has been sat for a while, charged the battery up for 24hrs and now the idles very lumpy And sometimes even shuts off by itself. Won’t rev over 2.5k and misfires sometimes. Electrics seem iffy from what I can tell on the dash as the lights flicker like mad. The power steering is also now not working. Anyone got any ideas what could be causing this? Alternator? Knackered battery?

 

[suj]

First check i'd do is once it has started, get a multimeter on the battery and see if alternator is charging it.
So check without it started what the voltage is (around 12.6v should be good), then start the car and check again that the alternator is working (should be about 14.4v)

 

[R20BTG]

Sounds electrical to me as well, likely battery and/or alternator related. I had a loose battery terminal and had some of the symptoms you describe there. Reluctant to start and lumpy cold start idle and no power steering. Sorting out the connections to the battery and putting it on a CTEK charger and it's good as new.

 

[alliemam197]

First check i'd do is once it has started, get a multimeter on the battery and see if alternator is charging it.
So check without it started what the voltage is (around 12.6v should be good), then start the car and check again that the alternator is working (should be about 14.4v)

Yeah it was reading 12.2v which seemed fine

 

[suj]

Yeah it was reading 12.2v which seemed fine

While running? Then it's your alternator gone.

 

[R20BTG]

For those not familiar, the battery should put out 12.X volts (X varies), this is enough to drive the electrical items in the car (starter motor, radio, power steering etc) but unless the battery is replenished, the battery will eventually run out. It's the alternator's job to put charge back into the battery. It is driven off an accessory belt on the engine and charges the battery by shoving 14.x volts (X varies) back into the battery when the engine is running.

1. 12.x volts from just the battery (engine off) = normal
2. Less than 12 volts from just the battery (engine off) = duff battery, or battery needs charging
3. 14.x volts when engine is running = normal
4. Less than 14.x volts when engine is running = alternator not supplying enough recharge to battery

Item 4 will eventually lead to Item 2.

 

[alliemam197]

While running? Then it's your alternator gone.

Nah, before it went back in the car

 

[Sean197]

Try a new battery first as it's the cheapest and easiest to replace.

 

[suj]

Nah, before it went back in the car

Then I would leave it overnight and see if it still is at 12.3v (as most times when dead and left, they actually drop much lower), then if still 12.3v, get the car started and check voltage across it, if it's not 14+v then you need a new alternator.
I recently had to get mine rebuilt as it was reading 12v when running, been spot on since.