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[Jonbx]

I have a 99 Omega Elite and it has run like a dream for the 5 years I have owned it.

It all started with a traffic jam and a sudden mis-fire - then £500 quid later from the garage, it emerged with new leads plugs and a dis pack... great.

Now the battery is flat and a visit to the local formula 1 centre told me that it now needs a new alternator and a £400 bill to supply and fit one.

What are the odds of my alternator going at the same time as the dis pack and leads?

Should the guy who checked my battery for dead cells and tested the output from the alternator have revved my engine to 2000 revs?

Going on a short run charges my battery up enough to start, but within a few hours it is dead as a dodo again. I dont think this is my alternator playing up, I reckon I have something discharging my battery when its stood still.....

IT IS DRIVING ME CRAZY - Should I shell out the £400 or does anyone have any good ideas to save me the money?

Is replacing an alternator an easy home job? :-/

[Auto Addict]

See here http://www.omegaowners.com/forum/YaBB.pl?num=1153772945

[Marks DTM Calib]

Fill your profile in so we know where you are.

[Jonbx]

Sorry - new to all this - profile completed!

[JasonH]

To test the alternator you need a voltmeter across the battery.

Read the volts with the engine off (expect 11V to 13V)
Read the volts at idle (expect say 13V)
Read the volts at say 3,000 rpm (expect say 14.5V)

With the results you can get a good idea whether it's the battery or alternator.

As Mark's guide shows the alternator is quite a servicable part. Spares can often be found on Ebay for a few pounds.

Alternatively there are lots of Omegas being broken so a second-hand alternator should be fairly easy to find at a reasonable cost.

Basically with a bit of shopping around I bet you could repair your alternator properly for £20.

Of course it could be the battery, a good replacement from Vauxhall at Trade Club prices (need a member here to help you out with that) will be around £35+VAT.

[Jonbx]

Thanks for that....

I disconnected the battery completely today and attached it to a charger - Now here's the thing. Battery charges up, but as soon as disconnected from the charger, I can connect my voltmeter and physically watch the voltage ticking down... It seems to be losing its load faster than a male virgin. Now common sense says that the battery has got to be duff - since shouldnt be discharging with no terminals connected to it - BUT if that is the case, why did the formula 1 guy tell me there were no dead cells - Anyone think he was trying to rip me off £400 to fit an alternator?

REALLY interested therefore if some kind member out there can connect me up to a new battery for £35?

Or am I getting prematurely optimistic?

[TheBoy]

Thanks for that....

I disconnected the battery completely today and attached it to a charger - Now here's the thing. Battery charges up, but as soon as disconnected from the charger, I can connect my voltmeter and physically watch the voltage ticking down... It seems to be losing its load faster than a male virgin. Now common sense says that the battery has got to be duff - since shouldnt be discharging with no terminals connected to it - BUT if that is the case, why did the formula 1 guy tell me there were no dead cells - Anyone think he was trying to rip me off £400 to fit an alternator?

REALLY interested therefore if some kind member out there can connect me up to a new battery for £35?

Or am I getting prematurely optimistic?

Measure the voltage across battery at different revs.  Possible a faulty alterantor has cooked battery.

Batteries nice and cheap with Vauxhall Trade Club

[Jonbx]

I disconnected the battery from the charger overnight and testing it this morning showed only 8.3 volts but seems stable at that - ie the voltage is not plummeting while you watch - as it did last night.  I'm going to need a new battery anyway... How do I get a battery through the trade club?

[TheBoy]

I disconnected the battery from the charger overnight and testing it this morning showed only 8.3 volts but seems stable at that - ie the voltage is not plummeting while you watch - as it did last night.  I'm going to need a new battery anyway... How do I get a battery through the trade club?

You need a TC card.  I have one, and its registered at Grose's, but I'm in Brackley.  Sure there are other Northampton members with TC.  3.0l is either £42 or £49 + VAT depending on whether a 66 or 72Ah

[Jonbx]

Thanks for the info - How do I find out / contact other members in Northampton - Cheapest quote I have got for a battery is £76 - Guess I need to weigh up whether its worth waiting a few days to save £26 - I have one of those portable jump start battery things to get the  car started - but do I run any risks of damaging anything else driving the car with a duff battery?  It doesn't die once it is running...

[JasonH]

Careful buying cheap batteries - they don't last.

Try and get a good price on a good make like Varta, Bosch or the Vauxhall Go batteries.

Avoid the Halfords Exide batteries - generally get poor reviews.

With a battery that bad you really should change it pronto or it may smoke the alternator. The battery provides a cushion for the alternator when there's a peak load. At the moment your battery is a large load instead...

[Big_Mart]

BATTERY BATTERY BATTERY.

[Big_Al]

In my experience avoid Form#ula 1 like a dose of S.T.D
total W -anchors

I'm certain it's your battery though  

[Jonbx]

ok - new battery fitted - alternator is now kicking out over 13 volts at tickover - Lets wait and see what happens....

Thanks for all the tips and advice guys.

 

[Albert1]

Agree with the post above about Formula one - the one nearest me is the HQ office, and they're still shite..!