Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted April 5, 2020 Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 Forgot to mention, if the alternator test above proves fruitless, remove the boot light bulb(s). It might seem as theough the bulb is going out but i have found on my Sterling (which probably uses the same switch) that the boot light switch (usually attached to the latch) leaks current, especially if it gets damp from condensation or whatever. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 1 hour ago, Laird_Scooby said: That may well be Pete, however what is the alternator doing when you're not testing it and the engine isn't running? Not a question you can answer easily unless you sit there with an ammeter between the battery and the vehicle electrical system 24/7 which just isn't possible. Try disconnecting the alternator battery lead (wrap some insulating tape round it to prevent shorts) when the car is going to be idle for any time. Reconnect before starting - DON'T FORGET!!!!! If the battery has remained charged, you have an intermittent fault in the alternator. Might take you a bit of time to find the fault and even then pinning down which part of the alternator is causing the problem is going to be tricky. With a drain of 30mA, the battery should survive fairly well, most cars have anything up to 40mA drain normally, some a little over that and don't have problems. It's usually when the drain gets to over 100mA that things start getting dodgy. I see where you are going, reverse leak through the "recitfier" ...good point....some owners havd had new alternators too...but from lack of charge more than anything else. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted April 5, 2020 Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 That's what it turned out to be on my Sterling Pete, found it totally by accident one day when it started raining with the bonnet up and the raindrops were sizzling on the alternator. Bear in mind i'd had the car some 8-9 years at the time and just putup with the occasional flat battery because although i'd tested it many times, i hadn't found the fault - "NFFATOT" - No Fault Found At Time Of Test. Given the engine had only run for a few minutes about a half hour previously, it and therefore the alternator should have been cold, not hot enough to fry raindrops instantly! Never found the exact component causing the problem but i suspect a rectifier diode breaking down and shorting the battery through the alternator winding. If other owners have had new alternators, has this cured the problem on theirs? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 5 minutes ago, Laird_Scooby said: If other owners have had new alternators, has this cured the problem on theirs? Exactly my thoughts so put that out there to the Elysion owners group, see what the response is....... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st123 Posted April 5, 2020 Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 Not had any problems with mine 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 1 hour ago, st123 said: Not had any problems with mine Never had a flat battery ?? How long has it ever been left between uses? Or do you use it every day ?? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 Back to basics, start with the battery. Currently (!!!) got the battery off the van, on charge with a recyling charger....will boost it to max then its out with the drop tester to see what it does. Its a Halfords four year warranty battery, two years in, so if does fail it will be winging its way back to them....when the lock down finishes !!!! mind you i could just give it to someone who doesn't understand "lockdown" or even English , on their way to the park opposite the complex with Halfords in it !!!! 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st123 Posted April 5, 2020 Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 2 hours ago, PTR200S said: Never had a flat battery ?? How long has it ever been left between uses? Or do you use it every day ?? Not on the elysion, used 5 times a week as classed as a key worker 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Founding Member PaulS Posted April 5, 2020 Founding Member Report Share Posted April 5, 2020 I've had the same problem on a Merc, turned out to be a door light switch leaking. Might not be the case on your beast, but checking boot and door sensors for leaks is easy..... and a quick cheap fix if it is the problem.... 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 14, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 14, 2020 Elly was back in the workshop today, well the fresh air outside workshop actually ! Although I have not been using it due to the lockdown I did venture out to the shop last week for supplies....noticed what looked like an atf leak on the drive when I returned, where the van had been stood. Now as I had changed the box oil a few days previously I presumed it was some atf runoff, when I took the filter off, coming off the lower chassis although it did look to be a lot. I parked the van slightly away from the driveway stain. As a run to the stores was imminent, tomorrow, I thought I would check the van and so moved it again only to find another patch of what looked like oil on the drive but in the new position. Popping the bonnet revealed "smoke" which turned out to be coolant coming from behind the intake manifold. Further investigation showed the leak to be coming from the other end of the pipe I replaced in September last year, a temporary pipe as it was at the time.i had bought the genuine Honda pipe but because it took about ten days to arrive i used standard coolant pipe off the roll , I needed to use the van, and it was this that had split. To get to the pipe the intake tract has to come off , and the battery, again!!!!! The confusion on the "atf oil" patch was the coolant , pink, running onto the area of atf spill and washing it all off !! Anyway new Honda pipe installed and a test drive proved successful, another job off the list which wasn't actually on the list to start with !! !!!😬 Bit tight down here ! Old pipe with split ends , I can feel a song coming on..... New pipe on the block 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
st123 Posted April 14, 2020 Report Share Posted April 14, 2020 Nice one good you had the spare pipe ready to go👍 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted April 14, 2020 Moderators Report Share Posted April 14, 2020 Excellent diagnostics and work Pete! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted April 14, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted April 14, 2020 9 minutes ago, st123 said: Nice one good you had the spare pipe ready to go👍 Yes, the one from Amayama I sent for last year...🙃 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted June 15, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted June 15, 2020 After the Coupe had a bit of attention I thought I ought to check Elly out, been doing quite a few miles over the last three weeks, about two hours a day driving, fully loaded. Usual stuff, fluids etc, all ok except the coolant, right down at the bottom of the expansion tank, a pint of fluid to fill it back up. The last culprit was the small transfer pipe for the throttle body but it was replaced, Honda one, and it is still dry....no leaks underneath that are apparent but it could be under pressure when hot. Engine is running fine, smooth and still with 250 frantic horses harnessed by the feel of it. Transition to three cylinder mode, and back, smooth and almost undetectable. No "smoke" from the pipes. No overheating according to the temp gauge. Returning 9km to the litre, 25.5mpg loaded and mixed cycle. Oil perfect, clean now it's back on Tradetec and has not moved off the full mark......... Got to be a small leak somewhere....?... 😞 Never got to clean it 😞 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted June 27, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted June 27, 2020 Still not managed to find the coolant leak....very small wherever it is, thinking it might be a radiator problem......about quarter of a pint again today after a week of driving.. anyway decided to give the beast a thorough washing, in conjunction with the Coupe ! 🙂 It has been a while since its last wash and although not dirty enough for the dirty car thread it was definitely "minging" !! Just got to clean the wheels now, too many spokes ! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted July 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted July 5, 2020 Checking the coolant levels , with my new prestone to hand, I discovered it was bang on the full line......wtf ??? All week driving and it's not moved.... 🙃 Ok, I guess this is a good thing but I am more concerned why it had gone down now. Couple of thoughts... It's been hot and lots of stop start traffic, did it discharge a small amount through the overflow? The coolant pipe I replaced earlier in the year, although bled was there still an air pocket that has finally filled up ? Is there a small leak somewhere that I need to lots of miles under pressure for it be noticeable? For now, no idea, however, I will definitely need to keep an eye on it. The oil is perfect, clear and golden and she still seems to have those 250 horses galloping along under the bonnet 😁 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted July 22, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted July 22, 2020 Yesterdays, check of the coolant revealed its still in the same place, right bang on the line......its been a lot cooler of late....still, a bit odd. Just need to keep a careful look at it each week for the time being. Oil looked good but starting to discolour slightly now, no excess volume in it so no water and definitely no mayonnaise. Fuel consumption this week, average 9.6km per litre according to dash computer , that's 27.1 mpg for the old imperialists ! (me!) on super unleaded. Pretty happy with that for mixed town and country driving. Got another chunk out of a wheel, about an inch from the bolt circle plus one on the face of a spoke nearer the outer edge...must have been something flung up from another car by they way the groove marks go, opposite side of the road I guess....certainly not kerb damage as its far too high up the wheel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted October 21, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted October 21, 2020 today was fluid check day for Elly, and the Coupe too, plus an extraction of a full reservoir of PS fluid replaced with nice clean stuff courtesy of Mr Honda. Everything else checks out but those front tyres look like they have gone past a simple front to back swap. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted October 27, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 Today is New Tyre Day for Elly, well front anyway, along a spot of shopping....Wilko ! 🙂 went to van to put a few things in it...no response to key card/ touch open system. Tried door, unlocked, no ignition. Battery is as flat as a pancake, 3.6v ... On boost charge now as I need to get to the appointment for the tyres at Protyre. As far as I can tell I must have left it unlocked which presumably left circuits engaged... 😢 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted October 27, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted October 27, 2020 An hour on the battery charger put plenty in for a trip to Protyre that got me two shiny new boots, perfectly balanced and a smooth as you like on the road. Pity they didn't wash the lube off the wheel but a 9/10 for speed and efficiency 🙂 Maxx RT 2 ......Cheers Ahsy 👍 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted November 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted November 5, 2020 Used my new toy again this morning, my brake fluid tester, to test the water content in the brake fluid. Elysion passed with flying colours as did the 06 plate Jazz did (rude not to check it in passing 😄 ). Interestingly the Jazz did have water on the top of the internal rubber boot, condensation I presume. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted November 5, 2020 Moderators Report Share Posted November 5, 2020 11 minutes ago, PTR200S said: Used my new toy again this morning, my brake fluid tester Links? Pics? Tool review? Pretty please! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted November 5, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted November 5, 2020 ok, ok ! bunging it in the tool review but its only a tester. doesn't make tea, or wake you up in the morning, it does make your life a tad easier and it does tell you if you have wet yourself......🤪 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators PTR200S Posted November 6, 2020 Author Moderators Report Share Posted November 6, 2020 Pre winter caliper clean and lube today. All good, slightly sticky left front lower slider pin. Took all pins out anyway and cleaned and regreased them. The calipers are pretty big with twin piston so pressed those out off the brake pedal and cleaned them, squeezed them back . Cleaned pad ears and lands, all good 🙂 Finally put a smear of grease on hub to stop the alloys sticking to them, re assembled, good to go for winter now.....not that we can go far 😭 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted November 6, 2020 Moderators Report Share Posted November 6, 2020 When they said you could take a break, it's Lockdown they didn't mean "Play with your brakes, it's Lockdown"! Joking aside, all good work there Pete! 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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