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Strange electrical gremlins - battery perhaps?

1K views 12 replies 5 participants last post by  Pac03 
#1 ·
Today on the motorway everything was fine - until i turned on cruise control. The cruise would not set then turned itself off. Shortly after the VDC and Hill Holder failed. I got to my clients and did what I had to do. When finished the errors where still there on start up and and the car started without the clutch or brake being applied. Then the engine took a few presses of the stop button for it to stop. I checked all the fuses which where fine. On the next start I got various error messages such as insufficient oil pressure, vdc, asr, hill holder etc. On the next start, everything was working fine again and was all the way home.

I am thinking that this may be that the battery is on the way out. Anyone know how to test the battery?
 
#2 ·
Might be worthwhile checking the wiring loom if it goes close to the battery shelf on the 1.9. I have a 2.4 (not the same as you I know), and a couple of years ago I got an error message pop up as I was driving just before I got to a roundabout. When I pulled away from there, the turbo wasn't working (would have been quicker to push the car without it!) and then a sequence of messages virtually the same as yours. AA traced the fault to the battery shelf abrading the loom and shorting a cable(s) which controlled all these. (Mind you, it also blew one of my fuses....)

A length of electrician's tape (& a new fuse) and all was well.
 
#7 ·
First you must check the voltage and water in the battery. But, as always, there's more to checking a battery than testing the voltage and looking inside for low water. For one thing, you need to check the voltage when the engine is off, not when the alternator is raising system voltage to its normal level. You can test for proper cranking voltage with a voltmeter while—you guessed it—cranking the engine. The several hundred amperes of current the starter motor draws should pull the battery voltage down to a normal 9 to 10 volts. Do this test: Disable the ignition or injection to prevent the engine from starting. Then put a voltmeter across the battery posts while cranking it with the key or an external remote starter button. Crank for 15 seconds (no longer); the battery voltage should remain 9.6 volts or above.

Hope this helps. I do not know how to prevent one 159 from starting, but someone else might know this.

Or, you might try to take a look at this page: How to test a battery ? | Technical matters | Back Room Forum | Honest John
 
#12 ·
Check break pads, allthough warning light should come on ... put wd 40 where the break pedal hinge (please not on the rubber) and see if the pedal goes all the way up. if not, go to a mechanic to check stuff like the sensor, break/cluch oil level, break cylinder any leak...
It seems its not the sensor , it is the break pedal not going up again.
heard it happens to the clutch when breaks get really hot, because same oil usage.
some lub into the hinge normally should fix it.
just relax and check it out...
 
#13 ·
Bit off topic sorry but, how do u even turn on/activate the cruise control? Have never got it to work :confused:

Also, On mine I have a green light in the middle of the battery to indicate whether its going flat or not. I can only see a faint green light only in the sun light or using a torch pointed at it. Would that mean its running fully charged or starting to run low? ..always been like that since ive bought it..
 
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