id say u need a new battery.

The alfa system needs a lot juice to run, so if the battery is a little low you will get warning lights.

Get someone at Halfords to check how much power its putting out.

 

Charging the battery in situ should not cause a problem, I believe that you battery is the fault.

 

Charging the battery in situ should not cause a problem

yes it can

which is why we recommend removing the battery to charge it.

 

You didnt charge it while it was connected I hope...

 

Yes, I did charge it whilst hooked up to the car.

Have I broken something?

 

Hi Guys,

I had the battery checked, and the guy said it was ok-ish, but not great, so I replaced it with a decent one.

Now all the system errors are gone on start up, but I'm just left with one bit of odd behaviour.

Sometimes when I turn the ignition on, the dash lights are dim, and the multi display is blank. If I turn it off and on again, one or more times, eventually everything will be normal.
Then I wait till the glow plug light goes off and it will start normally with no errors.

However, sometimes, if I touch the brake, then the engine dies, and all the dash lights go out. Sometimes it happens when I put it into reverse, too. This puts me back to the beginning.

If I rev it after it's started, then everything is fine.

Of course other times, it simply starts and is totally normal.

Any ideas what's going on now?

Thanks.

 

The thing is, the cars electonics like DC.

A charger has rather uses a rather roughly chopped up AC from a very basic rectifier to charge the battery.

As some of the systems on teh 147 never sleep - something could be damaged by this.

Never charge the battery in situ unless you either disconnect it from the car first, or use a very smooth charger, (usually a trickle charger) built specifically for in situ charging.



.......but all you problems sound like a bad earth - clean up the clamps at the battery and also the other end of the leads at teh chassis/ blok/gearbox. Disconnect both legs of the battery and remove and clean up the negative connections and do them back up.

 

I've found it!

It's the ignition switch at fault. Jiggling the key makes the fault come and go.

And the best bit...

It's under warranty, as it was replaced along with all door locks and keys, after a lorry ripped the driver's door (and nearly my head!) off.

And the even better bit...

It's booked in for a service next week, at the place where the repairers sent the car to have the locks done, and everyone's accepted that it's their responsibility to sort it out.

 

Was just going to suggest it could be the ignition switch.

The same dim light/ dead dashboard thing happened to mine not long ago and s0d's law, while the switch was on order it fixed itself, never to return. So I'm left with a brand new ignition switch sat there in the shed. The S0d Murphy and his law states the day I flog it to get some money back it will go again and I'll have to order another ignition switch.

Good luck getting it fixed