I want to preface my Thread by saying that I have used several of the other "Battery Light" and "Alternator" threads to get all the way thru replacing my Alternator and Battery and Alternator again (more about that later).
I should also mention first that for about the last year or so I have noticed that the dash instrument lights, A/C & Radio lights flicker intermittently. At first I thought I was just really tired one day-but then I started paying attention and confirmed that they were indeed flickering. They don't go all the way off; it's more of a slight dimming that occurs rather than the lights turning off and on. It doesn't happened all the time but does happen nonetheless. I just wanted to mention that first before I run thru everything else.

And so the story goes...
I left my 2003 X-Type (2.5L) sitting for a day a few months back and the next day when I took her for spin the battery light was on. No CEL, just the battery light. Arrived back home and the next morning I went out to go to work and the Battery Light was off. I thought maybe the alternator was starting to go and waited for it to happen again.
The battery I have in the car I purchased from Napa Auto Parts back on July 25th 2015. That's why I immediately assumed it was probably the alternator.

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago and the same thing happened again, only this time the light stayed on for the next two drives and then went off on the third drive. I took it to Advance Auto Parts and had them test the battery and alternator and they said that the "alternator looked to be putting out on the low side" (I'm no electronics expert, so I assumed that meant that I should replace it).
I then did a little research on here to make sure that I was getting the correct alternator for my year (for some reason I have found different Voltage Alternators for our cars from 100v to 160v). I went with one that was 120Volts from AutoZone. http://www.autozone.com/batteries-st...?checkfit=true

So I then proceeded to replace the alternator as preventative maintenance thinking that I don't want to have this problem once the temperature drops below freezing or worse, below zero.

Once the New alternator was put in the car I started it up and the battery light was on. I hooked up a OBDII reader and the only code that it was throwing was P1000.
I thought maybe there needed to be a break in period or something so I drove it home. On the way home ALL HELL BROKE LOoSe. First the ABS light came on, then the Brake light, then a Gear Box Fault (which it then proceeded to go into Limp mode) and then I couldn't even use my turn signals or hazards and the poor Kitty literally crawled in the driveway and died.
I took the battery out and put it on the charger and it was completely drained. Charged it overnight and the next morning I put it back in the car and drove it around the block. It did the same thing as the night before. So I took the battery out and took it over to Napa where they tested the battery and told me that it was good but that they would need to test it in the car to get a better diagnosis. I told them I knew that the battery was done and it was under warranty so they gave me a brand new one.
I then put the new battery in the car and went back to the same Napa and they tested it in the car and the new battery tested good (but low) and the Alternator test said "No Output" from their machine (see attachment).

Now (we're almost done with this horror story I promise), I proceeded to take the new alternator out and return it for another one from Autozone. When I took it back they Bench Tested it and it failed all three tests. I had them Bench Test the new one and it Passed all three of the tests that the machine does.
I went back home and put in the "New-New" alternator. I also charged up the new battery as I skipped over a long story about me getting the vehicle back to the work shop but it was basically the same thing that originally happened with the bad alternator, only this time I continued to pull over and let the car sit for a while-so I didn't set off too many of the lights or Gear box fault again.
Today I put in the new-new alternator and the battery light remains on once again.
I took it up to a shop that hooked it up to a volt meter and OBDII that does a little more than mine and he said that the battery looked a little low but that he could hear the alternator and everything looked fine on the OBD and voltage meter (was reading around 13.4v). On the way home from his shop (battery light is still on) the CEL came on.
I arrived home and hooked it up to my OBDII and I received code P1630 and P1000. P1630 Description: Engine running, then the Powertrain Control Module (PCM) detected the system voltage was under 9v or over 17v, either condition met for over 10 seconds.
I cleared the code and restarted the vehicle and the light didn't come on for about three seconds and then remained on. I left the car idling for about 15 minutes with the Heat, Lights and Radio on and no other warning light came on.
I then took the battery out and recharged it again (it was at 25% according to the charger). Then replaced the battery once it was full, started the car and yet again the battery light came on.
I then took the battery back to a different Napa and he didn't have the same kind of tester that the first Napa did so he could only test it with this device that looked like a mini charger but had an analog display that said "Good, Low, Bad". When he hooked that up to the battery it read right on the line of "Good and Low" and he told me that it was "Good". I said "well it looks like it could be right on low" and he said well, it's still in the "Good area technically". So he said that he could test it with a different tester if I took the battery out of the car, which I proceeded to do and when he hooked it up to this other test he said that it was good and that it measured around at 900 CCA but the machine didn't have a print out so I had to take his word for it.
I put everything back together and drove the car from the workshop back home (it's about 60+ miles) with the battery light on this evening.
No other CEL came on the whole drive. Before I sat down here to write this thread, I took the battery out of the car again and now have it charging. When I hooked it up- it said that the battery was 25%.
Throughout all of this I was reading tons of threads here on the forums and proceeded to:
Check all Fuses related to the battery and alternator (they all were good).
Took off the Ground wires and cleaned the crap out of em (they all looked and felt good).
Checked to see if the Positive Battery Cable was hot (it was not).
Rechecked the connection of the Positive Cable that runs to the Alternator to make sure that it was screwed in the way and that the connection was plugged in (which is was).

In closing, I did notice that the flickering happened again on that 60 mile drive. I think I counted it happening twice, but once for sure (hard to tell with your eyes on the road).
I started and stopped the car three times during that 60 mile drive and it started all three times flawlessly.
The car also drove normally (although I do think that I can hear some small whine coming from under the hood; almost like what a supercharger sound likes, only much more quiet. Or, maybe the sound was like listening to an AM radio station and you can hear the car through the radio...not sure if that makes sense but I don't really know how else to explain it).
It was difficult to tell as there is road noise from the highway and I can't hear it with the windows down either.

Let me know what you think.
I am out of ideas.

Glen

 

try running with a volt meter connected, after u start the voltage should be around 15v (yes 15v) after a few mins it should drop to around 13v if it drops below 12v then the batt is not charging.

the ECU monitors the voltage and checks for these ranges . there is an extra wire to the alternator to switch it to the higher voltage. its all controlled by the engine ecu.

 

Thank you. I have an appointment at the dealer tomorrow morning. Not happy about it. I will go have another test done with a voltage meter. The last mechanic tested it and I believe with the engine running it was putting out around 13.4 or 13.6 volts. However, I didn't see what it was when the engine started.

Is that extra wire that goes to the alternator from the ECU the one that plugs into the side of alternator? I only remember connecting the positive cable and the plug to the alternator. Just want to make sure that there's not a third plug that I missed?

 

Took the jag to the same place I originally had everything tested and they thought the voltage from the alternator was low.
Image attached.


Alternator Volts while vehicle running 13.32V

 

Xx-Xtype, first off, your problem is not with the battery, but with the alternator. From the sounds of things, the new alternator that you got is not the correct style for what the car needs. keep in mind that the alternator in our cars uses a pulse width modulated signal (aka, it turns the alternator on/off really fast) to make it output the necessary voltage. Not all vehicles use this concept. So, you get the wrong alternator, it will act goofey on you.

As for the wiring to the alternator, you should have seen a 4 wire plug and a large gauge wire connected to a post on the alternator.

What I would say to do is get your hands on a multimeter and connect it to the clamps on the battery posts (to the actual clamps, not the battery posts themselves). Now, position the multimeter so you can see it as you start the car. What you should see is if the battery is at 100%, the multimeter will read 12.6 VDC with all doors shut and all lights off and once you open the door, it will fall to 12.5 VDC (possibly to 12.4 VDC). Get into the car and shut the door. As you attempt to start the car, watch the multimeter. You should see it drop to around 11.5 VDC as the car is cranking, then jump up to around 14.5-15.0 VDC once the engine catches. It will hang out at that higher voltage for a period of time (about 15 seconds normally) and then ramp down to around 13.7 VDC (ensure all electrical loads are turned off). If you see it drop to 12.6 VDC or lower once the engine is running, then this is telling me that your alternator is outputting nothing. If you do see the voltage hovering around 13.0 VDC, then it has a weak output and may be showing signs of another issue.

Assuming that your alternator is outputting something in the neighborhood of 13.0 VDC or higher, you can try turning on the following: Rear defroster, headlights (low only), dash fan on high. This should put about a 60-70 amp draw on the alternator. The voltage should have remained pretty much where it was before you turned this stuff on. If you see it drop below 12.6 VDC during this test, then this is telling me that you have a wiring issue between the ECU and the alternator or the internals of the alternator are bad.

What you will need to do at this point is access your ECU unless you think that you can access the 4 wire plug on the alternator. What you are going to do is slide a paperclip along the wires I say (one at a time) and touch the multimeter leads to these wires to get readings. Just make sure that the paperclip doesn't come in contact with any other metal objects. All the checks are going to be done with the 3 electrical loads mentioned above on.

First, measure the green wire with a red stripe to chassis ground. This should be the same voltage as what you were seeing across the battery (give or take say 0.2-0.3 VDC). If you are getting 0 VDC, then this would be a sign that you either have a bad fuse powering the alternator or the wire feeding power to the alternator is bad. If you are seeing something over 0 VDC but less than the battery voltage, then this pretty much confirms a bad wire between the fuse box and the alternator.

Assuming that the voltage on the green/red wire is good, next slide the paperclip along the orange wire with a green stripe. This is the field voltage that ultimately tells the alternator what voltage to output. Under the loaded conditions I have set, you should be seeing this voltage around 10 VDC if all is working fine. If you have a battery voltage less than 12.6 VDC, is the voltage on this wire very close to the battery voltage? If yes, then this pretty much confirms you have a bad alternator or a wrong style alternator. If this voltage is at 0 VDC, then you most likely have a problem with the ECU as the ECU is not commanding the alternator to output the correct voltage.

I can safely say that because you have a low voltage condition, that the battery sensing wiring (Blue wire) is fine since if it was bad, the ECU would see to low of a voltage and would be telling the alternator to raise the voltage to make it "output the correct voltage", which results in the alternator outputting too high of a voltage.

The last wire (red wire with a green stripe) is what powers the alternator light. If you have 13.7 VDC (or there abouts) across the battery with a voltage of roughly 10 VDC on the orange wire with a green stripe, then odds are the alternator has an internal issue causing the alternator light to come on. Based on other problems you are seeing, I don't suspect this to be an issue either. You can measure this wire as it should be roughly the same as what the battery voltage is. if it is significantly different, then this would indicate a problem with the alternator.

The final check that you can do is directly measure the voltage on the large single terminal of the alternator. You should see something very close to what the battery voltage is (0.2-0.3 VDC above what the battery voltage is). If you are getting more than that, then you have a problem with one of the battery wires. If this is the case, then let me know and I will tell you how to figure out which one is bad.

 

Thermo, always coming thru with some answers. Thank you!
I plugged in the connector and the wire to the alternator post. Triple checked them both.

I think that the alternators from Autozone are just bunk and for some reason they dont have that feature you mentioned. I went thru the same thing with Autozone and AdvanceAuto a while back for a Land Rover part that didnt fit.

I did find an OEM new alternator for a reasonable price. I wish I would have just kept the original and had it rebuilt.
What brand have you used or rather where did you end up purchasing your alternator?

Im wondering if its even worth going to the dealer tomorrow or if I should just buy that new OEM alternator and replace it again?
They said an about an hour to diagnose the problem but Id rather spend that money on a the new alternator.
Thanks again Thermo.

 

XType, normally the alternators in these cars are pretty bullet proof. So, the need to change them is rare. So, I never had to worry about replacing them.

As for getting a new alternator, if you are wanting to go to a non-dealer place, you have Jagbits.com and Bap Geon. Both of those should have an OEM part for you to buy. A place like RockAuto should be fairly good too. If you are wanting to have the definitive "yes it will work the first time" part, you always have Jaguarparts.com (dealership out of Cleveland, OH) and you have JPLV (sponsor here) (Jaguar/Porsche dealer out of Las Vegas). Both offer pretty good prices on factory parts. JPLV is a bit more phone friendly compared to Jaguarparts.com.

 

I read you mentioning how bulletproof the alternators on X-types are in a different thread. I was just so sure that it was; given the lights flickering and letting it sit for a day and the battery lights coming on.
Probably should have asked more questions before doing the work and not just read about it.
I usually order parts from Rockauto or jagbits but this time I was trying to get the part right away.

Im at dealership waiting for a diagnosis which is free.

Im going to try go thru the checklist you mentioned this weekend and order the new alternator Monday.

Stay tuned.

 

Back from the dealer. They tested all of the cables to and from the battery and to and from the alternator.
The Tech said that theres corosion half way up on the battery cable from the alternator. The positive cable has high resistance.
Ive been looking for the part but can only find this Jaguar POSITIVE BATTERY CABLE FROM BATTERY TO STARTER - C2S22082

Then they said that if that didnt work then I should replace the alternator with an OEM jaguar alternator.

Any ideas what the part number or name of that cable is?

-update--
This is what I came up after looking a while : C2S30013 Forward Harness of primary fuse box 1197

 

Photos of the wiring labels. The first two are the same just wanted to get a shot of the bottom set of numbers.


1X43-14K733<br/>NJA



1X43-14K733<br/>NJA<br/>UEV4E114388230000



1X43-14300<br/>FAB<br/>UEE11E11109*17000

Again, the price the dealer quoted me was $712.00
I was thinking that I may be able to take the heat wrapping off from around the wire and clean it with some electronic spray, then used some non-conductive grease to coat the wire and wrap it with electrical tape and put a new heat wrapping around it. See if that gets or does anything.
Option B is to start with the alternator (assuming I can't find this part and plus the alternator is cheaper) and see what happens.

Your thoughts anyone?

 

Xtype, do not pay the dealership prices. There is nothing special about the battery cables. Guys have pulled the cables from the car and taken them to their local auto parts stores and found cables that were really close for around $40 (both positive and negative cables).

 

Thanks again Thermo.
I took the positive cable off from under the fuse box and by the starter today and greased them with dielectric grease and rewrapped them with electrical tape and some thermal ribbed hosing. I couldnt take the thing off at the alternator to check it completely though.
I did however remove the airbox and go over the cable judiciously to make sure there wasnt any holes or cuts in the cable.
There's no freaking way that cable should be as expensive as it is.

Im going to purchase that new OEM alternator tomorrow and just replace it a third time.
I'll report back here once done.

 

The new alternator that I found for cheap was sold.
I ended up buying a used cable from a salvage yard that has a 30 day warranty and was from a vehicle that had around 100k and replaced it over the weekend ($30).
I tested the cable before I put it on the vehicle and it tested good.
Cleaned it up, installed cable, recharged the battery and started up the car. After about 6 or 7 seconds the light came on again .
The flickering of the lights has gone away though...so it seems like I did fix that problem.

I decided to run the "Engineering Mode" on the vehicle (by holding down the trip button on the turn signal stalk) and monitored the Bat voltage during idle.

When the car is started the the voltage reads 13.3v and then once idling the voltage reads 13.1v to 13.3v. Once I press the gas it goes down to around 12.8v to 12.6v but only while idling.

Took it for a drive and it seems to stay at around 13v.

Based on your comments Thermo, it doesnt sound like an ECU issue correct?
I havent gone thru the steps you provided for testing the ECU yet.

Im going to follow through and just replace that alternator a third time with an OEM Jag alternator.
Almost a pro at replacing that alternator now.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped me diagnose this issues.

Love this forum!

 

batt volts should be up around 15v just after starting, looks like thats your problem.

 

Does your car have a separate alternator suppressor unit??

 

I recently made a battery cable as mine got very hot and was causing battery light issue . Walmart , and some solder was all it took , battery cables weren't nothing special. 20$ done.

 

I'm not sure about this. How would I tell?
The only the wires/cables that I hooked up was the 4 pin connector at the top and the main positive cable at the bottom.

Do you have a link?

 

That was my second option if the one that I purchased was DOA.
Seems to be holding up so far, and as I mentioned the intermittent flickering on the dash lights hasn't shown up (yet).

For anyone else that decides to change out that cable (alternator to starter to battery) using a part from eBay or a salvage yard; I wanted to mention that there's a small wiring harness that connects to the battery box from the fuse box called the J-Box wiring (based on the tag that was attached to the wire).
I tested it and it was good. I was anticipating having to solder the new one but didn't have to.
Just wanted to mention that.