I'm stuck in the back blocks of nowhere visiting my in-laws for Xmas, with no tools, no local jag specialist, and a dead car.

Can anyone suggest likely causes before I take the car to the local auto electrician tomorrow?

Symptoms are:
Car runs ok for 10 mins or so
Then the stereo starts telling me the phone's ringing - there is no phone
Then a couple of minutes later the abs light comes on
Then a couple of minutes later there's a "battery not charging" warning.
At this point the steering gets heavy and jerky like the power assist is intermittent
And a couple of minutes later most of the warning lights come on and the engine loses all power and starts to run rough
At which point the battery is flat and needs a recharge before repeating the above.

All of the above could be battery failure except for the steering thing, which points to belt problems, and the fact that the car was sitting for 2 weeks earlier this month and started fine afterwards, so the battery was holding charge ok that recently - wouldn't expect it to deteriorate that far that fast.

The serpentine belt seems tight and isn't getting hot, so it doesn't seem to be slipping, except the power steering issue says it must be, towards the end at least.

Thoughts?

Dave
2001 xjr 160k km

 

Hi Dave,
From what you are saying 4 things spring up.

Battery on the way out.
As you say, belt slipping.
Alternator.
Engine ground points.

If you have access to a meter and can get it started, check the voltage at the battery terminals, 14.1V usually when idling.

If it is the belt then a quick squirt of belt slip should help.

Hope this helps,

 

Some thoughts:
Generally, a running car won't die after 10 minutes unless the battery is not charging. I suspect the alternator, or as you mentioned a belt, or Jim's other points

I would think you might hear the belt slipping if it was bad enough to not charge.

The steering does have an electronic rate control. I do not know that low voltage will screw it up, but it is possible.

I would find a test meter and see what the battery voltage is doing, and what the alternator output to alternator case voltage is doing. The output is the big wire on the alternator.

 

If there's electronic steering weight adjustment that takes the steering weight out of the equation, which simplifies things. Thanks.

I went and bought a multimeter. Voltage at the battery was 12.8 before start, rising to 14.4 straight after starting, and falling to 12.0 in 5 mins-ish. By that stage voltage at the alternator terminal is also 12 or so. Battery rises to 12.3 after stopping. Looks like alternator or belt. Can't hear the belt slipping though, so I guess alternator. Or maybe regulator - is the reg in the alternator body on these things, or somewhere downstream?

 

It sure sounds like the alternator. If the belt was slipping enough to stop charging, i would have to believe you would hear (or smell) it.
The regulator is indeed integral to the alternator.
You did not say how far you are from home, but a good battery, fully charged should give you a few hundred miles or more if you leave off the accessories and lights.

 

It was indeed the alternator. Stuffed enough not to be rebuildable, apparently. So two weeks later I finally have the car back, having paid $1000 for a job I could have done with $200 of imported-ex-US bits and a few hours of my own labour if it'd been at home.

Why do these things never happen at a convenient time and place?