A Bit of Background…
MONDAY: Well the battery warning light on my car came stayed on slightly longer than normal on the morning’s commute to work. And it stayed on every time I was under 2k RPM on the way home. So I thought “Ahhhh! somethings up! Must get that looked at”. Probably the Alternator.
TUESDAY: OK. The battery light is now on almost permanently unless I am flooring it! Alternator, has defiantly gone, I must pop by the garage tomorrow.
WEDNESDAY: To quote from a famous film ‘Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! Fuck!‘ I Jumped in the car this morning, to shoot to work. The plan was to drop the car off at the garage on my way. What I got was Derrrrr, Derrr, *nothing* The battery is as flat as a very flat thing that’s been jumped on by an obese elephant.
OK, It is easily fixed. I phoned up my Dad, and got him to pop over with jump leads. Get the car started and take it to the garage for repair. What could go wrong? What could go wrong!
1) I phone up all the local auto-elec’s and garages to get the best quote and see who’s got parts. Several say they can order part, may take a while to get in and it will be about £200+VAT.
2) I phone up a place that only sells Motors & Alternators. These guys inform me that for my type of vehicle, it could be one of 2 types of alternator. Up to the year before my car its Type1 from the year after my car its Type2. For my exact year of car, They do not exist! (Why did I say “What could go wrong“),
3) I phone up the people who actually MAKE the alternator. We are now getting somewhere. These guys admit the alternator exists (A Start), but they don’t actually have any in stock, and will not be getting any for the foreseeable future!
ARGGHHHHH!!!! why is nothing easy! what could go wrong?
Luckily there’s a local place that repairs motors, and plays about with such things. So I stripped the engine to get the alternator out (Bloody thing also runs power steering, servo breaks, oil pump, most the engine is plugged into the alternator). I shoot it over to this place, and cross my fingers that they can repair it…
Four hours later, I now have a reconditioned and repaired Alternator for just £50.
I’m back on the Road.