- a) Check the condition of the battery wires at the places where they are connected to the terminals of the latter. Check the reliability of the fastening of the terminal clamps;
- b) Check Battery Status (see Section Checking the condition and replacing the battery). If necessary, recharge the latter, or replace it with a new one;
- c) Check the condition of the wiring and electrical connections of the generator and voltage regulator;
- d) Check the condition and tension of the alternator drive belt (see chapter Settings and ongoing maintenance). Replace if necessary;
- e) Check up reliability of a tightening of bolts of fastening of the generator;
- f) Start the engine and evaluate the intensity of the background noise emitted by the generator;
- g) If equipped, check the condition of the fuses in the mounting block in the engine compartment of the car (see chapter Onboard electrical equipment).If any of the inserts fail, investigate and eliminate the cause of the overload;
- h) Check the operation of the charge indicator lamp in the engine instrument panel. With the ignition on and the engine off, the lamp should be on. Otherwise check up a condition of a chain on a site between the generator and a control lamp;
- i) Check the condition of all fuses in series with the charging circuit. The location of the fuses and fuses may vary depending on the year of manufacture and model configuration, however, the designations remain the same. See wiring diagrams at the end of the Chapter Onboard electrical equipment.
2. Using a voltmeter, measure the battery voltage at the back of the generator with the engine off and consumers disconnected (heater fan, radio, cigarette lighter, cooling fan, etc., etc.). The result of the measurement should be about 12 V, or slightly higher if the engine has been running for the last hour.
3. Start the engine and retest the battery output voltage. This time the reading should be around 15V (but not higher).
4. Turn on the headlights - the voltage should drop slightly, but not lower than the value recorded during the measurement described in paragraph 2.
5. If the charge voltage exceeds 15 V, therefore, there is a failure of the voltage regulator and the generator must be replaced (see Section Removal and installation of the generator).
6. When the charge voltage is too low (less than 12 V) the generator should be checked for proper operation (see below).
7. Using a voltmeter, probe the terminal "IN " on the back of the generator connector. The required reading is 12V with the ignition off.
8. Turn on the ignition (do not start the engine) and in turn probe each of the terminals. On the terminal "S" there must be a voltage of 12 V, at the terminal "L" - (1.5 ÷ 2.0) B, on terminal "IN " - 12 V.
9. Start the engine, raise its speed to 2000 per minute and repeat the test. This time, the following picture should take place: "S" And "IN " - (14.0 ÷ 14.7) IN, "L" - (13.0 ÷ 14.0) IN.
Attention! Make sure that the measuring wiring, hair and clothing do not come into contact with moving elements in the engine compartment of the car!
10. At negative results of checks described above estimate a condition of electroconducting of a corresponding chain. If the harness is defective, replace the alternator.
11. If you suspect the development of leakage currents leading to battery discharge, refer to the material in Section Checking the condition and replacing the battery.
12. If you find signs confirming the presence of a leakage current, begin to carefully remove, one by one, the fuses of the main on-board electrical consumers, such as the radio, heater fan, luggage compartment lighting, etc. Continue to remove the fuses until the test lamp goes out, then check the condition of the appropriate consumer circuit and make the necessary remedial repairs. Recheck the state of the charge system.
13. If the removal of the fuses does not give any results, disconnect the output wire and other electrical wiring from the rear wall of the generator, - turning off the probe lamp will indicate a failure of the generator or voltage regulator, - replace the assembly.