vw polo (or volkswagen polo) batterys not charging whilst ru

[David William]

hi can anyone help
my battery doesnt seem to be charging whilst running and then wont start and have no power,it jump starts everytime ive tried,but im also getting a slight loss of power and all lights dim every now and again
and the transmission light keeps coming on and off as does the battery and and another light which i dont know wat it is it looks like a saucepan with drops leaking from it.



t4 diesel vw

[Luxobarge]

Moved to "Technical Queries" section

Sounds like your alternator isn't charging. What voltage do you get across the battery with the engine running?

[Oldcarnut]

Yeah you need to check the voltage across the battery while the engine is running.It should be roughly between 13 and 14.5 volts.That other light sounds like the oil pressure light and if it is you dont run the engine at all.If it is get this checked first or you will ruin your engine, although it could be just an oil pressure switch problem, but dont assume its this.Is this the light below?


http://repairpal.com/images/managed/con ... mp_Red.jpg

[RobG]

Any weird electrical gremlins in an old car: check grounds first! But obviously never ignore an oil light coming up.
Sudden dimming lights and even batteries not charging properly can be due to corroded ground connectors.