Hi all
Been a magazine subsciber for years but now need a little help please. Got a 2011 Autocruise Tempo (Ducato with 3l engine & Comfortmatic which may be relevent?) .
On our way to Portugal over the summer the battery light would come on at start up & after a couple of restarts would go out. When light came on step wouldn't auto retract. When we were in Lisbon took it to a Fiat dealer with the battery light off, they done a quick test & it was charging normally but recommended replacing alternator. Booked it in, got job done & away we went. Next day started van & light was on so drove it the 30 miles to dealer & they checked it again, this time with the light on & it was still charging normally. Also noticed that when light was on step didn't retract & fridge not working off the battery either.
It seems that the alternator when charging trips a relay or something that puts the battery light out, retracts the step & gives power to fridge. Garage cleaned connections, restarted it about 10 times & all good.
Assume you can guess what's coming next lol - yep next day light on but as we were starting our journey home & we knew it was charging we left it alone.
We spent a week coming back home & all the way up to Santander the light was intermittently on. Got off the ferry & the problem hasn't returned, that's over 8 weeks ago & we've covered over 1500 miles since then.
The question is, eventually lol, is it a relay that governs this, if so any idea where it is located as my feeling is that heat is affecting it as it has never happening in this country, it's a bit cooler than Spain & Portugal!
Sorry it's such a essay!
Thanks
Col
Been a magazine subsciber for years but now need a little help please. Got a 2011 Autocruise Tempo (Ducato with 3l engine & Comfortmatic which may be relevent?) .
On our way to Portugal over the summer the battery light would come on at start up & after a couple of restarts would go out. When light came on step wouldn't auto retract. When we were in Lisbon took it to a Fiat dealer with the battery light off, they done a quick test & it was charging normally but recommended replacing alternator. Booked it in, got job done & away we went. Next day started van & light was on so drove it the 30 miles to dealer & they checked it again, this time with the light on & it was still charging normally. Also noticed that when light was on step didn't retract & fridge not working off the battery either.
It seems that the alternator when charging trips a relay or something that puts the battery light out, retracts the step & gives power to fridge. Garage cleaned connections, restarted it about 10 times & all good.
Assume you can guess what's coming next lol - yep next day light on but as we were starting our journey home & we knew it was charging we left it alone.
We spent a week coming back home & all the way up to Santander the light was intermittently on. Got off the ferry & the problem hasn't returned, that's over 8 weeks ago & we've covered over 1500 miles since then.
The question is, eventually lol, is it a relay that governs this, if so any idea where it is located as my feeling is that heat is affecting it as it has never happening in this country, it's a bit cooler than Spain & Portugal!
Sorry it's such a essay!
Thanks
Col