burned alternator?
help needed.
my G300 won't start a few days ago.
last drive (morning) was like usual, everything works fine, starts without any problem.
in the afternoon things just went south for no apparent reason.
remote (alarm) lock opened the door just fine, key turned to the half position & all indicators light up like usual. then when the key was turned further it felt like a short circuit & fuse drop in your home electricity.
almost no power left in the battery.
i jumped the battery & the car struggled to start. since it was getting dark i didn't go anywhere & just left it sit.
after a few tries (the next day) like that i supposed the battery kept on draining.
i suspect the alternator & got a new one today.
the new one still won't charge the battery. as a matter of fact, the battery power kept getting weaker & weaker.
i looked at the old alternator & there was this burned smell.
could there be something elsethat short circuited and may have caused the alternator to suddenly broke (or burned?)
water pump & radiator was replaced a few months ago.
fuel pump & filter, fuel distributor, injector nozzles and spark plugs were also just replaced last week. the engine started & ran much better after these were done (for 3-4 days before the alternator problem)
any thoughts?
TIA
Hi if the alternator has failed you should get a warning light on all the time the engine is running(located in the instrument cluster) being a petrol engine you require battery power all the time for the ignition spark..I would suspect the battery in the first instance..note: most alternators smell a bit...can you get the original alternator tested? if okay that points the finger at something else.could be a dislodged wire someplace after all the recent repairs..get the battery checked or fit another....it appears that the alternator output is not getting to the battery or the battery is "on the fritz"
Voltmeter is required to tell if you have a dead alternator; my notes on the subject;
Flat battery/dead alternator;
To check what is dead…. Measure voltage at rest .. should be 12.5V min ..13.2V fully charged battery. Start engine and monitor volts .. should be 13.8 to 14.4V … but if battery is dead it may drag volts down ..so put on headlights and then remove battery terminal while engine is running (questionable idea actually but it works!) .. measure volts from engine .. should be 13.8-14.4V = alternator good. If battery under 12.5V when engine is off then charge it for 24 hours .. and then leave 12 hour .. then start car .. then stop engine and measure voltage = if under 12.5V (or car fails to start) battery dead. Also check volts at terminal connection under air filter with ground on engine block just in case you have duff wires from here to battery or earth strap from engine/chassis/battery. I guess only other thing is if there is too much “dark current†because of electric fault .. so check current coming out of battery when nothing is running – it should be under 20mA .. more than this could flatten battery in the 12 hours waiting time.
Schochu, no idea about electrics so unable to help you.
But I am intrigued about your 300GE being a 1997 model. Is this one of the Indonesian CKD assembled Gs made for the police and the army forces?
The last units of the G300 in LHD were made in 1994 but according to my records, the RHDs were made to 1995 (Cabrio), 1996 (SWB Hardtop) and 1997 (LWB hardtop) so yours must be one of these, but was it finished at the factory in Graz or as a CKD kit in Indonesia?
I would love to see some good quality pictures. If you want me to post them, send them to my e-mail: vicepresidente@clubmercedesg.es
TIA
hi mortinson,
actually MB also sold the Gs to civilians (all were CKD when imported).
'85 - '90 or so, they were only assembling 230 & 280 GEs (short & long chassis hardtops).
'93 - '98, LWB 300GEs and SWB (cabrio) only for the military police.
police force didn't get any Gs.
a friend of mine has one of the hardtop SWB W463 here. that's the only one i've seen (short), all of my friends were surprised there's a short 463 here & all (including me) have never seen one here, apart from this particular one.
all Gs assembled in Indonesia are RHD.
sales started to dwindle in '97 and MB stopped the assembly line in '98.
'98 Gs are close to impossible to find. I have only heard of 2 '98s for sale in the past 3-4 years. one is about 50-60% above what the maket price should be. most floating around were '94 - '96
here are some pics:
with some friends:
there are a lot of short W460 dressed up as 463 here, but AFAIK this is the only civilian short W463 known in existance in Indonesia:
back to the original topic:
i guess my next question would be, is that burned smell from the alternator a normal sign when they go bad?
if not, there might be a short circuit somewhere that may have caused the alternator to burn out, correct? what may have caused it, any ideas?
i worry that if i replace the alternator (and the battery if dead), the short circuit may happen again and i'll waste the new alternator & battery
Shochu, many thanks for the pictures, very appreciated.
Those extremely rare Indonesian CKD's are very interesting. Your G is fitted with the very early 7x15" rims which were only fitted to European Spec G-Wagens between 1990 and 1993. Same applies to the very early spare wheel cover.
However, the interior looks like it has been transplanted from a 1998-model, UK-spec G500 except for the speedo in kilometres (note that the 1998-spec LWB G500s were already made in Graz in 1997) and including the beautiful burr walnut and leather steering wheel. Also the side trim attached to doors and fenders in that of the G500 (covered with silver sticker).
Just one question: were the side skirts retro-fitted or did they come with the G? I am asking beacuse they don't seem to be there in some of the pictures..
Enjoy your very fine looking and rare G!
turned out that BOTH alternator and battery is gone.
either the battery shorted and caused the alternator to burn, or the faulty regulator in the alternator caused the battery to overcharge and cooked both of them.
everything is well now. thank you everybody for the help.
@ mortinson:
you are correct about the rims & spare wheel cover. i believe all the Gs here (up to '98 ) were fitted with that particular 15" model. I don't believe i've heard of the 16" rims here.
i believe the interior is the same in all W463s here ('93 to '98 ), all are 300GEs, no G320 or G500 was ever assembled here.
the burr walnut wood panels and steering wheel are extra options. the standard came with zebrano panels and plain leather steering wheel.
ABS & SRS started in '95, if i'm not mistaken.
side trim, that's just some kind of aluminium foil sticker that was done by the previous owner.
regarding the side skirts, you may be referring to the side step (running board)? i added them on a few weeks after i bought the G. they were made by a local who trades MBs for a living, and somehow always came up with a non-stop supplies of G-wagens. none of us ever knew how he managed to get his hands on so many of them.
they are not cheap by my standard (about 450 euros), but far more affordable than the original MB running boards that cost about 1266 euros here. made out of aluminium and covered with rubber on the top part, extremely well made, and very sturdy as well.
he also fabricated some spare wheel cover from steel plate, exactly the same as the original. he still has a few left, but ran out of the s/s ring and he's looking for some. i'll post pics when i get it (when they're ready)
i believe the interior is the same in all W463s here ('93 to '98 ), all are 300GEs, no G320 or G500 was ever assembled here.
the burr walnut wood panels and steering wheel are extra options. the standard came with zebrano panels and plain leather steering wheel.
ABS & SRS started in '95, if i'm not mistaken.
Yes, my point is that the burr walnut/leather steering wheel was never offered in any G-Wagen until the 1998-model year was launched (and the first where obviously the then top-of-the-range G500s.
Many thanks for the explanations and keep taking part in this forum!
great looking G you have there!
the red soil reminds me of back home.........
i also had an alternator issue last week,but mine was overcharging!!
boiled the battery,blew the main bulbs and the wiper blades were moving so fast you couldnt see them.
could not get a replacement for it but was lucky to have if fully overhauled for £65.
the engineer looked at it twice and shook his head while holding his chin....."never seen an alternator like this in all the 35 years i've been fixing alternators!!"
"makes me proud i own 2 G's,even the alternators are special!!"
i got an overhauled alternator as well.
a friend of mine who works on my G has bought quite a number of overhauled alternator from a reliable place, & none gave him any problem. until mine, of course. but they were kind enough to send me a replacement, one with a higher amperege by mistake :)
overcharging alternator is usually the voltage regulator's problem.
red soil is all we have here, turns into clay after rain :)
thanks for the compliment. it is in the body repair shop getting painted.
obsidian black. i like it much better than the old bluish/greenish smaragd black (car's original color).
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i was told that a way to 'test' the alternator is to pull out the negative terminal on the battery for a very brief period with the engine running. if the engine died immediately, that would mean the alternator was at fault. indeed the engine died right away.
i moved the battery to another car, it seems to be charging on the other car. i pull out the negative terminal & the engine didn't die.
you are correct, somehow it appears that the new alternator output is not getting to the battery (when fitted on the G). if the battery is moved to another car, it 'appears' to be normal.
with another battery fitted to the G, the engine started ok. but i fear that the alternator is not charging the battery & i will soon end up with 2 drained battery.
add:
the battery has gotten so drained that today after the engine is started (with a jumper cable), as soon as the cable is disconnected, it will die in 2-3 seconds. another indication that the alternator is not charging the battery, or the battery not getting charged by the alternator output