"Charging Failure"
 

Hi Peoples,

I have a 2011 V60 D3 5 cylinder.

Recently i have the "charging failure - Service Urgent" alarm on the screen.

I have checked the battery voltage at tickover and its only 12.6v, which suggests the alternator isnt doing anything.

It looks pretty easy to change, my question is, are these alternators self contained, or are they controlled from the car itself? and could my problem actually be something else electrical.

The reason i question it being the alternator is it happened within 5 miles of driving though some pretty large puddles (6" deep and 10m long") after last weeks flooding.

Cheers

High miles ? The alternator regulator should be controlled by the CEM.

Try disconnecting the neg at the battery, let it sit for 1h then measure the voltage at the battery posts. See if it's a healthy 12.5v or over. My reason is, sometimes the battery goes bad and the alternator cannot charge it. If you are replacing the alternator, measure right away the voltage to make sure the old battery is still charging correctly.

Inspecting all power cables is also good idea.

We had exactly this message, have you checked that BOTH of your auxiliary belts are still intact? One of ours was snapped so the alternator wasn’t being driven.

Yea the alternator is definetly turning, both the belts are intact

Would the CEM decide that the battery wasn't good enough to charge and just not bother trying then? Otherwise the battery voltage should still be higher when the engine is running i would have guessed. I will try disconnecting.

The start/stop hasn't been working as often as it used to and it always says "battery charging". Now i had assumed this was just normal, but now i have this current issue that may back up that either the alternator has been low on output for a while or that the battery isnt great. Or both i suppose. Its never failed to start.

The Alternator has basic charging regulation built in but modified by the car to suit conditions .. it does seem the alternator is weak or non existent , the water probably finished it off.

Yea, i think im going to just have to bite the bullet and get one fitted. been quoted £330 all in so i think i will just go with that. I will get them to test the battery at the same time.