V6 lost power and battery dead too whilst driving

[Simmy]

Hi all i have just picked my partner up from her work at the hospital and on the way home I turned the lights on and the van started to lose power and the radio went off,indicators and windows slowed down. I thought it might be the alternator belt so I tried putting my foot down a bit to see if I got more power to the electrics and the van slowed down like it was struggling. I have managed to drive the 6miles back home with limited power
. Once home I did put the lights on full beam to try them and the engine cut out. Does anyone have any idea what might be wrong? I have checked the alternator belt and it's still attached. I can also get a volt meter tomorrow to try the output of the alternator. I wouldn't of thought that a faulty alternator would affect the driving power of the van,I may be wrong. Oh also the abs light came on and stayed on too

[g8dhe]

Has the hallmarks of non-charging alternator, I take it the Charge light on the dashboard didn't light up ? In which case perhaps check that the connection of the charging cable at the alternator is OK and also the earthing thru the bolts - Disconnect battery -ve terminal whilst playing around of course!!!!!

[Simmy]

Thanks Geoff I'll try that tomorrow. The battery is on charge ready for tomorrow. I will update when I have had a look. I also have a diesel Bongo that I am renovating sat on my driveway. Would the alternator off that fit my v6 if I needed to ? Would be a lot easier than trying to find a scrap yard at the moment

[Simmy]

Sorry I forgot to say the charge light did not come on

[Ian]

Would the alternator off that fit my v6 if I needed to ?

The alternators are not the same I'm afraid.

[Simmy]

That's a shame would of been a quick fix.
Do you know if the v6 alternator is the same one used on any other vehicle?

[g8dhe]

Be aware there are several variations of the V6 alternator, mine appeared to be on the cusp of a change and neither version appeared to fully fit it had the mountings of the new one and the pulley of the old one, I ended up getting the alternator refurbished locally! Which was actually cheaper, other than the fact my garage spent 3 times as long changing it in and out

[Simmy]

Thanks for the info geoff.
I managed to open up the alternator after checking all wired and earths and confirmed it was the alternator at fault. Ince opened up it was seized up and burnt. I looked on ebay at matching model numbers and found the exact same model and it came off a v6 bongo. £80 next day delivery. Thanks for all the help again and I'm sure I will be posting again when something else falls off!

[g8dhe]

Excellent news, you might want to check that the overheat was due to blocked ventilation ducts in the alternator due to oil leaking from the cam seals as was my case.

[Simmy]

I can confirm that there was oil inside the alternator

[g8dhe]

In that case look to replacing your cam seals, hopefully you might need a cam-belt change soon and can get it all done at the same time!

[Simmy]

I wonder has anyone tried to make a cover for over the alternator to save it from getting oil inside? I might have a go at making something and updating afterwards. I will obviously tackle the cause first

[g8dhe]

Problem is it needs the airflow for cooling, so maybe a shield towards the engine side alone might be a way forwards.

[Simmy]

I will have a look and update accordingly

[Ian]

Genuine Mazda cam seals available from Bongoland at https://bongoland.co.uk/product/v6-cam-seal-set/