Autoelectro has released a series of new technical bulletins, continuing its commitment to deliver accurate and up-to-date diagnosis and fitting guides to guard against inaccurate warranty claims and fitting issues.

The first focuses on various Mini petrol 1.6 models (2006-2015), affecting alternator part numbers AEC1676, AEC1868, AEK2548, AEK2966, AEK2967 and AEK2968, after it was reported to Autoelectro that a fitting error caused engine coolant to leak onto the alternator and, as a result, the drive belt ‘slipped’. When inspected in the workshop, there were signs of coolant on the drive bracket. The obvious cause was the coolant pipe, which runs directly above the alternator and across the mounting brackets, so further investigation centred there.

The issue was that when the original alternator was removed, the pipe was not detached and moved into a safe position. By not doing so, the pipe chafed against the alternator mounting bolts and caused the leakage of coolant. Consequently, the drive belt ‘slippage’ resulted in a charging fault. In this case the pipe must be clear from the mounting bolts when uninstalling the alternator. If the pipe is damaged, then it must be replaced.

Other advice concerns the Audi A5, Q5 and Q7s (2007-2015) and concern starter motor part numbers AEY1720, AEY2202, AEY2468 and AEY2615. Autoelectro says there is a known fault whereby, extreme cranking of the starter motor causes it to burn out. The failure in this case is actually caused by the glow plugs. Autoelectro advises that the glow plugs are inspected and, if necessary, replaced to prevent issue in future. The following fault codes will help establish whether the fault exists and tell the technician to replace the glow plugs on the vehicle: P161A, P161B, P161C, P161D, P161E, P161F, P161G and P1651H.

Lastly Autoeltro has identified an issue with the Citroën DS3 1.4/1.6 petrol (2009-2015) which causes the starter motor to burn out and fail prematurely. The failure is caused by water entering the inlet camshaft position sensor multi-plug and therefore, corroding the electrical connection. This means that the vehicle will not start efficiently and the starter motor will crank severely.

Autoelectro recommends that the sensor is substituted and a heat shrink sleeve is installed to the sensor wiring to avoid future damage. In addition technicians should replace the fuel flow control valve before fitting a replacement starter motor.

These and other technical articles are available at www.autoelectro.co.uk.