Please help. Heavy steering and ""Alternator fault: battery not charging" fault

[jastreb]

I purchased an A5 (MY09, 3.0TDi) only yesterday. I drove it the day before and it was fine. BUt this morning when I went to pick it up, the car turns on but the steering is heavy and there is an alarm:
"Alternator fault: battery not charging"

The guy I bought this off (its still at the front of his place" says he had his dads friend take a look at it and he said it was a bad alternator.

Could that be true? Why would the steering turn stiff if it is a bad alternator? My thining is that its the accessory belt at the front which drives both power steering and alternator. Thats just what I think after reading through the web.

What do you guys think?
Thank you in advance.

[JacksonA3S5]

my 2009 just had a bad alternator at 71k when the alternators go out, the belts almost always go with them. The steering stiffness is due to lack of power in the power steering box, the car has chosen to divert power to more necessary items.

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[jastreb]

my 2009 just had a bad alternator at 71k when the alternators go out, the belts almost always go with them. The steering stiffness is due to lack of power in the power steering box, the car has chosen to divert power to more necessary items.

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Thank you for your quick response. So if its purely an issue of power, if I was to take a couple of batteries with me I could possibly drive it home (about 70km)?

[JacksonA3S5]

it's possible, but highly unrecomended, as it could cause more damage to the car.

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[jastreb]

thank you again. Can I get some clarity on this, is the power steering driven by the battery, aletrnator or the accessory belt? That belt up front which I think is called the accessory or serpentine belt i see goes around a number of pulleys including A/C, Power steering and alternator. Am I wrong in thinking that for both steering and warning light about alternator not charging is perhaps by a faulty/slipping accessory belt?

[JacksonA3S5]

no, you are not wrong, but atleast my alternators that I buy and audi prefers lock up when they go out causing the serpentine belt to snap. check the belt first and if the alternator still doesn't charge then get a new one of those after, but it's not necessary to buy a new alternator if the issue is just the belt

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[jastreb]

no, you are not wrong, but atleast my alternators that I buy and audi prefers lock up when they go out causing the serpentine belt to snap. check the belt first and if the alternator still doesn't charge then get a new one of those after, but it's not necessary to buy a new alternator if the issue is just the belt

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Thanks JacksonA3S5. I went to get the car thinking I would drive it home and I took 3 spare batteries with me. Well, instantly it was obvious that I wasn't going to drive it home as the serpentine belt was completely destroyed. I have now towed it back home and is in my garage. Is there any guides here on this forum or somewhere else on how to diy fix this issue? Is there anything else I should change while doing the belt? I have seen mentioned that its a good idea to change the tensioner as well while doing belt. Any advice appreciated. Thanks.

[jastreb]

no, you are not wrong, but atleast my alternators that I buy and audi prefers lock up when they go out causing the serpentine belt to snap. check the belt first and if the alternator still doesn't charge then get a new one of those after, but it's not necessary to buy a new alternator if the issue is just the belt

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Is there a way to test if the alternator is good while there is no belt on there?

[JacksonA3S5]

no

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[JacksonA3S5]

and you can diy, the hardest part is removing the front bumper, after that it's a tensioner pully, that you need to loosen up to make it so the belt can be put on, then tighten the pully and put the bumper back on

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[jastreb]

and you can diy, the hardest part is removing the front bumper, after that it's a tensioner pully, that you need to loosen up to make it so the belt can be put on, then tighten the pully and put the bumper back on

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wow, i need to remove the bumper? that sounds scary. I will jack it up tonight and see what I can see.

[jastreb]

and you can diy, the hardest part is removing the front bumper, after that it's a tensioner pully, that you need to loosen up to make it so the belt can be put on, then tighten the pully and put the bumper back on

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OK so, i have removed the underside big plastic protective covers and most of the mess that was caused by the blown belt. I have not taken out the front bumper yet but unsure how that will help me unless it gives me access from somwehere near the headlights. Its the radiatior and fan assembly that seems to be in the way.

Also does anybody have a diagram of the belt run around the pulleys? not sure how its supposed to be wrapped around as the belt was completely blown when i looked at it.

Cheers. Alex

[jastreb]

and you can diy, the hardest part is removing the front bumper, after that it's a tensioner pully, that you need to loosen up to make it so the belt can be put on, then tighten the pully and put the bumper back on

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G890A using Audizine mobile app

I have tried to remove bumper bar unsuccessfully. Any guides on how to do it? I have removed all bolts that I can see that may be related. Its a loose on sides a bit but won't come out.

[jastreb]

I have tried to remove bumper bar unsuccessfully. Any guides on how to do it? I have removed all bolts that I can see that may be related. Its a loose on sides a bit but won't come out.

Bumper removed. Would appreciate any info or links on putting it in service mode from here so I can get to the belt. Its been very slow progress but learning a lot as I go.

[jastreb]

I have managed to get the car in a sort of a service position. Looks like on my car i need to take out radiator hose to get proper service position but i got enough to get me to do what I need to do. So anyway the belt tensioner is out but I am not sure if what i am seeing with the tensioner is normal. There does not seem to be a spring assembly to keep it under tension. I have made a video. What do you guys think? Video link attached

https://youtu.be/kaR1C54jjFQ

[illegitimus]

An FYI to anyone else who might experience this with message popping up on the dash "Alternator fault: battery not charging" and stiff steering. This had just happened to a friend's 2010 A4. He made it safely home, however, upon inspection we discovered that the accessory belt was loose and nearly off! The idler pulley was damaged! Hadn't looked any further but since the belt is so loose the tensioner might also be damaged... Check the accessory belt first before going about replacing the battery.