My 1998 1.9tdi's battery light came on earlier today and the car then wouldn't start. I had a look and one of the fuses in the box on top of the battery had melted. I've bypassed this and the car started but it's still not charging. Any ideas what to check? Belt seems fine so I'm almost certain it's electrical but I'm not sure where to start looking.
Any ideas chaps?
Cheers

 

Best thing to do m8 is change the fuse and test the load coming off the alternator

 

Fuse has been temporarily removed so that's no issue now. I'll test that later on. Any other ideas for obvious faults? I'm praying for an easy fix as I'm away from home

 

Have a look down in front of the gearbox by the starter motor. There may be a 2 pin plug there on a plastic bracket on top of the starter motor. Sometimes one or both of the wires can break which will result in the alternator not charging. Not all of them have this plug though depending on the year (I can't remember what year has what).

Worth a look as I've come across this issue a fair few times.

 

Checked for that and they both seem fine. I've come to the conclusion the alternator is definitely fucked

 

If the clutch plays up the alternator shuts down.
Could just need pulley changing. £40 for the pulley.
Could be a buggered alternator though.

 

Have u checked the charge rate with a multimeter?

 

Someone else mentioned that too. Once I get the car home I'll have a proper look as it's going to need to come to bits anyway.

I've checked the charge rate and it's very low. So if it isn't the pulley then I'll change the alternator

Cheers chaps

 

Have you checked the rest of the main connections in the box by the battery? I've done a couple of vag cars where the connections have burnt out. I've been out more than once to 'replace an alternator' and found the wiring connectors to the large fuses burnt out. Removed them and cleaned all the contacts and been fine after.

 

A melted fuse is a sign of a poor connection at the fuse holder, giving a higher resistance, thus heat. If it was pulling too much current it would have simply blown.