Under its Borg & Beck brand, First Line has a comprehensive rotating electrics programme, which contains more than 1,100 starter, alternator, and alternator free-wheel pulley references. Here, they extend their expertise to CVW to shed some light on a few common issues found in the Ford Transit 2000-2006.
Alongside traditional designs, the rotating electrics range also includes a growing number of water-cooled and stop-start starter/alternators to provide a complete product solution. All Borg & Beck rotating machines come with a comprehensive two-year warranty against manufacturing defects for total peace of mind. It’s the company’s expertise in this product group that enables Borg & Beck technicians to advise on common problems occurring with the Ford Transit (2000-06) model, in regards to both starters and alternators.
Diesel starter
Problem: Dust and metallic filings can contaminate the starter drive assembly, which will lead to premature failure. This contamination is due to debris from the dual mass flywheel (DMF). These starters also often suffer from premature failure due to contamination from diesel fuel, which is caused by the continual drip of a fuel leak that gradually seeps into the starter and disintegrates the brushes.
Solution: The contamination quickly builds up again if the clutch and DMF are severely worn. Borg & Beck therefore recommends the replacement of the clutch and flywheel assembly at the same time as the starter. A longterm solution is to replace the original clutch/DMF with a single mass flywheel kit (Borg & Beck reference HKF1001).
Diesel starter incorrect diagnosis or fault
Problem: These starters can become sluggish or will start to click when there is a high resistance or voltage drop.
Explanation: This is often caused by the main battery cable to the starter being contaminated or worn. The starter cable will then fill with water, which corrodes the aluminium core.
Problem: Misdiagnosis
Solution: These starters can be incorrectly diagnosed as being at fault when the terminals on the starter relay are contaminated or corroded, which causes the relay to stop working, and will then stop the starter solenoid from working.
Diesel alternator charging failure
Problem: Corrosion/damaged wiring to the alternators 3-pin plug ‘sense’ connection is a common cause for premature failure on transit alternators. It is worth noting that the failure of the ignition relay will cause the battery light to stay on after the fitment of the new alternator.
Solution: These issues are simple to prevent, but cannot always be seen straight away by technicians. However, by raising awareness of the common issues such as these on Ford Transit starters and alternators, they will take much less time to solve.
