[turner]

i have a ford mondeo 2.0TDCi Zetec (115ps) 5d (6) (Euro 4)
55 plate with 79000 on the clock.

had a few problems with it, here it goes

wastegate went on the turbo, (flashing coil light and engine management light, low revs) got turbo replaced. all fine.

the had problems starting, got starter replaced. worked fine again.

last month while sitting in triffic at night, dash lights went out and battery light came on. pulled over and car wouldnt start. called out rac, done various tests on battery and alternator. found alternator not putting out enough voltage 13v. said alternator at fault.

got alternator replaced still same, then garage fitted new battery as a cell was faulty. also replaced tensioner.

got car home and now it isnt starting. when i do get it started (jump) it runs fine with no lights. but when sitting idling with electronics on battery light returns. switch off and dosnt start again. when trying to turn it over it makes a rapid ticking noise with flashing lights???

help been throwing money at it!

[MrDanno]

Sounds like the Smart charge system is not working.

[Hometune]

If I understand the problem, the alternator is able to charge enough to keep the car going, so long as all the electrics are switched off? When you switch on your lights and heater etc, the charge drops and then you are using the battery to keep you going. It drains it and then the ticking noise next time is indicating a flat battery.
As MrDanno says this car has Ford's smart charge where the computer in the car tells the alternator when to charge. The alternator will have a thick wire to it which goes to the battery via the starter motor. There is also a plug with 3 wires on the alternator, this operates the smart charge. There have been problems in the past with this part of the wiring breaking and switching off the smart charge.
The garage needs to check this wiring very carefully all the way back. The break usually occurs about 8-10 inches from the plug but it can happen anywhere. They can disconnect this plug and see if the alternator now charges like a conventional system. If it doesn't may mean the new alternaor is faulty too. The new battery cannot be an ordinary lead acid type, it must be specifically for this car with this system. And jump starting this system can do it irrepairable damage so be very careful.