hey guys i have this little issue with my battery light on. everytime i turn on the car after a couple of minutes of drving the battery light turns on, then off, then on again, and keeps doing it every now and then. i already put a new battery and thinking it could had been the alternator malfuncioning i changed it as well but the issue remains. any ideas?? i dont want nothing else to go wrong later on if i keep driving like this...i would appreciate ur opinions and discussion towards this...

 

check the ground, all other connections to battery/altenator, and voltage regulator(dont know where it is). I dont know what causes the battery light to come on but maybe it is the voltage scan with hpt if possible to see what the voltage is doing.

 

voltage was fine i was able to check with the scaner but problem persists and the light keeps coming on. even though it doesnt seem to be affectin the car in any way. but i just dont want to encounter further issues with this later on...

 

when ur battery light comes on that is an indication that there is no charge going through ur system so check ur ground sound like it might be ground out itslef

 

alrite thanks ill be looking in to that...if theres any more input to this plz let me know thanks.

 

Sounds like the alternator is about to fail or is in the process of failing.
This is the symptom that I got just before the alternator failed on my
brother's '97 F150.

 

but i had my alternator replaced after my stock one did the same...now this one too??? it hasent been with the car more than a month and half.

 

Places like Autozone ect can bench test your alt if you take it to them out of the vehical. Check all your wireing make sure its tight, and not corroded. Check your Voltage regulator, or whatever sends the field excitation power to the alternators in these vehicals.

 

Seems like u are having a few problem with ur car. Sell urs and you can buy mine for $10,000

 

Im having this same issues...I'm able to monitor the batt voltage constantly w/the Interceptor.

I just repalced my Alt a month ago, the Batt like the next day this happened.

Issues:

-Only seems to happen when its cold out
-Once the car "warms up" a bit, the voltage jumps back up to 14.4, runs fine the rest of the day no matter how many times I turn the car on and off!
-I put a brand new battery in it. Started the car the next morning on a cold day, IMMEDIATELY shot up to 14.4v, thought "hey! I fixed the issue..." only to return to the start up of 11volts AGAIN the next morning.


Something seems to be heating up THEN making its contact, once that contact is made, the CAR is good!??!

 

same happens here man. =z i just hope it doesnt give any future issues

 

sounds like corrosion in some wiring

 

don't know if it's like this on today's cars, but the old fashioned way of checking your alternator was to disconnect the battery while your car is running. If it stays running: your good, if it dies: alternator is toast.

 

Hey guys,

So I opted to come check the forums for anything promising on this topic - doesn't look like there's anything definitive.

I've been experiencing this for a few years now and as a 'qualified' technician, I've chased down as many options as I can consider...

- Alternator is outputting 13.5 - 14.5
- Battery starts at something like 12.5, drops until painful things start happening ( radio skips, ABS, no power steering :P )
- Similar voltage to the fuse box in most circumstances

Now... I've run into this so many times that I've had the option of addressing it in a few different ways.

- AutoZone (equivalent) alternator test... Good luck doing this, as a number of part stores don't have the required mounting equipment for this alternator...
-- Alternator tested good, I replaced it anyway...
- Swapped the stock battery for an Optima 850 CCA rapefist of a battery - tests cherry.
- Wire inspection:::::
-- I have a plethora of additional 'devices' hooked up to the SLOBalt, Amp, LEDs, Radar, and a couple of other small things. Disconnecting them all does not affect the situation, except to maybe extend my driveability for another 10 miles.
-- There are no loose or otherwise damaged connections in the trunk ( battery, amp, local ground, etc. )

Some simple observations:

- Hit or miss, but primarily only has this issue when it's 'cold' - as someone else stated.
-- If I start her, drive 15 miles, shut down, get my coffee, and start back up, no light.
- IF YOU START THE CAR WITH ADDITIONAL POWER THE LIGHT DOES NOT TURN ON -
-- I've noted during all of my troubleshooting, and general angst over this, that if I have a battery pack in my trunk ( =_= ) and I start the car with it attached ( regardless of whether the car starts on its own or not ), the battery light will not turn on.
- It also seems that in order for the battery status to be cleared, the computer must shut completely off...


My best assessment of this whole thing is that there is some sort of voltage regulator built into the computer, and as a safeguard if it detects too low of a voltage it does... something.

I HAVE Also found ( on a couple of occasions ) loose or otherwise 'faulty' wiring.
- Positive battery mount was getting loose
- Battery-local ground was loose
- Some ( ask if you're really curious... ) wire underneath my supercharger was a bit 'tweaked' as I didn't quite get the orientation of the terminal right when I tightened it down after some work... Terminal was bent and making contact in a couple of places... Potential irrelevant but I hope it helps.

Hope all of this helps for that matter... I'm still chasing a definitive answer on all of this, but hopefully all of this information can help someone else find one!

Best of luck guys.

 

holy thread revival lol. i dont even remember how i solved this finally. thanks for sharing that info though, it could help others in the future!

 

Lol my pleasure. Let's hope you're right.

 

I replaced my crankshaft position sensor and after starting the car the battery light popped up. I checked connections also checked the fuse in the trunk.

 

Check your charging voltage at the battery while the car is running.

 

I would also like to hear an answer to this. My cobalt throws the batt / "Check Charging System" intermittently (have tried to isolate with no luck) Took it in to the dealership with and anti-theft light on. THey replaced the anti-theft module thinking it was the problem. I have put 3 diff alternators in this car (autozone) and have replaced the battery. A note on the paper when I got my car back said it could be a PCM problem?

 

The voltage regularot is in the PCM.
If your battery light is on, check the voltage at the connector at the fuse box (THe one for jump starting) and the engine WHILE it's running. If the light is on, it's proably low. Could your belt be sliping on the alternator?

 

the voltage regulator is not in the pcm it is contained in the alternator

 

Has this issue every been solved?
I just got my car started today after sitting for 2 years. Had to replace the starter due to corrosion.
Now she started up, but I'm getting the battery light.
Battery is 1-1/2 year old, but I connected it to a smart charger and reconditioned it to 100% before putting it in.
Any leads would be helpful.
Thanks

 

I'm digging up this old thread since I'm having a similar issue. It doesn't look like anyone has a definitive resolution

This is my daily driver, but my car sat for about a week due to the holidays/time off/ etc.
Battery is new a few months ago.

I have had the battery light on in the past when the car has sat for 3-4 days, so I didn't think anything of it figuring it would turn off in a few miles.

Last night I start driving down the highway and battery light doesn't go out. Then a few miles later the ABS light comes on. I check the voltage with my obd reader and it says 10v, then starts dropping mile by mile.
I made the decision to turn around just in time. Voltage kept dropping to about 7-8v. Power steering died, security light came on, radio shutoff, dash lights went out, headlights were very dim. I barely made it home and parked it and took a different vehicle.

Today I go out to check the battery and alternator etc. The car starts right up with no issues, no error lights! Battery is 13v, turn it off, restart, no problems. No battery light. Checked the battery with a voltmeter it was 12+v
From the time it barely made it back home to the time I started the car this morning was about 6-8 hours.
It was about 20 degrees last night and maybe 30 degrees when I restarted with no issues.. WTF? Ground issue is the only thing I could think of.

 

Seems like a parasitic loss for the drain over 3-4 days, but the light being on and dropping while driving would be a significant loss. Did you get the battery tested for dead or dying cells? It happens sometimes even on new batteries.

 

If voltage is dropping, it sounds like it could be as simple as a bad alternator. What voltage are you seeing at the battery when the light is on?