What is causing my warning lights to come on?
My check charge light came on and my battery light came on what could be the problem
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Your battery and charging system will need to be tested to see if the alternator is charging correctly. The alternator is most likely the cause of your Charge Light and Battery Light coming on. You should replace the alternator after verifying that the battery tests well and the battery cables are clean and tight. A charging system cannot work correctly if the battery will not hold a load or the cables are corroded and loose. If you need any professional assistance with these inspections, contact a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic, who can properly diagnose the cause of your illuminated warning lights.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
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What`s happening when the battery/check charging system light comes on? Whenever this light goes on, it means that the vehicle is running solely on battery power. If the problem continues and your charging system fails, the battery won`t be able to recharge and it will soon run down, leaving you with a dead battery.
The cause of the battery light could be a loose or corroded battery cable or other wire connecting components of the charging system, or it might be a problem with the alternator or voltage regulator. The alternator generates the power that is stored in the battery.
If this warning lamp lights up while the engine is running, it means that there is a problem in the charging system, usually that the battery has gone bad or the alternator has stopped working. Sometimes if your car or truck won`t start, you have a bad battery, one that can`t hold a charge.
In most cases, a set of sticking or worn alternator brushes, a broken field control wire, corroded battery cables or a bad connection at the alternator or battery will cause an intermittent low-state-of-charge problem.
A blown fuse could be a cause of the battery light to come on. Excessive voltage in the electrical system can blow the fuse and prevent charging of the battery. A electrical technician can replace the fuse quickly and it an inexpensive fix.
An illuminated battery indicator can be caused by a number of issues, including: A loose or corroded battery cable. A problem with the alternator or voltage regulator. Damaged cells or plates inside the battery.
Probably, the most common symptom associated with a bad regulator is flickering, dimming, or pulsing lights. To be more specific, you may notice that the vehicle`s: Headlights fluctuate between bright and dim, without you doing anything. High beam isn`t working as expected.
I did a bit of research and found a battery reset is required to resolve the issue. The message can reset by itself, but the car needs to sit undisturbed for at least eight hours. Perhaps with your work/driving schedule the car doesn`t sit long enough.
Don`t Drive with Your Service Battery System Light On If your vehicle needs a new battery, has a faulty alternator, or wiring issue, it could stop working at any time.
LOSS OF POWER. Of course, losing power is the number one symptom of charging system failure. You might experience problems with dim or flickering lighting inside cabin or your headlights may become dimmer too. Certainly you`ll not be able to start the car if you lose power totally.
The alternator belt is the connection that interfaces the crankshaft and alternator together. If your car`s alternator belt isn`t working properly, your car battery won`t get the charge it needs for your vehicle`s electrical parts. With that, your car battery light will frequently be on to indicate such an issue.
Either way, it`s something you want to check out. If there was enough juice for you to start the car, then you can safely drive the car on however much charge is remaining, but it won`t last long — maybe 30 to 60 minutes max. If the battery isn`t being charged, the electrical systems will start to fail.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
No dash lights, back right tail light is out, no parking lights. Brake lights work though as does head lights.
ANSWER : Hi there. In many cases, when you have electrical problems like you’re describing, it’s caused by multiple electrical component failure. It’s likely that a few electrical relays are not working; especially if you have systems that utilize the same components (such as your brake light and tail lights). I would recommend having a professional mobile mechanic come to your location to complete an electrical problems inspection first, so they can pinpoint what is damaged and recommend the right repairs.
Battery light goes on when I start car then turns off, if I rev engine light comes back until rpms go down. Abs goes comes on/off
ANSWER : Batteries can die due to faults in the charging system so ideally a suspected "faulty" battery should be load tested before a decision is made to condemn it. The only exception to this rule is if the battery is already clearly "old" (greater than 5 years) but even then once you put a new battery in, as a replacement for a "dead" battery, you have to comprehensively check out the charging system. Diagnostic Trouble Code P0460 will result in disruption of the dashboard fuel gauge’s ability to accurately report your tank’s fuel levels. The fuel gauge readings may be erratic, or read somewhere off scale. Vehicles equipped with a low fuel warning light feature may also suffer from erratic low fuel warnings in the event of a code P0460. Unless the P0460 code has been reported alongside other trouble code, all of the vehicle’s essential systems should otherwise function normally. I would recommend that you request a check engine light diagnostic to first resolve the fault causing the P0460 code to set. The check gas cap light warning light could be due a faulty gas cap and/or small leaks in the EVAP system.
Low coolant light comes on when AC, defrost or heater is on, but only if the car is in gear and stopped, what’s wrong with my car?
ANSWER : First, you want to make sure your cooling system is full. Check the radiator not the coolant jug. And check it when it is cold. If it needs coolant, add some. Of course, I don’t feel this problem is an actual low coolant condition. I would expect to find an electrical failure in the instrument cluster or from a component or wiring harness that is connected to the instrument cluster.
As a technician, I have access to reports from technicians across the country. I could not find any reports of this problem, so diagnosing this will require an experienced tech as this is not a common problem. In addition, this happens at intermittent times making it difficult to recreate. The most challenging part of this diagnosis will be recreating the symptom. I suspect it has something to do with the brake switch circuitry because it only seems to happen when you have your foot on the brake. I would begin my diagnosis there with a wiring diagram and test light in hand. The brake switch, instrument cluster, and environmental controls all interact with each other. Something is crossed either because of a failed module or damaged wiring in a harness.
Aside from making sure the coolant is full, this will not likely leave you on the side of the road. If you take it in to be diagnosed, be prepared for them to spend more time than usual to figure it out. Since it isn’t a key problem, you may need to live with it until it completely fails making it much easier to diagnose. Either way, I do recommend having a certified mechanic diagnose the warning light to make sure there isn’t anything serious going on.
Good luck.
voltage warning light still coming on 30-45 seconds after car starts.
ANSWER : Nothing should be replaced until you have in hand a definitive diagnostic pinpointing the faulty segment of the car’s electrical system. There may be too much voltage drop in the charging circuit, as well as elsewhere, but start with the charging circuit. The faulty segment could be anywhere, so using the factory wiring diagram you just have to methodically and systematically test the entire charging circuit until the fault is found. It’s laborious but compared to replacing parts that might be perfectly good, properly diagnosing the fault will save you money and time in the end. As far as the engine warning light, at the moment I would fix the issue with the charging system first because that may resolve the check engine light. If it doesn’t, just request a check engine light diagnostic. If you want the charging circuit diagnostic steps performed by a certified Mechanic, dispatched by YourMechanic right to your location, please request a charging circuit diagnostic and the responding certified mechanic will get this taken care of for you. If you have further questions or concerns, do not hesitate to re-contact YourMechanic as we are always here to help you.
What could cause my ESP light and ETC light to come on while driving?
ANSWER : Hi there. I wouldn’t get too worried. It is normal for the ESP and ETC lights to come on when the Check Engine Light (CEL) does. They are Electronic Stability Program and Electronic Traction Control. Both are tied into the ABS system.
If the engine or transmission is not working properly, these systems will be disabled. The lights come on to inform you of this. If the engine is rough at idle, it is misfiring. The engine computer can detect even the slightest misfire. When it does it will set a code and turn on the CEL. The code will remain stored even if the light goes out.
Misfires can damage the catalytic converter. This is why the computer will only allow you to go 40mph. It reduces the power output of the engine to prevent more damage. Have the codes read out for you if you wish. Misfire codes are P0300-P0304.
For the rough idle, you will still need someone to diagnose why it is misfiring. If I were to guess, I would think you have a bad ignition coil. There is one for each cylinder. If you would like to have all of this checked, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to your car’s location to diagnose the rough idle (as well as any other problems) and can advise you on any suggested or urgent repairs.
Rear brake light, and some interior lights don’t come on unless I’m braking
ANSWER : Hello. Replacing the stop light socket with a new one should have solved the intermittent problem of the stop light not working all of the time. It is possible that when you tweaked the socket, it caused a short to ground. This could explain why the dash lights only come on when you press the brakes.
The first thing that I would suggest is that the stop light socket be replaced. After replacing the stop light socket, if the dash lights still only come on when you press the brake pedal, the wiring for the dashboard will need to be inspected for any shorts to ground or bare wires touching metal that it shouldn’t touch. Since this issue started as a rear light problem, I would start with having your rear lights inspected by a certified technician, such as one from YourMechanic.
Dashboard warning lights come on during acceleration
ANSWER : Hello. Thanks for writing in about your Infiniti EX35. It sounds like one of your sensors for the system is reading incorrectly. I usually check the tires first as an odd tire on the car will cause this. If the tires are fine, then a scan tool would need to be used to see what the other sensors are reading. Most of the time, it is caused by the yaw sensor or the steering angle sensor. If you want to have this repaired, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to determine the cause of the Warning Lights and let you know what needs repair.
Abs light, emergency brake light, steering wheel assist light, engine light, EPC light, traction control light
ANSWER : Hello, thank you for writing in. The vehicle does utilize a lot of the same sensors for these systems. Are there any other codes that are coming up when this code appears? If so you will want to take these into consideration when processing the repair and making a diagnosis. The module may be bad, and replacing it should fix the problem. The lights should turn off once the main computer recognizes the new module and the sensors sync up. If you believe the sensors need to be cleaned you may do so. Do as minimal as possible to make sure you are not damaging the sensor or disrupting the wiring inside. A bad connection would make the lights stay on. With so many lights that are effected by the module being illuminated, the module is likely bad or does not have a connection. Check the connection first and then resort to replacing the unit. For more help with these electrical tests, contact our service department.
