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Help with van battery.?
On my way home today from work, I noticed my battery light was on. When I looked at the gauge, the arm was in the negative. The radio was not on. The car never acted up. When I got into my drive way, I turned off the van and it cranked back up but the light was still on. I have had the van for about 3 years and I am thinking that the battery just needs to be replaced. Is there anything else I should check before I skip work tomorrow to get a new one? By the way, I did open the hood and looked at the cables. They were not corroded and the battery - well, looked like a battery!!
Thanks
6 Answers
- hsueh001Lv 51 decade agoFavorite Answer
Alternator not charging properly, get alternator tested also! The battery light will come one when your alternator is not charging the battery appropriately or your battery is weak. You can drive short distances without the alternator charging the battery, running on purely the battery is dangerous because you're never sure when the battery will just die.
The other possiblility is that the sensor to determine when the battery is not charging has gone bad. You can take both Alternator and Battery into an auto parts store and they will test it for free to determine which part is bad.
Also check the connections to the battery to determine if they are loose even if they aren't corroded, a loose connection can also cause the battery light to come on.
- 1 decade ago
If the van starts, your battery is ok. I would start the engine and turn on the headlights and let the van run for a while with the lights on. If your charging system is working , run it for 30 or 40 minutes and shut it off. Then try to restart it. If it turns over slowly or not at all then your charging system is the problem, Depending on the age of the van it can be either the alternator or regulator. (Most regulators are built into the alternator so the fix is still the same.)
Source(s): Past experience - 1 decade ago
Look at the alternator and see if it is charging the battery. When you get a light indicating problems with the battery and if the volt meter is below 13 volts (initially) the alternator is not charging the battery. You might get a few starts out of it but you will find that soon it won’t start. When all is well, you should see 13 volts after a start and them once everything comes up to snuff the voltage should be 13.5 to 14.5 volts depending on what is being run.
- ChristianLv 71 decade ago
well check the alternator, not the battery, what you saw when the needle was negative was the drain from the vehicle running which means the charging system isnt working, but you have a strong battery. now you could also have a defective gauge but a proper test of the charging system will let you know this, most parts houses do it for free
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- Jeffrey SLv 61 decade ago
Sounds like your battery's ok but your alternator or regulator is bad. I'd have the shop test all them before you replace anything. (they should test for free)
- 1 decade ago
have you checked the 'fan' belt.?
sounds like the alternator isnt charging, means your battery will just go flat, dont sound like a battery fault, more like alternator one, ie, battery not charging
