Battery light

JOHNCZIII

MEMBER
2008 DODGE AVENGER
4 CYL
170,000 MILES

My battery light came on yesterday and the car still ran fine. When I started it this morning the light came on, the radio shut down and when I turned off the headlights the car ran a very rough idle. When I turned them back on it ran smooth again. I then turned them back off and the car shut down completely. The lights still come on and the radio is also working but the car just clicks when I tried to restart it like the battery is completely drained. Is this the alternator or other?
Thank you for your help.

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

The battery is drained. The warning light told you the battery was not being recharged while driving. At most you can drive about an hour before the battery will be drained, and a lot less if you have anything turned on that needs electrical power, like the head lights and heater fan. When system voltage goes down, a lot of the other computers will become confused and do weird things, including a poorly-running engine. Eventually some of the computers will shut down and turn on their system warning lights. If you charge the battery at a slow rate for an hour or two, you should be able to drive to a repair shop to have the charging system tested. The most likely suspect is the alternator.