Battery light turns on and off

Tiny
FARR2007
  • MEMBER
  • 2001 MAZDA TRIBUTE
  • 4WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 260,000 MILES
Battery light comes on and off, doesn't seem to affect driving at all lights are not dim.
Sunday, September 27th, 2020 AT 4:32 PM

5 Replies

Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
More then likely your alternator is beginning to fail so we to have it tested. Also, the battery needs to be tested.

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/how-to-check-a-car-alternator

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/car-battery-load-test

Once we know the battery and alternator are good or not, we can go from there. The reason this light comes on is because the system voltage is below the specified amount of voltage. So the vehicle may operate just fine but the PCM is seeing the voltage is too low so it turns this light on.

Let's get these two tested at most any parts store and we can go from there. Thanks
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Sunday, September 27th, 2020 AT 5:44 PM
Tiny
FARR2007
  • MEMBER
  • 210 POSTS
It did not shut off when I took cable off, so i'm confused. Can I drive it without battery draining?
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Sunday, September 27th, 2020 AT 5:49 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
It will drain the battery if the alternator is not charging at around 14.6 volts. So we need to check both the battery and alternator just to make sure.
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Monday, September 28th, 2020 AT 5:54 PM
Tiny
FARR2007
  • MEMBER
  • 210 POSTS
Hasn't drained the battery yet and I have driven it long distances.
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Monday, September 28th, 2020 AT 5:56 PM
Tiny
KASEKENNY
  • MECHANIC
  • 18,907 POSTS
Okay. Well that is good. You said the battery light is coming on and off. That means the overall system voltage is dropping below threshold so if it were me, I would want to have the battery and alternator tested rather then waiting until the battery was drained and won't start the car and I am strained somewhere. It is called a "warning light" for a reason. It is warning you there is a perceived issue so I would get it checked out. Granted it could just be a cluster issue or some other issue but I would not take that chance.
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Monday, September 28th, 2020 AT 6:41 PM

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