Problems after battery change?

Tiny
ABYSSAL22
  • MEMBER
  • 2010 MAZDA 3
  • 2.0L
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 52,000 MILES
Hi. I was driving my vehicle listed above the other day and the battery light came on. It was driving perfectly fine. I took it to Advance to have it checked, and they put a meter on to test the battery, the alternator, and the starter. They said the starter and the alternator were fine, but the battery was having some issues with its reserve. They said I might need a new battery. The battery was about 4 years old. I got a new battery, and my brother put it in for me. He does some work on cars. The next day, when I drove it, the light wasn't on, but then it came on after a short time. I did some research online and it seemed that sometimes dash lights come on or stay on after a battery change until the car has been driven for a while. Since it was driving fine, I just drove it for a couple days off and on. A couple of times, the light just went off. Today I was idling in a parking lot and the skid control light came on. When I began to drive, a couple of other lights came on--ABS, Brake, and power steering. I lost power steering intermittently on the way home. I was very close to my house, so I decided to drive it home and just go very slowly. I pulled into my driveway and right before I turned the car off, I noticed an engine light along with the other lights. I tried to turn the car back on, and it just clicked. During the ride home from the store, it seemed that there was some sort of a loose connection, because the lights kept going on and off and the power steering kept coming on and off, and the seat belt tone kept coming on. So now it's sitting in my driveway. I looked at the connectors on the battery terminals and they seem pretty tight. So, I guess I have two questions: what do you think the problem might be? And do you think I should try to have it jumped and try to drive to my garage, or should I have it towed? Thank you so much for your input.
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 3:41 AM

8 Replies

Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,320 POSTS
Yep, it sounds like the alternator is bad and not charging, you will need to charge the battery up first or jump start it once the alternator has been replaced. Here is a guide to help test the alternator in case you want to double check the charging voltage:

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

When the alternator is not charging the battery light will come on. Here is how to change the alternator out. Check out the images (below). Please upload pictures or videos in your response of any problems so we can see what to help you with.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 12:03 PM
Tiny
ABYSSAL22
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Thank you so much. So, even though the alternator tested fine at Advance before I got the new battery, the alternator could still be bad?
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 2:38 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,320 POSTS
Yes, the problem can be intermittent. Anytime the battery light is on the alternator is not working.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 6:02 PM
Tiny
ABYSSAL22
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Thank you!
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Wednesday, July 31st, 2024 AT 8:27 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,320 POSTS
No problem, please let us know what happens.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+2
Thursday, August 1st, 2024 AT 8:44 AM
Tiny
ABYSSAL22
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
Will do!
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
+1
Thursday, August 1st, 2024 AT 9:31 AM
Tiny
ABYSSAL22
  • MEMBER
  • 9 POSTS
So, I have an update. I'm supposed to tow my car to the garage today, but yesterday I asked my brother to check the battery connections to make sure they were tight and to just have another look. He didn't really need to do anything. Everything was tight. So, he turned the car on and none of the lights stayed on. The car started up fine and he drove it around the block a few times. Nothing seemed wrong. This morning, I went out and started it and it started up fine, no lights not even the battery light. I drove it for about 15 minutes, and then the battery light came on. I'm assuming that if I kept driving it for any length of time then all the other stuff would start to happen again. Any thoughts? So even though the car is running for short periods of time, it even keeps running normally after the battery light comes on, I'm still afraid to drive it because I don't want to get to a point where I lose power steering and everything. I was quietly hoping it had resolved itself somehow lol. I will keep you posted on what the mechanic says. Thanks again for your help.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Sunday, August 4th, 2024 AT 7:42 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,320 POSTS
Yes, it will drive okay as long as the the battery is changing, as the battery loses it charge the car will start to have problems, if the battery light is on let confirm the alternator failure by using this guide.

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

Please go over this guide and get back to us.
Was this
answer
helpful?
Yes
No
Monday, August 5th, 2024 AT 9:05 AM

Please login or register to post a reply.

Sponsored links