hello! i have a 1995 oldsmobile cutlass ciera with about 145000 miles automatic. headlights automatically come on when turned on. my question is do i have a bad alternator? my battery light came on about 2 weeks before thanksgiving. then the day before thanksgiving i went into the store and came out my car wouldnt start. i got my battery jumped and it started right up. i took it immediately to have the battery checked and the guy said it was the battery. it was apparently a very cheap one and it was 1 year old. battery was replaced and has been fine up till a week ago. then my battery light came on again. and again yesterday. all three times it stayed on for 15 minutes or so. but i have done research and have found that if you turn your heat lights and radio that should tell you well my care is fine with all three on in fact i drive that way all the time. someone please help. thanks so much for taking the time to look.
The alternator could be going out on you. Check the connections to it and make sure they are okay alond with the belt tension. You may want to have it checked by a shop to see if they find any problem with it doing a load test on the system. If the alternator hasn’t been changed in a long time it may be wise to just replace it with a remanufactured unit.
Most auto parts stores will check batteries and charging systems for free. Why not just have it checked. They generally do a good and HONEST job.i will have it checked. does anyone know how much it will cost to have it replaced???
The first I think of when there are electrical problems in a GM car is those pesky side battery terminals. Check under the insulating boot for corrosion between the ring terminals (remove the negative connector first and re-connect it last).
now my abs light is on.
you need to take this to a mechanic to have it looked at. DONT spend any more money just replacing things because some guy at an auto parts store “says so.”
there is something going wrong with the charging system or electrical system and you should have it fixed before you get left on a dark road at 11 at night with no way home!