Car Battery

Maintenance/Repairs
1

I have 1989 honda accord

My car battery light just

started to stay on I came

home from work and it stop running

I tryed to start it this morning it did start but battery light still came on.

what could cause this battery light to remain on

2

Either your fan belt broke (cheap) or your alternator died (expensive). You must get this car into the shop ASAP while you are still able to drive it. If you postpone the visit your car will not start up and it will need to be towed.

3

My car still starts and alternator and starter work
I have new battery in it. Fan belt still good condition.
any other suggestion on what it could be wrong?
could it be something else electrical?

4

The battery light coming on means the alternator is not charging properly.

5

Check the tightness and cleanliness of all terminals on the battery and the alternator. Then do the same for all ground connections. Something is wrong. I suggest having the alternator tested, even though it’s “new.” You could have gotten a defective alternator. It happens every once in a while.

A loose connection at the battery or a bad ground, even a bad cable, and cause this. The fact that the car stopped running tells me the alternator is not charging. Continuing to drive like this could cause more damage or ruin your new battery.

6

My car still starts and alternator and starter work

How do you know the alternator is working? I would start by removing both ends of the battery cables (both of them) and cleaning both the cable and where it goes very well and reattaching making sure they are secure.

7

I had this same problem earlier this year; it ended up that the alternator was not charging the battery. Since the battery was 7 years old, we replaced it proactively as well. You can’t run an engine off the battery very long.

8

Measure the voltage across the battery terminals. If it is not above 13.0 (preferably 13.5 to 14.5), you probably have a failed alternator. The alternator can be turning but if the field is not getting the correct current; if one or more of the stator diodes is open or shorted; or the voltage regulator has gone south, the charging system cannot work.

So get the system diagnosed to narrow down the problem.