Is this an alternator problem?

Maintenance/Repairs
1

Hi, hope someone here can help. I can’t figure it out: When the temp is cold (under 40 degrees) & my car has not been running for a few hours, whenever I start it the Alternator / Battery light comes on. My SRS & ESP lights come on & the car engine idles very roughly. If I let it run for a minute or 2, then everything goes back to normal. I replaced the battery just 2 months ago (the previous one was only 1 year old & has SAME issues).

Not sure what is going on but if anyone can give insight I’d very much appreciate it.

Thanks!

2

Make ?
Model ?
Model-Year ?
How Many Miles On This Cold-Blooded Mobile ?

CSA

3

Sorry, it’s a 2003 MB C230 with 144k miles!

4

Clean the ground connection from the battery at the motor would be step 1.

5

Thanks Barkydog, I’ll give that a try. As you can tell, I have almost no experience here.

6

Many fault codes and warning lights set for low voltage conditions. A competent shop should thoroughly test your charging system. If the idle voltage is too low, a voltage regulator will often fix your problem. I worked at a Benz dealer for many years, and charging problems were often resolved with a new regulator.

7

I forgot to mention the "reason"
When it’s cold the brushes sometimes stick. After operating for some time, the brushes and everything else in the alternator warm up and start behaving.

8

Is the belt tight? A belt gets ‘sticky’ when it heats up and if not quite tight enough it might slip until it gets warmed up.