Battery Light

[SteveA]

I have searched the current and archived posts on NICO and found similar problems to mine, but none that are exactly the same.

I have a 1997 Q45 that failed to start yesterday. I discovered that the connection to the positive battery terminal was loose and corroded, so I replaced it and the car started right up.

But after I started the car, the battery light came on for about 20 seconds before disappearing. I figured it must be the alternator. So I drove to Kragen to have them test both the battery and alternator. They said that the battery is fully charged and the charging system is working properly. Also, when I turned on the car during this test, the battery light did NOT come on. I figured the battery light I saw when I first replaced the battery cable was a one-time thing - maybe the system resetting itself.

This morning, when I turned on my car, same thing - battery light came on for about 20 seconds, then disappeared. I turned off the car and started it again - this time, the battery light did not stay on.

It was very cold yesterday morning and this morning when first starting the car (high 30s, which is very cold around here). And it seems to be only the first time I start the car each day when I get this symptom.

BTW, I replaced the starter with a brand new OEM part last month.

So, if my battery and alternator are working fine, and my starter is brand new, what could the problem be?

Also, if it was the alternator and Kragen's test was just wrong, wouldn't the battery light stay lit at all times and not just for 20 seconds?

Thanks for the help!
Modified by SteveA at 11:57 AM 12/17/2008

[Q45tech]

Test alternator cold and watch for changes as it warms up.

12 years seems short life for a starter, how many miles and how many cranks. Have you been replacing battery every 3 years [36 months] as is normal?

[SteveA]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick reply. I will try testing the alternator when cold and see how it changes as it warms up.

The car has 170,000 miles. I bought it at a repo auction earlier this year for a few hundred bucks and I have already gotten my money's worth - the car is in very good condition. So I don't have the history as to number of cranks or how often the battery has been replaced, though the existing battery looks fairly new to me.

The starter appeared to have been abused by the former owner - the teeth on the starter and the flywheel were worn badly and I changed both parts.

Is the norm to change the battery every 36 months? I was not aware of this - I think I have typically changed the batteries on my prior cars every 6+ years.

[qship96]

How much did it cost to replace the flywheel? I would imagine it takes alot of work to get to it.

[SteveA]

I believe I talked my mechanic down to about 6.0 hours labor for both the flywheel and starter replacement. The transmission has to be removed in order to change the flywheel. Not cheap, but it had to be done in my case. I inspected the old flywheel and starter and the teeth on both were in bad shape.

[maxnix]

Is the norm to change the battery every 36 months? I was not aware of this - I think I have typically changed the batteries on my prior cars every 6+ years.

Even in miild weather bay area, 6 years is about 2-3 years too long. That is why your alternator wore out so early.

A little suspicious of Kragens deep cycle test if they did indeed perform one.