Hey viewers,

So here's my car's symptoms...
The other day, the battery light came on for a few minutes, then went off. Happened a couple of times that day.
The following day, same thing. Was driving home from work that morning, the battery warning light came on, then all warning lights came on, I started losing power, then the car died on me.
Later on that morning, I took out the alternator, had it tested at O'Reillys. It checked out OK.
I took the battery out next, had that tested, they told me it's ok too.
So now I'm wondering if there's a wiring issue. The cables look clean to the battery terminals.

I'm scratching my head, wondering what is draining the battery of power. I don't have any subs or anything outside of stock components. I'll check the ground wires and use some electrical component cleaner where I find them.

Any thoughts?

 

1st off what kind of car is it??

If you have a multimeter, start the car (if possible) and then hook up the multimeter to the battery, you should get 13 volt or higher while the vehicle is running perfered to be around 14 volts. If not, the alternator maybe be the issue. while the car is running the alternator is providing the power so if the vehicle turns off that would be one of the main culprits. if you are getting the proper voltage then make sure that all of you connections are tight and no corrotions on the battery or the alternator. Sometimes it may be a good idea to have more than one place check it out o'reilly and autozone, or even a mechanic that has testing equipment.

let us know what you find out

 

Thanks rfknvan,

I have an '04 Scion xB.
Took the car out today and it drove without a hitch. No warning lights. Battery was drained, so I had it recharged.
I disconnected the battery -ve cable while the car was running, and it didn't die on me, so I believe that means the alternator is ok.

I will check the voltage tomorrow.

 

From the symptoms you mentioned it sound like you have a problem with the charging system/alternator circuit. If it's intermittent then it will be more difficult to catch. But you need to try to measure voltage when the charging light comes on and verify the power connection and ground.

 

Measured the voltage today while the car was running. It's reading 13.87V.
It's been driven for about 100 miles so far.
Will check the voltage again when it's almost out of gas.
If I catch the battery light on again, will pull over and check it.

 

May still be early in your diagnosis, but do you find the issue more when the gas level is lower? That would an interesting issue. If that were the case you may want to consult with a Toyota or Lexus mechanic and see if they have run into an issue similar. But keep us up to date on what you find on your retest. Do not dismiss the alternator completely just yet, some time the regulator (inside the alternator) will do some weird stuff before completely giving out.

 

Now that you mentioned it, on my way home from work the other morning, the low gas light came on, and a few minutes after that is when the electrical started to cut out on me. Also, my xB has the original Denso alternator, which would make it about 8 years old. I'll see if I can get a hold of a mechanic. Don't know if they'd offer to give up free advice. Any Toyota techs in this forum too?

 

Are you gonna keep guessing or are you gonna throw a voltmeter on it?

 

I don't have any special gauges. I've just been using a multimeter, but I'll see if I can get something like what you have in your picture for my cig lighter.

 

Been driving my car since Saturday, at least another 600 miles. Surely the battery would have run down by now if it wasn't charging. Haven't seen the battery warning light turn on again. I cleaned the terminals, put down some terminal pads and applied some vaseline to them. Also had the car run down, for another 30 miles after the low gas light came on. Nothing. Everything is working. No news is good news, it seems.

 

Good deal, keep us posted if anything else starts happening

 

Did you change anything that you forgot to mention. I'm having same issue. Replaced the battery and alternator and had both tested. I have sanded the terminals and ground wires. But my batter light still blinks on and off. After it runs for about 2 min.s