Battery Light???

take your car to autozone and have them run a free check on the car to see if the alternator is bad.. probably the problem...... but go there and check it out... and getting rid of the 4 1/2 yr. battery was a good idea also, it only had a few months left if that long....

====================== And that old battery could have killed the alternator too......

Really? My -97 Ford Contour battery is the original battery. By your estimate, it should have died 2 years ago.

Thanks, I will check the alternator Monday. Joel

Or a bad alternator could have made you think the battery was bad....

And some guys are perfectly happy driving around on tires with the steel belts sticking out, or driving around with the gas gauge well to the left of Empty. A smart person replaces a battery before he hears that click, click, click of a battery that is completely shot at the most inopportune time. Having a tow truck come out and give you a jump will run about $40, it makes much more sense just to spend the $50 for a new battery. Then again.... it's not really a safety issue and you will be the one walking when it dies.... why not see if you can make it 10 years on that battery? Keep us posted. Bob

Maybe....if he was dumb as a rock.

========================== That is very true, and probably the case here. The prudent thing to do is charge the battery and then check the battery and alternator. But the battery has already been replaced (it was very old so no big deal) so I guess it doesnt matter anymore.....................:)

yes it should have, dont worry one dark rainy night it will go out on you and then you will be saying, " i should have got another one when i had the chance."

While you are at it check the voltage regulator too.

I did that for a while. Of course, the gauge died and I refilled the tank every 300 mi (it will go about 450 mi on a full tank).

Or just get AAA. Or let the car go downhill a little bit and pop the clutch. That is why I bought a standard. ;-)

Less than 3 more years to go (the car was made Sept. 1996). ;-)

If the battery is working fine, why replace it?

Jeff

With today's battery chemistry, and a Good charging system, a properly maintained battery should last 76 months quite easily. The problem is, most vehicles charging system are not optimized for the battery, and, batteries are not maintained. properly because of mislabeling. What is commonly labeled as .. "Maintenance Free.." should not be so labeled. As a result the batteries are not checked for possible loss of electrolyte. Once the plates become exposed, it is only a matter of time before the cell containing those plates die. When that happens, your charging system will try in vain to charge the battery, and will end up killing itself. A word to the wise: Unless your battery is sealed, like a redtop optima, you should periodically pop those vent caps and check the electrolyte level. If any cell level is low, refill it with distilled water.

PS: Scientific Definition for a Maintenance Free Battery: A Battery that can be installed in Any Position. Yes, even upside down. That is what I got from the Battery Council International. Any questions..? Go ask those guys...!

Try this little exercise, park on top of the biggest hill you can find and shut the car off but leave the headlights on 'till the battery is good and dead. Let it roll down the hill and pop the clutch to start it. Get back to me after that and let me know how it went. Bob