Battery Charge warning light sometimes comes on...

Hi

I have a '94 Mazda 323F GLX 2.0 V6

This doesnt happen very often but... occasionally soon after starting up and driving off the battery charge warning light comes on. If I stop the engine and restart right away it keeps coming back on. But if I switch off and wait for a minute or two and then restart, it doesnt come back on and the engine runs fine.

Weeks may go by without it recurring and then it'll start doing it again.

I dont believe its a slow idle because when the warning light starts to come on and I rev the engine hard, it dims but doesnt go completely. So whenever it happens Ive learnt to pull over and switch off as soon as I can, wait a minute or two and then restart.

Any idea what might cause this to happen and so infrequently?

I'm just dreading the moment when it just wont go off and I'm stranded somewhere.

Thanks for any info.

Ian

Reply to
Ian R
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Ian R formulated the question :

It can be caused by some resistance on the warning light connections. Often this will be where it connects to the alternator via a plug were salt from the road can cause some corrosion. Just try unplugging and plugging it back in (or loosening and tightening the terminal screws).

Reply to
Harry Bloomfield

"Ian R" wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@bt.com:

It might be something as simple as the battery getting old.

Reply to
Tunku

Some jap cars use a charge relay, it may be that it is starting to fail/dirty contacts.

Reply to
Mrcheerful

The warning light coming on doesn't necessarily mean there is a charging fault - it could be a warning light circuit fault. If you've got a DVM wire it up so you can check the voltage while driving - using a cigarette lighter plug is one easy way. And see if the alternator is actually not charging when the light comes on - you'll see a voltage drop of about 1-2 volts. If this is happening the likely cause is the regulator. These can often be changed - although built into the alternator. It can be a DIY task but may be tricky to source one - a garage is unlikely to do this but will just fit an exchange unit. Which if not expensive is probably a better option.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

I had an intermittant fault like this. Went on for months. Eventually I got stranded with a flat battery. It was the alternator.

Al.

Reply to
Al

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