Help Battery gauge and abk light on

[SN95.oh]

I was driving today and the voltage meter pinned to the max, the Abti lock brake and battery light came on ??? Went away after in Neutral but comes on again with throttle

 

[ttocs]

put a volt meter on the battery/alt while its running. give it some gas while you measure

 

[SN95.oh]

put a volt meter on the battery/alt while its running. give it some gas while you measure

What am I looking for ?

 

[SN95.oh]

put a volt meter on the battery/alt while its running. give it some gas while you measure

If I give it gas the battery gage goes to 18 meters and the anti lock brake light and battery light come on

 

[ttocs]

voltage should be from 13-14.5 volts. Its the same no matter if they are metric or SAE volts.

 

[SN95.oh]

He voltage was low, 11/12…. Also the very hot battery was spewing water and battery acid at the sides. I removed or, will replace with a high quality, tested, used one tomorrow.

 

[cobrajeff96]

Sounds like an overcharging condition, perhaps. Alternator might be putting out too much juice.

 

[SN95.oh]

Sounds like an overcharging condition, perhaps. Alternator might be putting out too much juice.

It was super super hot out here this weekend, I drove the car a lot yesterday… ALOT of stop and go driving. Short errands etc. Hopefully a battery replacement fixes it

 

[SN95.oh]

Sounds like an overcharging condition, perhaps. Alternator might be putting out too much juice.

Updated: I changed the battery and does the same. I unplugged this from the alternator and it went away ??? What does this control

 

[ttocs]

the voltage regulator more than likely. Just out of stupidity check all the fuses both under the hood and dash. Start simple.

 

[SN95.oh]

the voltage regulator more than likely. Just out of stupidity check all the fuses both under the hood and dash. Start simple.

Ya it is into the voltage regulator, which looks serviceable, but man it’s a tight fit.


What am I looking for on the fuses ?

 

[ttocs]

Ya it is into the voltage regulator, which looks serviceable, but man it’s a tight fit.


What am I looking for on the fuses ?

blown fuses. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it literally takes about 3 mins to physically pull and inspect every fuse in the car and with any electronic problem you should start stupid with fuses, grounds, ect. If you don't start with the stupid shtuff you end up feeling stupid in the end.

More than likely your voltage regulator is bad but before you swap it or the alt out, check the little crap first.

 

[SN95.oh]

blown fuses. I know it sounds like a lot of work but it literally takes about 3 mins to physically pull and inspect every fuse in the car and with any electronic problem you should start stupid with fuses, grounds, ect. If you don't start with the stupid shtuff you end up feeling stupid in the end.

More than likely your voltage regulator is bad but before you swap it or the alt out, check the little crap first.

Just got the boys to bed, wife is out of town on work. Gonna do the fuses now. The alternator is an Altima reman with 600 miles on it. The regulator is serviceable and $24 from American muscle ? What would you do ?

 

[OpalFrostGT]

For $24, I would buy the AM voltage regulator and if nothing else...keep it as a spare. TTOCS advice is a good idea to start with...simple things cause great misery. So do not look past the fuses...give us a report.

 

[SN95.oh]

Update, checked the fuses and everything looks ok. I’ll have the mechanic check it again after he installs the alternator. The alternator in there is a remand Ultima with a life time warranty. Only has 600 miles and is less than a year old. O’reillys is going to drop off an alternator to me at work and I’ll bring it to my mechanic at lunch time. It’s def the regulator because if I unplug it then it does not act up. Plug it back in and acts up

 

[badass98svt]

Yup, most likely the voltage regulator.

 

[SN95.oh]

Yup, most likely the voltage regulator.

Seems to be a common failure on these cars ?

 

[badass98svt]

Seems to be a common failure on these cars ?

Yes, it's more and more common as the cars and even the replacement parts are aging. The new replacement stuff is junk (as you can see for yourself, yours lasted 600 miles).

 

[b1pig]

If your voltage gauge pegs at 18, I assure you the alternator itself is probably fine. The regulator does what it's name is... it regulates the current from the alternator to the car. At idle, there will often be less output, say 12-13 volts. At 1500-3000 RPM, the alternator will usually put out its most power (both amps and volts). So if you check your battery at idle and see 12.5-13v, reach over and ramp the RPM up a little and the voltage should climb closer to 14.5 volts. If you're running the engine at 3,000 RPM and you're not getting at least 13v, then either the alternator or regulator are on the way out.

I'm still learning my way with my Mustang... but I recall older Fords having an external regulator.

The venting on the battery is bad news. If it blew "water" out of the battery, it would be a good idea to pull the battery and clean out the battery box area with baking soda and water. If you have an unsealed battery, do not get any baking soda mix into the battery. The baking soda will neutralize the acid. Left alone, that acid will damage any paint it runs/stands on. Will eventually lead to bad rust issues. Also, I would not drive the car until you get a new voltage regulator on it. Overcharging like it was CAN (not an absollute) cause the battery to explode. Most of the time, it just boils over and ruins the battery, though.... Also produces hydrogen gas.

 

[SN95.oh]

Yes, it's more and more common as the cars and even the replacement parts are aging. The new replacement stuff is junk (as you can see for yourself, yours lasted 600 miles).

its wild, i am in the high end used auto parts business nationwide auto recycling in Massachusetts...its wild...do i upgrade the voltage regulator or just wing it with this ? and to be correct, me reving the engine should not affect the voltage regulator correct ?