Battery (red) light on

[N A]

The "red battery light" came on when I started the car up today. Before I spend money on an Optima (red top) battery, is it on it's way out or is it something else?

[boXman]

Regulator might have went kaput, inside the alt. Might wanna check your charging system (or have it checked, I think autozone still does it for free).

[N A]

I have all the parts for the 3G swap. This is probably the best time to get this swap done.

[boXman]

Yep!

[N A]

A 800 CCA battery enough?

[gadget73]

Should be. Stockers are like 600 or something fairly small. I'm more inclined to think charging system than battery tho, unless your battery is older anyway, then replace it and the alt and call it a day.

[85crownHPP]

700cca has been plenty for me. replace that alternator!

[N A]

It started OK this morning then left me stranded at Home Depot. I got a jump and it started on the first crank. Replacing it with a 800 cca Optima at 9:00 when Pep Boy's or Autozone opens up.

[Southern_Pride]

The light always came on in my 90 when plowing through deep water. Cable ends were junk. Id wiggle em a little and it would turn off.

[N A]

I bought an Optima red top (800 cca). (The car wouldn't start in the Pep boys' lot. No one wanted to help me, so I had to rescue myself. I put the Optima on a floor mat, hooked up the cables and it started on the first crank). Changed the battery and the "light" is still on, I'm pissed. It's got to be the alternator.

I don't have all the parts for the 3G swap. I have the alt and a cable. I think I'm missing the big cable with the fuse. An idea where I can pick one up locally? (I got a date with the dyno at 3:30pm).

[N A]

"Red battery light" issue solved. It was the alternator.

[p71towny]

How do all of your accesories work now??

[N A]

I've only driven it a little today and everything seems fine. I had a used 3G alternator put in. It whines a little when it's cold, (it was low 20's this morning). I had the window down a little, (I love the cold weather) and it sounded a little like a Vortech supercharger.

[Archangel]

Alternator isn't supposed to make any funky noises, be it rattling, chattering, or blower ones. Once I actually took the fan off my waterpump just to silence the damn thing so that I can hear any suspicious noises, the only whining was coming from the Cougar idler pulley I run for the air-pump. The 3G alternator I was about to put in my Townie sounded weirdly when first tested at Murray's but its readings were just fine, so I took it apart and found out that the brushes were really worn out - a trip to the junkyard solved the problem, had the alternator tested as a Mustang one at AutoZone and as a Taurus unit at Murray's and it passed with flying colors both times.

[Chachi]

my batt light is on and my batt, alt, and voltage reg are all brand new

[N A]

Do you have any other issues with your dash? Try to find out why your light is still on. After my 130A 3G alternator was installed, the light went out.

[gadget73]

When mine was doing that, it was a loose connection on the alt. When the original one blew up and melted the wiring harness, the idiot light never came on. The car just died. When the first 130a went, it was charging fine, had good voltage, but I had an idiot light. Changed the alt, and it went away.

[Paul_]

My problem, even with a new alternator and voltage regulator was a loose plug on the regulator connector. It kept the light on and the car from charging properly. :geek2: