Vehicles are equipped with a twelve-volt rechargeable battery to make sure that the engine starts and supplies the power to run the electrical components. On a car’s dashboard, there’s a light indicator that shows the battery. This light indicates the status of the automotive battery.
It tells the driver if it has a low charge remaining or if there’s something wrong with charging the battery. However, you may also notice that battery light turns on all of a sudden but then turns off when the car accelerates. A lot of newbie car owners wonder what does that mean.
Why is your battery light comes on then goes off when accelerating? This is the question that a lot of new car owners have in mind since they haven’t got any idea about it for the first time. The quick answer to this question is that the battery light indicates the charging of the battery kicks in at a higher rate than the usual.
It means that the battery is charged at a higher RPM, where the alternator feeds the automotive battery with more current, which can be a sign of a faulty alternator. However, this may indicate an alternator problem, but in reality, this issue can also be traced from a number of potential problems.
According to a lot of car experts, this issue most likely indicates a wearing down alternator or any related problems. Other than a lousy alternator, this problem can also be caused by a loose connection or bad serpentine belt. The problem may also lie on the battery; in some cases, a bad battery can damage a good alternator.
Whatever causes the dashboard battery light to come on and then off when accelerating, your best bet to pinpoint the exact trouble is by consulting a professional mechanic. Although it will come down to your car’s alternator, battery, or any related components, it will ensure that the issue will be fixed.
If you find yourself stumbled upon this post, then you probably are a car owner trying to figure out why your battery light comes on all of sudden then turns off while accelerating. You are most likely puzzled about what it is about and what causes it to behave like that.
Good news! That means you are in the right place because here, I am going to talk about the indications of the battery light on the dashboard of a car.
Common Issues Indicated When the Battery Light Comes On
As I mentioned earlier, the battery light on a car’s dashboard indicates the status of the automotive power cell. It also warns the driver if there is something wrong with the battery or in the charging process. These battery issues are caused by a plethora of reasons that relate to faulty components.
The battery light may come on due to a bad battery, alternator, alternator belt, and other components related to a car’s charging system. Being familiar with these issues will enable you to troubleshoot the problems with your car battery quickly.
1. Failing or Dead Automotive Battery
One of the most apparent indications of the battery light coming on is a bad car battery. A bad battery can mean that it is about to die, already dead, damaged. Keep in mind that there’s no way an automotive power cell will last forever, and the average service life car batteries are ranging from three to five years.
If the battery light on your dashboard comes on, try to think about the years you’ve got your battery. If the battery is about four to five years, it is probably caused by a dead or dying car power cell.
2. Faulty or Busted Alternator
Another issue that may be indicated by having the battery light turned on is a bad alternator. The alternator is the one that feeds the power cell with the current while driving.
If the battery is not receiving charge due to a faulty alternator, the battery will light will also come on. If the battery receives too much current, it will also trigger the light to come on, and this issue may also have something to do with the alternator.
Read this article: Bad Alternator vs Bad Battery
3. Problems With the Alternator Belt
When the battery light on a car’s dashboard comes on, it may also be caused by an issue with the alternator belt. The belt is another vital component of a car’s engine since it transports power to its components.
If this drive belt breaks or gets damaged, it will trigger the battery light to notify the driver. Any issues that may affect the drive belt will also turn on the light. Some cases that the drive belt is causing the light to come on include a misaligned belt, or if the belt is too tight or if it got loose.
4. Failing Voltage Regulator
Another component of a car’s engine that may activate the battery warning light on the dashboard is the voltage regulator. This is a component of the vehicle installed between a car’s alternator and the connection to the electrical grid.
The voltage regulator is the one that makes sure that there’s a stable voltage within the system, which is around 13 volts to 14 volts. Once this component fails, the flow of voltage will not be controlled, which may cause it to drop.
This will drop in the voltage will be detected as the battery has a low voltage that will eventually trigger the light to be activated.
5. Corrosion Buildup on the Battery Terminals
Having corroded power cell terminals can also cause the battery light on a car’s dashboard to come on. As we know, corrosion is among the leading causes of the downfall of batteries. This natural phenomenon significantly affects batteries by gradually preventing the transfer of energy, inhibiting it from receiving or release current.
When a car battery has its terminals corroded, it will not receive current from the alternator. This will trigger the battery light to be activated.
6. Weak Battery Connection or Loose Cables
The battery light will also be triggered if the connection cables on the battery loosen up. Once there is a loose connection with the battery, it will show a not connected status that will light up the indicator on the dashboard of the car.
Fixing this issue is an easy one, just make sure that cables are firmly and securely connected with the terminals of the car battery. This issue is also related to having lousy battery cables, faulty wiring on the charging system, or anything that results in connection flaws.
It also includes any kind of trouble with the ground wire on the battery, since they will prevent the car battery from being charged.
7. Power Grid Loaded With Too Many Components Running
A car’s electrical grid powered by the alternator same as the charging operation of the battery. If the car is running an electrical grid loaded with a lot of electronic components, the current supplied by the alternator and the drive belt may be gobbled up entirely by the power grid.
This would leave the charging operation unsupplied with the current. When it ends up in this kind of situation, the light will come since it will detect that the battery is not charging.
Those are the most common issues that may trigger or activate the battery light on the dashboard. If you take a closer look at these issues, it is evident that there are only a handful of components involved. So, pinpointing which of the components are causing the problem won’t be that too difficult.
Final Thoughts
Thank you for reading through this article. I hope that this guide helped you figure out what’s wrong with your car. With the knowledge that we imparted through this guide, I hope that it will also help you with other car issues in the future. Having this as a future reference will also make car troubleshooting a lot easier.
