Battery warning light on Ford SMax

Jimbob1977 · 31-08-2018 08:07PM #1

Hi,

Looking for some advice here.

The battery on my Ford S-Max died last month. We went to a garage and the mechanic fitted a new battery. Can't say if it was new - it was on a shelf.

The new battery is much smaller in size, compared to the original monster, but it works just fine. From what I can read on the sticker, it is an Autopac Ampac calcium maintenance free battery.

In the past few days, the battery warning light on the dashboard is constantly lit, but the car runs just fine. There are no performance issues.

I tried disconnect and reconnect the battery to no avail.

I have almost no car skills. Can anyone suggest the most likely cause... inappropriate battery? False telemetry? Bad battery? Pay a visit to KwikFit?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Chippy01 · 31-08-2018 08:11PM

Faulty alternator or slipping serpentine belt. I'd bet on the alternater going bad.

Jimbob1977 · 31-08-2018 08:19PM

Chippy01 wrote: »

Faulty alternator or slipping serpentine belt. I'd bet on the alternater going bad.

Thanks for the reply.

Is this a major expensive job or a relatively simple task?

biko · 31-08-2018 08:30PM

A mechanic can measure the voltage and find what is wrong.
An alternator is a couple hundred, plus labour.
The mechanic will give you a quote.

Stanford · 31-08-2018 08:45PM

Does the battery turn the engine over when it is cold?

Jimbob1977 · 31-08-2018 08:54PM

Update:

I put a multimeter on the battery. Tested a few times for accuracy.

Engine off: 12.11 Volts

Engine on: 11.90 Volts

The car has no problem starting cold. The engine turns over. He gave me the battery 4 weeks ago.

Aren't those readings a bit low?

Henry Ford III · 31-08-2018 10:22PM

Yes it's too low I believe.

James Bond Junior · 31-08-2018 10:24PM

I had a similar issue and it was a new alternator needed.

Esel · 31-08-2018 11:30PM

12.65V is full charge, so your battery is not being fully charged when in use.

It should read up to 14V with engine running.

rex-x · 01-09-2018 01:16AM

Fords use smart charging so the 14v doesn't apply in this case. They range from 12-16V depending on factors like load and charge level rpm etc

wonski · 01-09-2018 02:32AM

With warning on the dash it is a matter of days and you will end up calling recovery truck. Been there, done that

Alternator is just a guess, get it checked by mechanic now.

Henry Ford III · 01-09-2018 07:36AM

Jimbob1977 wrote:

The new battery is much smaller in size, compared to the original monster......

There's a clue there I suspect.

wonski · 01-09-2018 01:13PM

Henry Ford III wrote: »

There's a clue there I suspect.

I missed that part.

OP check the battery installed and compare against original spec for the car. If it is smaller than it should be go back to whoever replaced it and request replacement for correct battery.

If however the battery is correct for your car it is most likely alternator and it will get worse.

Jimbob1977 · 01-09-2018 01:20PM

The car is currently with the mechanic.

I will report back on the outcome. I'd like to think he knows what he's doing in terms of size compatability.

Although my car is a bit like Herbie. If it's not the battery, it's the engine. If it's not the engine, it's the bulbs

Jimbob1977 · 05-09-2018 06:13PM

It was the alternator alright.

The mechanic tested the old alternator and he said it was not producing sufficient amps. It's ten years old.

He fitted a new alternator. So far, so good.

Thanks for all the suggestions!

Battery warning light on Ford SMax

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