jo11yroger

Hello all,

I bought my 97 es300 back in Nov. and everything has been running great until today, when I noticed the battery light came on coming back from work. I was kinda surprised in that, everything is still working fine...for now.

The car starts up fine, no clicking, it's not working to turn over. The wipers work fine, the dash lights aren't dim. It drives like normal. I checked the battery itself and it's dated 4/10. Unfortunately, I'm not much of a car expert yet, but a 3 year old battery shouldn't start dying just yet should it? and if it was, there would be physical signs that it was dying, like trouble turning over, correct?

I've got all original parts, I was checking other posts and saw that LEDs could set the battery light off, so that's not an issue.

Basically, I'm just confused because if it was a battery or alternator issue I would expect to see physical signs such as dimming lights, and other electronic components failing, right?

Maybe I just need to wait and see, I only noticed it come on a few hours ago.

Thank you very much for the help in advance,

-jo11yroger

Hayk

iTrader: (1)

Time will tell, but you should get your electrical system checked before your car dies and won't restart. It could be a dying alternator that's not fully recharging the battery.

moonphase

As Mr Booby recommends, Get your battery and charging system checked. AutoZone will check these for free. Look for melting, or heat discoloration of the plastic cover on the big terminal on the alternator. Lift the plastic cover, and check the terminal for heat damage. Also check the battery terminals for corrosion and clean if needed. A thin coat of dielectric grease applied to the battery post before reconnecting the battery cable will help prevent oxidation that leads to a bad connection over time. Some batteries in high temperature areas of the country only last three to five years, but have the battery and charging system tested to verify the actual issue.

jo11yroger

Thank you both very much for your help. Turns out it was the alternator that was dying. Got that replaced and it's running just like before!
I guess I just figured I'd notice that something was up if the battery light came on and that it wouldn't give me ample time to fix it.

Thanks again for the advice!

-jo11yroger