Battery Warning Light Flashes Occasionally

[ROBIN E BOJARZIN]

For the last three days the battery warning on my 2008 Explorer Eddie Bauer has been showing on and off. It started with the drive home last Friday. Today is the following Sunday. It went all day yesterday without happening, but today it flashed three or four times. The warning goes away on it's own while driving. Is this a warning that the alternator is going out? The battery is just a month or two old. Are there any other power related problems that would cause this? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Rcflyer330]

It's possible the alternator is going. You could take it to your local autoparts store and have them test it. Or you can turn on the headlights, foglights, rear defroster, and both front and rear hvac fans on high and measure the voltage at the battery if you have a volt meter. I have seen a kia that had the battery light come on intermittently that was diagnosed to be a bad battery but in the end it was the alternator going bad.

 

[07EddyB]

Those were the symptoms my Ex gave when my alternator was going out. It didn't fail completely, it just got to a point where it was putting out barely over 12 volts. Pull it and have the parts store test it.
BTW - yes, you can see the same thing testing it at the battery in the vehicle. But is the voltage low because of the wiring between the alternator and the battery? Perhaps a failing ground?
You don't know unless you pull it and have it tested independent of the vehicle.