Just a curious question, I live in Wisconsin and it gets mighty cold up here. I was just wondering, my car seems to be having problems with the cold, I've never had a real nice car in such cold weather before and wasnt sure how it would be affected. It seems like when driving with the defrost on high and by turning on the rear defrost it almost seems as if the ol girl wants to die. I just replaced the battery not too long ago too. Which is confusing because the battery light came on, so i was thinkin maybe i just didnt let it warm up enough, or if my battery was hit hard by the cold and might be bad? It doesnt seem to be a big deal, it hasnt died yet and doesnt seem to be acting real funny besides the light and drain of power when the rear defrost is turned on. DK?

Any comments would be cool

thanx

 

I would have your alternator checked. I would also check the belt and make sure that it's not slipping.

Just so you know...There are three things that will cause the battery light to come on, 1)battery, 2)alternator, and 3)the PCM

 

You think maybe the alternator is going bad? I just replaced the cir****ine belt?? could it just be too loose maybe? Also i feel dumb asking but what's the PCM. If it's the alternator, i'd have to prolly replace it or is it fixalbe in some ways? I'd like to do some of the stuff on my own and look but it's too damn cold! That and i dont have a nice garage to work in.

Thanx again for all the help SC. Car is being a pain in the butt. I think it's worth it though. I'm willing to make it work.

 

Oh, sorry about that, The PCM is the power control module. It has the power regulator in it...instead of the regulator being in the alternator like some cars have.

Yes, alternators are rebuildable.

I would take your car to Autozone, or the likes, and have them check your charging system. They will tell you if you have 14 volts coming from the alternator and if you have sufficient charge from the regulator....as long as they keep it on there when the accessories kick in (fan/A/C or anything like that).
..and yes, if the belt isn't on tight enough (not too tight though), then the alternator pulley may not be getting full contact and thus causing the belt to slip over it. Definitely check the belt and make sure that it's tight, then have the charging system checked..or do it all at once, lol.

 

Great advice. Thanx a lot Jon