Car help again please!

The battery warning light comes on on my ka after about 20 seconds on turning the ignition on. Took it to the garage yesterday, and they were going to replace the alternator. Had a call this morning to say the the alternator is charging fine. He said to leave it a week and see if it still happens.

Any ideas what it could be? I need the car to get to Merthyr and back every day, so need to sort out asap, and not sure if I should really be driving it, or if I do, will it make the problem worse?

Claire did u go to a Ford garage ?

you won't make the problems worse, the most it can be is a new battery

if he's said the alternator is fine, then the only thing i can see it being is the battery will need replacing soon or the stepper/starter motor

check the fan belt and see if it's tight ask a garage to do it if it's loose the light will stay on if it is loose it's a simple fix for you..

[quote="Claire"]The battery warning light comes on on my ka after about 20 seconds on turning the ignition on. Took it to the garage yesterday, and they were going to replace the alternator. Had a call this morning to say the the alternator is charging fine. He said to leave it a week and see if it still happens.

Claire can you clarify, does the light come on 20 seconds after the engine is running or it does not come on for 20 seconds after turning on the ignition

Might be a problem with the electrics as well. My hand brake light kept coming on even when the hand brake was off. The battery is a very easy thing to keep an eye on and if there was even a tiny problem I can't imagine the garage would have missed the chance to replace it. I would hedge my bets that it's the electrics but I'm not a mechanic... or good with cars!

the car needs to be plugged into a computer to see what the codes are saying

The problem with these engine management systems is that once they start to go, in my experience they never really fix it 100%. I had a Cavalier a few years ago where the light kept coming on - they ran every logistics test they could think of and never found the problem. It didn't really affect my ability to use the car though it did feel a bit underpowered most times.

The problem is one of the following:

Battery or bad earth! If the alternator is charging fine then the belt won't be lose ( that would have been noticed)
It's also not the starter motor if the engine is starting ok!

More than likely that the cells in the battery are not holding charge anymore and you need to replace it, simple job. Or one of the earthing wires (Inc. The earth connection on battery) is lose or rotted. KA's are pretty reliable electrically which I found in my time working at Ford.

The problem is one of the following:

Battery or bad earth! If the alternator is charging fine then the belt won't be lose ( that would have been noticed)
It's also not the starter motor if the engine is starting ok!

More than likely that the cells in the battery are not holding charge anymore and you need to replace it, simple job. Or one of the earthing wires (Inc. The earth connection on battery) is lose or rotted. KA's are pretty reliable electrically which I found in my time working at Ford.

Craig .............. how can I get my front heated windscreen of my Fiesta to work properly ? It only clears in strips now .

Its one of 3 things, nothing major. Loose battery connection or bad earth, loose fan belt or a dead battery cell. I would firstly check that belt is tight, then check the battery leads are not loose, all ok then check the earth lead(lead from battery connected to car bodywork) take it off clean it with of sand paper n make sure its clean on the body.

The problem with these engine management systems is that once they start to go, in my experience they never really fix it 100%. I had a Cavalier a few years ago where the light kept coming on - they ran every logistics test they could think of and never found the problem. It didn't really affect my ability to use the car though it did feel a bit underpowered most times.

Had a Sierra once, same sort of thing happened, it also used to stall and not start again. Had the alternator, all the leeds changed and a new battery, took it to 2 garages and 2 electricians, nobody knew what was wrong with it.
In the end I just part-exed the b*stard thing.

The problem with these engine management systems is that once they start to go, in my experience they never really fix it 100%. I had a Cavalier a few years ago where the light kept coming on - they ran every logistics test they could think of and never found the problem. It didn't really affect my ability to use the car though it did feel a bit underpowered most times.

Had a Sierra once, same sort of thing happened, it also used to stall and not start again. Had the alternator, all the leeds changed and a new battery, took it to 2 garages and 2 electricians, nobody knew what was wrong with it.
In the end I just part-exed the b*stard thing.

Likewise - got a Land Rover now; one careful lady owner who only put 15,000 on it in three years before I got it and it still only has 40,000 now. Three MOTs later and I haven't spent a penny on maintenance other than the test fee and annual service.

The problem is one of the following:

Battery or bad earth! If the alternator is charging fine then the belt won't be lose ( that would have been noticed)
It's also not the starter motor if the engine is starting ok!

More than likely that the cells in the battery are not holding charge anymore and you need to replace it, simple job. Or one of the earthing wires (Inc. The earth connection on battery) is lose or rotted. KA's are pretty reliable electrically which I found in my time working at Ford.

Craig .............. how can I get my front heated windscreen of my Fiesta to work properly ? It only clears in strips now .

Replace windscreen! Only way mate. Contact my brother in law Russell - Ace Windscreens and mention me

Claire

Sorry to hear about your predicament. Having to go to Merthyr everyday must be very demoralising and dispiriting. I went there once

Wots a battery light by the way?

Sound like a new battery is needed.

Claire

Sorry to hear about your predicament. Having to go to Merthyr everyday must be very demoralising and dispiriting. I went there once

Wots a battery light by the way?

everyday omg!!! watch out the yokels up there dont try and stowaway in your boot to escape

i think it is probably your tyres are worn out,this normally happens on ford ka,s.

i think it is probably your tyres are worn out,this normally happens on ford ka,s.

Also need to check that hairdryer socket at the back

bye a new car sod it

if you know any one that has got a volt/multimeter set it to volts dc ,start the car put the red + lead to the + on the battery and the black - lead to the - on the battery turn on the heater lights etc rev the car and the volts should be around 14 volts if its around 12 volts your alternator is faulty if ok the chances are the battrey is on its way out ,you need whats called a drop test to test the battery the AA or rac can do it or a garage it takes onlt two minutes to do ,if both are ok its a fault in the ecu that puts the battery light on ,but if you know battery and alternator are ok just live with it i got a focus with the same prob hope this helps .

You drive to Merthyr every day and you are worried about your Alternator i would be more worried that my wheels were still attatched to the Car

claire this is your chance to help save the planet, get a job in cardiff so you don,t need to go to merthyr (plenty jobs there see Ian Duncan Smith). therefore you won,t need your car so get rid. you not only do away with your problem but you save yourself a lot of money and as said earlier help save the planet.
and in a couple of years time you might get an mbe for your efforts. job done

One post from Claire and you all turn into Kevin Webster

Job in Merthyr are you on drugs? There must be another reason to go to Merthyr everyday !! Answers here please and keep them clean

Thank you for all the genuine, HELPFUL replies.

One post from Claire and you all turn into Kevin Webster

One post from Claire and you all turn into Kevin Webster

As long as she doesn't turn into Sally or Molly!!!

claire this is your chance to help save the planet, get a job in cardiff so you don,t need to go to merthyr (plenty jobs there see Ian Duncan Smith). therefore you won,t need your car so get rid. you not only do away with your problem but you save yourself a lot of money and as said earlier help save the planet.
and in a couple of years time you might get an mbe for your efforts. job done

I am actually a trainee teacher on teaching placement, so I have no choice in which school I'm placed.

As for saving the planet... I couldn't care less.

claire this is your chance to help save the planet, get a job in cardiff so you don,t need to go to merthyr (plenty jobs there see Ian Duncan Smith). therefore you won,t need your car so get rid. you not only do away with your problem but you save yourself a lot of money and as said earlier help save the planet.
and in a couple of years time you might get an mbe for your efforts. job done

I am actually a trainee teacher on teaching placement, so I have no choice in which school I'm placed.

As for saving the planet... I couldn't care less.

Well said Claire