| Message: | | A quick tech tip for those who might think their battery is going bad - but are hoping it might be something minor. Yesterday when I started my car in the morning, it hesitated just a second, the lights on the dash dimmed slightly, and then it started. On the way into the parking lot at work the radio mysteriously quit working and the DSC light went on. Hmm, I was thinking the battery is kaput. Later in the day when I tried to start it for the drive home there was nothing - no idiot lights, nothing, although the red light on the radio was blinking, as it always does. I looked at the green/black/yellow battery indicator and it was a solid green.
Long story short, the positive battery clamp nut was loose, and the cable must have loosened just enough to cause the problem. I took the trusty 10mm wrench from the tool kit, tightened it up (after rotating the cable end on the battery post to clean it up a bit), did the same for the negative cable, and the car fired right up. Why I haven't checked the connections before I'll never know.
Worked fine all day today.
By the way, the battery is BMW, but was replaced about 2 years ago, so I know that as a replacement battery it could go bad sooner than the originals do. At least tightening up the clamps bought me some more time.
Ernie Peters
2000 steel grey 2.3 5spd | |
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