New Year’s Garland: Why the Battery Icon is Flashing on the Dashboard
- September 20, 2023
- 0
A modern car is an extremely ‘smart’ piece of hardware that can not only diagnose itself, but also report malfunctions to the driver. The last thing you need
A modern car is an extremely ‘smart’ piece of hardware that can not only diagnose itself, but also report malfunctions to the driver. The last thing you need to do is correctly recognize the signal and take action. For example, if the battery icon is steady on the dashboard, charge the battery. But what should you do when it flashes?
On the dashboard, whether it is a classic “lamp” or a modern “screen”, there is a wide variety of icons, and they can be divided into three types: red, yellow and green. The latter indicate the inclusion of some option (for example headlights), the latter indicate a malfunction that still allows you to continue driving. But the first, the red ones, are a sentence: you can’t go any further. These include an “oil can” – lack of lubrication in the internal combustion engine, an exclamation mark – problems with the brakes, as well as a schematic representation of the battery.
All drivers are aware that if the battery icon ‘registers’ on the dashboard, they have arrived and the battery is empty. However, few people know that during startup the icon can not only constantly turn on or off, but also flash. This doesn’t happen often, but such a signal means it’s time to open the hood or call a tow truck. The battery is being charged.
In a standard, normal situation, while the engine is running, the battery receives a charge of 14.6-14.8 V, which should ultimately fully replenish the energy spent on starting and operating consumers. Japanese cars also had more complex generators, which, for the sake of fuel consumption, ‘powered’ the battery in different modes. Such as a day and night rate.
If more current flows into the battery than is necessary, it ‘abandons’ the chat quite quickly: the electrolyte boils away and the cells crumble. The driver goes to a store with steep prices. Nowadays a standard battery only starts at 5,000 rubles…
But why is too much happening? The reason, as a rule, lies in design features or in trivial wear and tear. Owners will learn about the first on online forums, but it is worth talking about the second in more detail: we live in the era of used cars. Used and poorly maintained.
After noticing the flashing of the battery icon on the dashboard, the too bright light of the interior lamp and the “riot of colors” in the dashboard lighting, you need to open the hood. Are the terminals “overgrown” with a whole reef of oxides? This is not the cause, but one of the consequences of overloading. It’s never too early to clean your contacts, but the problem lies deeper. In three or four out of four cases it must be sought in the generator and its environment.
Naturally, you need to start with the electricity: check the chip for integrity and the wires in it for greenness. There is also the entire ‘wired perimeter of Gennady’. It certainly won’t be superfluous. Then comes the turn of the relay regulator or voltage regulator. And only then the generator itself. Or better said: a diode bridge. It is entirely possible that it is he who is “playing naughty”.
It seems that such problems only occur in heavily used cars. However, in some situations – for example in connection with an accident or normal city use – even very “young” vehicles are affected. Of course, sometimes the reason is a technical miscalculation, but more often the owners and their consumer attitude to “swallows” are to blame.
Photo: cdn.rac.com.au
Photo: cdn.rac.com.au
On the dashboard, whether it is a classic “lamp” or a modern “screen”, there is a wide variety of icons, and they can be divided into three types: red, yellow and green. The latter indicate the inclusion of some option (for example headlights), the latter indicate a malfunction that still allows you to continue driving. But the first, the red ones, are a sentence: you can’t go any further. These include an “oil can” – lack of lubrication in the internal combustion engine, an exclamation mark – problems with the brakes, as well as a schematic representation of the battery.
All drivers are aware that if the battery icon ‘registers’ on the dashboard, they have arrived and the battery is empty. However, few people know that during startup the icon can not only constantly turn on or off, but also flash. This doesn’t happen often, but such a signal means it’s time to open the hood or call a tow truck. The battery is being charged.
In a standard, normal situation, while the engine is running, the battery receives a charge of 14.6-14.8 V, which should ultimately fully replenish the energy spent on starting and operating consumers. Japanese cars also had more complex generators, which, for the sake of fuel consumption, ‘powered’ the battery in different modes. Such as a day and night rate.
If more current flows into the battery than is necessary, it ‘abandons’ the chat quite quickly: the electrolyte boils away and the cells crumble. The driver goes to a store with steep prices. Nowadays a standard battery only starts at 5,000 rubles…
But why is too much happening? The reason, as a rule, lies in design features or in trivial wear and tear. Owners will learn about the first on online forums, but it is worth talking about the second in more detail: we live in the era of used cars. Used and poorly maintained.
After noticing the flashing of the battery icon on the dashboard, the too bright light of the interior lamp and the “riot of colors” in the dashboard lighting, you need to open the hood. Are the terminals “overgrown” with a whole reef of oxides? This is not the cause, but one of the consequences of overloading. It’s never too early to clean your contacts, but the problem lies deeper. In three or four out of four cases it must be sought in the generator and its environment.
Naturally, you need to start with the electricity: check the chip for integrity and the wires in it for greenness. There is also the entire ‘wired perimeter of Gennady’. It certainly won’t be superfluous. Then comes the turn of the relay regulator or voltage regulator. And only then the generator itself. Or better said: a diode bridge. It is entirely possible that it is he who is “playing naughty”.
It seems that such problems only occur in heavily used cars. However, in some situations – for example in connection with an accident or normal city use – even very “young” vehicles are affected. Of course, sometimes the reason is a technical miscalculation, but more often the owners and their consumer attitude to “swallows” are to blame.
Source: Avto Vzglyad
Donald Salinas is an experienced automobile journalist and writer for Div Bracket. He brings his readers the latest news and developments from the world of automobiles, offering a unique and knowledgeable perspective on the latest trends and innovations in the automotive industry.
