MAX_AE

My alternator died on a trip this weekend and discharged my battery to almost NIL. When my eluminated dash lights started to go dim, my cruise all the sudden turned off and my clock light barely lit, I realized my battery was about to die...I knew the culprit was the alternator.

My question is when should the battery light turn on? I mean just before my car almost died, the airbag light came on, then the ABS light, but I never did see the battery light...what good is it if it can't warn of bad battery or a bad alternator???

VaporHead

I think the battery light will come on if the diode pack on the alternator is operational. If you had a bad alternator, that is probably why the light did not come on. The battery itself does not have a sensor on it. It's that diode on the alternator that determines if the charging system is getting the right voltage, etc. So, if that alt. is bad, most likely the light will not light up.