Alternator and Rain

[Hartsock]

Is there any known problem with rain getting inside the engine compartment?
My wife commented that she was seeing the alternator light coming on occasionally this week, and it has been raining all week. She has not seen it in dry weather.

I'll go ahead and get the charging system checked out but it made me wonder if water was getting into the engine compartment and the belts slipping a bit. Wife did not mention any belts squealing and the belts seem to be in good shape.

Dana

[BlueCaprice]

Alternator may be on it's way out. It may be strong enough to keep the car charged when the weather is nice, but not be up to par for the added draw of the wipers and the front and rear defrost. This has happened to me before. Check it with a voltmeter while it's running. I think radio shack sells a cheap pocket one if you don't have. Check it with the accessories off first, and then with the accessories running including the headlights, wipers, and rear defrost. It should be between 13.5V and 14.5V, probably higher without the accessories running. If it starts dropping below 13.5, it's probably going, but wait and see how low it goes. If it goes below 13, it probably needs to be repaired or replaced. How old is your battery?

[Hartsock]

Yeah, I suspect the alternator. the battery is less than a year old. There was something I noticed after an inspection at the Ford dealer. When they checked off the condition of the battery on a little graphic colors, with from left to right, red, yellow, green. They marked yellow and I would expect a battery of this age to be in the green. Now I considered they were just sloppy marking, but it may be an early indication of problems with the alternator.

[tripletdaddy]

Take it to an auto parts store that will do free tests. They can test your battery and analyze the charging system all at once. They will load the battery to see how strong it is. Unfortunately, the best way to test an altenator is removed and taken to the same place, but at the very least while in the car they can see if it is putting out the proper voltage, and possibly some more info since I've last used them. But by elimination of the battery as bad, you'll know that it is the alternator. And If you do the work yourself, have them test yours when you go to buy the new one you think you need. Good luck!!!