Battery light anti lock light and break light came on before the car spudered to its death. Any ideas?

 

Hi Donald,

How long was the battery light on before the car died? One possibility is that the alternator was not charging the battery and when the battery voltage fell too low the engine died.

The anti-lock and brake lights may have simply come on due to the engine speed falling too low as it sputtered and died.

The first thing I would suggest is that you measure the voltage across the battery terminals. A healthy battery should read about 12.5 volts or higher. A battery that measures 12.2 volts is only 50% charged, and a reading below 12 volts means the battery is discharged. Here's a chart showing battery state of charge:


If your battery voltage is low, check your alternator belt to ensure it is still present and is properly tensioned.

Another possibility is that the fuel level sender has stuck at a position that does not represent the actual fuel level in the tank, and that you just ran out of gasoline without realizing it. Could that have happened?

Also, check the Vehicle Condition Monitor for any flagged Diagnostic Trouble Codes. To do so, turn the key to position II (Ignition ON) but do not try to crank the engine. Press and release the VCM button on the trip computer panel to the right of the steering wheel. Watch the odometer/mileage display window below the speedometer for any message to be displayed. DTCs are displayed in the form of "FF" or "Fuel Fault" and a two-digit number, such as FF29. Write down any message that appears and post it here and we'll try to help.

Cheers,

Don

 

Broken serpentine belt again she's back on the road