Hi everyone, First time posting in here but I've used the information on the site several times to perform repairs (shocks, motor mount) and choose replacement parts.

My battery indicator light has come on and I can't understand why. Battery is about 12.8V and with the engine on runs at 14V. I bought the car with 30K back in 2011. I've never changed the battery and it has an Acura battery but the previous owner could have changed it out. Either way it's fairly old I thought but wanted to check with the pro's before I spend the money on a new one.

I'm certainly not an expert mechanic by any means...but I can follow directions.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.
2006 Acura TL
140k

 

I have had good luck with Costco battery's. Good price and seem to last pretty long, I think they are using Interstate battery's now.

 

Die Hard Platinum.

Welcome to AcuraZine.

 

could be a bad alternator throwing the "battery indicator light"

 

 

The battery light doesn't mean your battery going bad, it means your battery isn't charging, which 99% of the time is a faulty alternator. Have your alternator tested, then replaced.

 

There are a few things that could cause what you're referring to, but the first thing I'd check is the condition of the battery cables. Make sure they are clean and tight on the battery , but then follow the cables down to their terminations and make sure the other ends of the cables are clean and tight, especially the negative cable. An intermittent weak ground can cause exactly what you're experiencing.

 

At this age, a corroded + terminal / cable could also be the cause. I had to replace mine a few months ago.
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Thanks for the info everyone. I should have mentioned in my original post that I checked the cables already. There was a small amount of buildup on the positive and it was cleaned it up.

This morning the dash flickered a little during starting and seemed to turn over a little slower so I went and swapped out the battery to be safe. When I returned the old battery (original by the way I'm pretty impressed for an '06) I had them test it and there was a bad cell. Unfortunately the battery light remains on. I had the alternator tested and it's good. I also left the battery unhooked for 30 minutes or so just in case something needed to reset but no luck.

Cables are good, new battery, and alternator tested ok...anything else that could make this indicator remain on?

Really appreciate the comments and welcome too.