1995 Ford Taurus Logo
t
theo wiesinger Posted on Apr 29, 2014
Answered by a Fixya Expert

Trustworthy Expert Solutions

At Fixya.com, our trusted experts are meticulously vetted and possess extensive experience in their respective fields. Backed by a community of knowledgeable professionals, our platform ensures that the solutions provided are thoroughly researched and validated.

View Our Top Experts

Why does battery light come on when car is put in reverse?

2 Answers

Charlie

Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Vice President:

An expert whose answer got voted for 100 times.

  • Expert 280 Answers
  • Posted on May 19, 2014
Charlie
Expert
Level 2:

An expert who has achieved level 2 by getting 100 points

All-Star:

An expert that got 10 achievements.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

Vice President:

An expert whose answer got voted for 100 times.

Joined: May 16, 2008
Answers
280
Questions
4
Helped
168284
Points
777

If this only happens in reverse & not in drive, odds are that you have broken motor mounts. This allows the engine to move to much in the engine compartment. This added movement is allowing something electrical [probably a wiring harness] to ground out to the metal body or frame of your car. First step is to check the motor mounts. Fix any worn or broken mounts. [It's best to change all 3] Next inspect the wiring harnesses for damage and repair as needed.

MP Kona

Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

  • Contributor 39 Answers
  • Posted on May 16, 2014
MP Kona
Contributor
Level 1:

An expert who has achieved level 1.

MVP:

An expert that got 5 achievements.

New Friend:

An expert that has 1 follower.

Hot-Shot:

An expert who has answered 20 questions.

Joined: Jul 09, 2013
Answers
39
Questions
0
Helped
15217
Points
87

It's most likely a short in the wiring somewhere. When the transmission is put in reverse, it'll cause the engine to shift, which could cause strain on the wiring harness and cause the field wire to the alternator to lose connection.

Ad

Add Your Answer

×

Uploading: 0%

my-video-file.mp4

Complete. Click "Add" to insert your video. Add

×

Loading...
Loading...

Related Questions:

0helpful
1answer

Why won't the reverse lights come on when car is in reverse?

Reverse switch bad located in the gear selector
0helpful
2answers

How do you stop your trunk from opening when you put your car in reverse?

You have a short between the trunk motor and the reverse lights. Follow the harness from the trunk latch to to reverse lights. Open the harness there and start looking.
0helpful
1answer

2001 nissan sentra (released in the phils) reverse or back lights dont work..This car has 4 reverse lights. Left, right and two in the middle (near the plate number).When i put the car in reverse, only the...

sounds like you have a bad ground wire or the wire going to the sides is broken. you may have to check the connections till you find where the wires are connected. if you can test the two side lights with a battery to confirm they do work and are not bad bulbs. or switch them with working light bulbs to confirm they work. then if they work they you need to start looking for a section of wire that may be broken or is corroded and will need to reconnected to make work again.
0helpful
1answer

2009 Mariner Stalls in Reverse and sporadically when driving

sounds like your alt. is starting to go out and possibly a dead cell in the battery check to see if battery and alt. are working
0helpful
1answer

No tail or dash lights- won't shift into reverse or drive

Putting the battery in backwards can cause all kinds of electrical problems. There is a fuse block under the hood and you should check those fuses. Also there are fused links (wires) that are designed to fail and they are hard to detect. This could be a very expensive repair.
1helpful
2answers

2003 altima dash fuse blows when i put in reverse and alternator stops working

It is electrical, could be initiated by mechanical (shift lever mechanics are pinching a wire in reverse) or a shorted wire or solenoid in the reverse light system or transmission solenoid circuit. Need a detailed wiring diagram to determine path of circuit for that fuse. That is where you need to start. Try your local library or dealer for a service manual. Look Online also.
36helpful
1answer

My check engine light came on and hasn't turned off yet. I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid with almost 80k miles on it. Also, as I was driving I came to stop and needed to reverse. I put the car in reverse...

your car needs to be diagnosed with an obd2 scanner to determine what is causing the problem. take it

to an autozone autoparts store, they will diagnose it free of charge, give you a print out on whats wrong,

and may even carry the parts you need, once the problem is corrected they can reset your check

engine light with the obd2 scanner. or if you replace what ever it needs you can do a reset by

disconnecting the negative side of the battery wait 30 seconds and then reconnect it.
0helpful
1answer

Put battery in backwards and tried starting it. Then I put it in right but it had already fried the main fuse so to get home i just used a piece of wire. My battety died and the whole time it was running...

You may have wrecked the voltage regulator on your alternator by reverse biasing it b/c of the accidental reversal of battery leads. You say it will run for 2 minutes, well while it is running, take a real quick voltage reading on your battery. You should see 13.5 to 14 volts. If not, then your alternator is no longer charging the battery.
0helpful
2answers

1995 Nissan Pathfinder Aux Reverse Light Install

yes power from a differnt source, use a relay to do the switching, that will not put any strain on the switches in the car. sounds like you drew to many AMP thru the switch and cooked it. a relay will only draw about 1/2 and amp so it will not over laod the switches, also you may want to pull plwer form battery (depending on the light you are useing) and mount a fuse holder as close to the battery for theses lights, in case the wire shorts out you will not melt you car to the ground.
0helpful
1answer

Reversing lights

Could be the reverse light switch itself, usually mounted on the gearbox with 2 wires coming from it. If you had a multimeter (set to resistance / ohms) you could check that the switch changes from open to closed by disconnecting the plug on those wires and putting the multimeter across the two terminals. The resistance will be very low with the gear lever in reverse, and very high/open circuit with it not in reverse. Also check that there is battery voltage to one of the terminals.
Not finding what you are looking for?

1,978 views

Ask a Question

Usually answered in minutes!

Top Ford Experts

ZJ Limited
ZJ Limited

Level 3 Expert

17989 Answers

Thomas Perkins
Thomas Perkins

Level 3 Expert

15088 Answers

xxxxxx xxx

Level 3 Expert

5117 Answers

Are you a Ford Expert? Answer questions, earn points and help others

Answer questions

Manuals & User Guides

Loading...