So my GF has a 2006 Fusion, about 35K miles (lives in the city, doesn't drive a lot), bone stock afaik, and yesterday it wouldn't start. Even though it's really cold where we are, she parks in a large, heated parking garage, so this was a surprise to her. Garage attendant told her he was afraid to jump it, he thought the starter was the problem, not the battery.
That seemed odd to me, so I checked it out after work. Wouldn't turn over, sounded and felt like a dead battery, but there was enough juice to power all the electronics. I saw a "check charging system" indicator. I popped the hood and saw that the battery was old (possibly the OE battery) and had lots of the tell-tale blue/white corrosion on the terminals. I offered to get a cleaner brush from the nearest parts store and clean the terminals for her, she told me not to bother because she'd just spring for a new battery, given how old it is. I didn't attempt a jump because I didn't have cables or a jumper box handy.
I'm guessing that the battery is the issue (Occam's razor and all that) given its age and all that corrosion, but I do wonder if it's a bad ground or an alternator issue. I can't get to the car today, she's going to have AAA come out and test the battery/charging system (I could handle a battery swap myself, but I'm stuck at the office and she can't wait, she needs the car sooner), but I have a few questions.
To you Fusion owners, what does "check charging system" usually lead to? Is it simply a catch-all indicator? Or does it mean that a new battery might not solve the issue? Bad ground? Alternator? Starter? Some other electrical gremlin? Any tips appreciated.
That seemed odd to me, so I checked it out after work. Wouldn't turn over, sounded and felt like a dead battery, but there was enough juice to power all the electronics. I saw a "check charging system" indicator. I popped the hood and saw that the battery was old (possibly the OE battery) and had lots of the tell-tale blue/white corrosion on the terminals. I offered to get a cleaner brush from the nearest parts store and clean the terminals for her, she told me not to bother because she'd just spring for a new battery, given how old it is. I didn't attempt a jump because I didn't have cables or a jumper box handy.
I'm guessing that the battery is the issue (Occam's razor and all that) given its age and all that corrosion, but I do wonder if it's a bad ground or an alternator issue. I can't get to the car today, she's going to have AAA come out and test the battery/charging system (I could handle a battery swap myself, but I'm stuck at the office and she can't wait, she needs the car sooner), but I have a few questions.
To you Fusion owners, what does "check charging system" usually lead to? Is it simply a catch-all indicator? Or does it mean that a new battery might not solve the issue? Bad ground? Alternator? Starter? Some other electrical gremlin? Any tips appreciated.