Battery Light on dash cluster??

[LuvDaBimma's]

Does it mean that my battey is weak, or that there is a bad or loose connection somewhere? If the sensor light came on while driving through large puddles of water, (mainly the front left side -where the jumper terminal is located) what should I be looking for in that area. Is there a common problem with the 318 charging system which causes the battery and alternator to be likely to fail? My alternator and belt is new. Where would you start, if it was your car?? I love my 318i , but when it breaks down, I am draining my bank account, wondering if it is a needless expense, and if I should have tried to fix it myself, Thanks, Joe

[bitcore]

light simply means the system voltage is low enough to cause an alarm, and illuminate the battery warning light.


Apparently, the water is causing a short between the battery terminal and the ground of the car, lowering the voltage and draining your battery. If it's only caused by puddles, don't go through puddles, it's bad for hot metal to suddenly cool off anyways. Sudden cooling from a hot temperature makes metal brittle, and if it's already tempered\hardened, it can cause stress and cause the metal to FRACTURE (hence the term: a cracked block)