battery light

[deansissons]

while driving my 1997 1.8td ford escort my battery light some times comes on for a short moment, what is the problem

[landie]

It means your charging the battery at a lesser rate than you are using it's power. Could be that your battery is no good or your alternator needs attention. You should be able to get a free battery check at most motoring outlets.

[Sammy Snake]

When this happened on my old escort the alternator needed replacing.

[v64paul]

does'nt sound quite so straightforward as that... if the light comes on regardless of load on the charging system, i.e. lights on / off, heated screen switched on etc; its more likely to be a loose connection or a bad earth. i know it aint easy to get at, but check the wires at the back of the alt. its mounted in an ideal position to get abuse from road dirt, spray and so on. i dont rule out the alternator being at fault, but it is always good practice to check the cheapest thing first!

[markhodson]

as advised check the wiring on the rear of the alternator, pay attention to the small blue wire which is the charge light wire, these have a habit of corroding were they go along the front cross member, trace it back from the alternator down along the cross member.