Alternator light and strange white gunk on battery
 

Hey guys, so I got ready to go to church today and as i put my stuff in the back seat and got in the car, I turned the ignition and as it was cranking I noticed the engine turned like for 3 or 4 seconds and it didnt start.... I was like WTF?

so turned my entire attention to the car and started the car again; same result. The engine turns and turns but it wont start...

Haven't had any problems what so ever with it starting, in fact, yesterday about 3 oclock pm i moved it and today around 12:30 i went outside to start it and its dead, so i popped the hood open and noticed there was a strange white gunk on the positive side of the battery... WTF is it??? and it wasn't dry chaulky, but white and moist looking. I wiped it off and its a little runnier than toothpaste ... (weird comparison lol) but as i was near the battery i heard a slight hum coming from the engine.. what is this?

I also noticed that when i tried to start the car the alternator light comes on, i hope its not the alternator. I just recently lost my full time job and would hate to take my only source of transportation to the shop, much less the dealership as i now have limited funds to spend. Any help is greatly appreciated... heres other info that might help

Temp outside: 40 F
car was last turned on : yesterday; started not problem watsoever.
mileage: 156,XXX on the body 76,XXX on new engine
i dont "pound" the car, I drive it normally
3/4 tank full of gas

Im reading other posts to see if i find any helpful information..

THANKS IN ADVANCE!!!

how far did you move it? if you just moved it from your driveway to your garage it could have flooded.

as for the white gunk, I don't really know. I was thinking maybe corrosion. If there is any galvinized metal around that area, the zinc coating will react with dew and rainwater to form white rust.
Also, apperently the acid from the battery can cause a white corrosion and may be a sign of overcharging your battery. If the engine turns over, that probalby isn't your problem.

Sorry, thats about all I know :p. If you're sure it isn't flooded, I'm sure one of the other guys here can help you out. Otherwise, search the forums about flooded engine (it is pretty common).

yea i literary just moved it 10 feet to the left... so i tried to restart it and it was no good, now the battery is dead and i have to wait for mom or my sister to get home so i can have something to jump it off with..

also the DSC light is flashing... idk what that mite be??

thanks for the info isays!

The DSC light is because the battery died, reset it after you get the car running as per the the owners manual or CLICK HERE

The white stuff sounds like corrosion, no big deal clean it with an old toothbrush and a baking soda & water solution.

The car not starting / flooded is the important thing to deal with first. Be sure the car doing the jump is running and leave the cables on for a few minutes before trying. If your 8 doesn't start its flooded. If its a stick the best way to fix that is with a pull start, there are threads all over on that topic.

thoroughly clean the terminals

http://www.howtocleanstuff.net/auto/...ery-terminals/

have the alternator and battery checked/tested at a battery place

oh.. missed the 10ft thing. yeah its flooded.

clean.

deflood

get checked

What indicator light for our alternator? The cold weather brings the worse out of our cars. I assume this is the first time you flooded your car? Follow expo1 and zoom44's suggestions, have the car running first then get your battery checked.

Thanks for the Info guys!!!
I got the car started by the way, what I had to do was take the fuel pump fuse out, try to start it with the gas pedal held down for a couple of tries, then I put the fuse back in with my foot in the gas, and tried to start it; and as it was cranking i let my foot out very slowly and VROOOOOOM, it fired up!!!!! with all the glory of white smoke around me lol but yes, let it warm up and everything checked out fine, i did the calibration for the DSC and everything is back to normal; its pretty crappy that this happens as its my DD and if i NEEDED to go somewhere yesterday i woulda been EFFED lol


BUT THANKS TO EVERYONE!!!