My 2006 Outlander AWD just came back from the dealer shop with a new engine under warranty. We had it for over a week now and has been driven from Colorado Springs to Albuquerque with no problems at all. Until a few days ago. When we got to Albuquerque we took it to a carwash and had the under carriage cleaned. Everything seemed fine until later that day. After shopping i turn on the car and the battery light comes on. I turn it off ten minutes later and the battery is dead. I have the battery replaced at Sam's Club and everything seems fine--no battery light. Then i turn it on later that evening and the Battery and Brake light come on and start flickering/flashing. I pull the e-brake and the Brake light stays on but when i take off the e-brake the light comes back on and flickers. I wait until the next afternoon and see if the problem occurs again. This time the brake light does not turn on and the battery light stays off for about 30 seconds then the battery light starts to flicker/flash again. I wait until this morning to turn the car on again and now both the battery and brake light are on. I drive to work a few miles away and both lights are still on. What's going on? Is it doing this because of the carwash and some water go into the alternator and brake sensors? Did i damage the car and need a new alternator and e-brake? thank you for any help..

 

I think I'd call up the dealership that put the engine in. Kinda sounds like a cover of some sort was left open or not put back on...and the water is draining the battery.

BTW...what happened to the first engine?? Really curious why one died so soon...unless you drive the hell out of it!

 

Problem solved!! I turned the car on for my friend at work and he said that flickering is probably a loose contact. We opened up the hood and looked at the alternator and saw a bolt on top of the alternator and gave it a turn--IT WAS LOOSE!!! Then i gave it over 8 turns and then he gave it another 1 1/2 turns until it was tight. Turned the engine on and revved it up no lights came on. I gave the keys to my wife and she and my son drove around town all day with no lights no problems. woohooo!!!

How did the engine break? Did all the oil changes and maintenance (timing belts, etc) on time and at the dealership. The car had 88k on it and it was driven close to 45 miles a day--10 miles of that trip was up and down a mountain dirt road (+/-1000 feet elevation change 5 days a week twice a day) and the rest were highway miles.

Less than a mile from work the CHECK ENGINE light came on, the car lost power and white smoke came out from under the hood. That was it. The dealer said the water pump broke, the engine heated up and the engine froze. A few weeks later and a new engine about 15 miles from Colorado Springs I was passing a car on the interstate i heard a clunk and the D and N on the transmission both lighted up. Lost power and that was it. It went back to the dealership and they said they needed to replace the oil pump. I found that strange, but two weeks later i finally got my car back and everything seems fine now. Im glad we got the extended warranty back in 2006!!