Quote:
Originally Posted by David3807
The cars computer (ECU) checks the battery power level every time before starting the car. If there is not enough in the battery the ECU will not allow the starting proceedure to continue and to let you know this will get the headlights to flash at least 3 times.
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Urban Myth I'm afraid.
The car has lots of computers, and the one that drives the headlights (light switch module) has nothing to do with starting the car (EWS and Engine ECU).
Besides which, it's almost impossible to measure the battery condition by voltage alone. The voltage profile of a battery from fully charged to low, and the effect of loads and temperature on that battery make it way too complex.
The effect you see is the system trying to bring in the starter solenoid. This current draw is enough to drop the voltage far enough to reset the cars systems, which includes the light switch module which causes the lights to flash, and the EWS (immobiliser) which means the starter solenoid is not actually pulled in.