Battery not charging and red battery dash light...
03-05-2009, 07:29 PM
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Battery not charging and red battery dash light... Well, I am intermittently getting a notice of Battery not Charging. The battery in the now is not even a year old and shows its charged at 14V+ all the time when the car is running and even at idle. The battery is holding and staying charged so I don't think its the alternator, would a old accessory drive belt cause this from slippage? The belt could be the original belt? It is tight.
Now at lunch the red dash light for the battery is going on and off. Seems like when under load it turns off then at lower rpms comes back on.
So far this winter I've had a valve spring break/ a ballast is out currently and now this...I love the car but its starting to make me think about getting rid of it now...
Now at lunch the red dash light for the battery is going on and off. Seems like when under load it turns off then at lower rpms comes back on.
So far this winter I've had a valve spring break/ a ballast is out currently and now this...I love the car but its starting to make me think about getting rid of it now...
03-05-2009, 09:13 PM
#2
You can have the alt tested at most Checkers / Autozones for free. If you think the battery is good, thats where id start. They do go bad, it simply wears out. And sounds like when your at idle its not charging, but when you rev it... it makes enough to charge. Keeping the battery alive, but barely. Id start here. If the belt is old, id change that too (they are what... $20-25 for a gator back?) throw the old one in your trunk incase you ever need it.
If the battery was bad it just wouldnt hold a charge... wouldnt want to start... but once it was started would run fine, till you turned it off again.
Other then that the only thing that could really be wrong is your grounding somewhere. But doesnt sound like your symptoms.
If the battery was bad it just wouldnt hold a charge... wouldnt want to start... but once it was started would run fine, till you turned it off again.
Other then that the only thing that could really be wrong is your grounding somewhere. But doesnt sound like your symptoms.
03-06-2009, 08:48 AM
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You can have the alt tested at most Checkers / Autozones for free. If you think the battery is good, thats where id start. They do go bad, it simply wears out. And sounds like when your at idle its not charging, but when you rev it... it makes enough to charge. Keeping the battery alive, but barely. Id start here. If the belt is old, id change that too (they are what... $20-25 for a gator back?) throw the old one in your trunk incase you ever need it.
If the battery was bad it just wouldnt hold a charge... wouldnt want to start... but once it was started would run fine, till you turned it off again.
Other then that the only thing that could really be wrong is your grounding somewhere. But doesnt sound like your symptoms.
If the battery was bad it just wouldnt hold a charge... wouldnt want to start... but once it was started would run fine, till you turned it off again.
Other then that the only thing that could really be wrong is your grounding somewhere. But doesnt sound like your symptoms.
03-06-2009, 09:41 AM
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Why not test the battery first? It's alot easier to pull and if the alt is working it would still be showing 14 volts because it's constantly applying a charge to the battery.
03-06-2009, 11:23 AM
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Check the battery first.
-Chris
03-06-2009, 11:41 AM
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Start your car, loosen and remove your positive terminal on your battery. If your alternator is good, car will stay running. Have someone turn some accessories on... lights, blinkers... operate windows. Thats a quick and easy way to see if your alternator is good. I am not sure how CTS's monitor voltage, is there an additional wire off of the battery term. to the computer? You could have a weak connection on your battery itself causing a false battery voltage reading/and or charge.
03-06-2009, 12:58 PM
#7
Start your car, loosen and remove your positive terminal on your battery. If your alternator is good, car will stay running. Have someone turn some accessories on... lights, blinkers... operate windows. Thats a quick and easy way to see if your alternator is good. I am not sure how CTS's monitor voltage, is there an additional wire off of the battery term. to the computer? You could have a weak connection on your battery itself causing a false battery voltage reading/and or charge.
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03-06-2009, 01:02 PM
#8
Ive had this going on for some time....I just think its a short, or something thats similar to "why is the Reverse (R) displayed when Im driving at 50mph sometimes" and "the ghost car on the tire pressure display" among other little screwups.....
03-09-2009, 03:56 PM
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^ Ya that. It's a bit of a pain to get the alternator out. You either have to take the PS pump off, or you need to pull out the radiator (it easier o pull the radiator out with the fans attached, then to try and just pull the fans out) to get to it.
Check the battery first.
-Chris
Check the battery first.
-Chris
Now, I hope your kidding that you need to pull the PS pump or rad. to get to it? Is there anyway from under the car?
03-24-2009, 02:33 PM
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Ok, I went ahead and replaced the battery and check the connections and wires the best I could. The problem went away for 4-5 days and now its back. It seems to come back now more at idle then under load it goes away but not always.
I ordered a new belt and will try that but I'm pretty sure the belt isn't the issue.
There does appear to be another wire coming from the terminals but I haven't been able to trace this down...this is very annoying to drive with and need to fix it for my piece of mind....I guess a trip to the dealer will be next after the belt, would the belt tensioner cause any of this at all since it looks to be a "floating" adjustment?
Also the battery is a one year old AutoZone duralast battery that has been checked and according to them fine. I was going to swap with my yellow top optima out of my camaro but the top posts are in the way.
I ordered a new belt and will try that but I'm pretty sure the belt isn't the issue.
There does appear to be another wire coming from the terminals but I haven't been able to trace this down...this is very annoying to drive with and need to fix it for my piece of mind....I guess a trip to the dealer will be next after the belt, would the belt tensioner cause any of this at all since it looks to be a "floating" adjustment?
Also the battery is a one year old AutoZone duralast battery that has been checked and according to them fine. I was going to swap with my yellow top optima out of my camaro but the top posts are in the way.
Last edited by Racin96ss; 03-24-2009 at 02:39 PM.
07-29-2009, 12:13 PM
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Hey man I would like to know what happen after all? Did you change the Belt tensioner and the belt? Did you change the alternator? Please let me what happen beacuse I just bought a 2004 CTS and on the navigation screen it's coming out "Battery Not Charging" I checked at Autozone and supposely alternator need to be 122Amp and when it was checked it was giving 62amp. I would apprecitate your respond on this issue.
Thanks!
Thanks!
07-29-2009, 02:29 PM
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Hey man I would like to know what happen after all? Did you change the Belt tensioner and the belt? Did you change the alternator? Please let me what happen beacuse I just bought a 2004 CTS and on the navigation screen it's coming out "Battery Not Charging" I checked at Autozone and supposely alternator need to be 122Amp and when it was checked it was giving 62amp. I would apprecitate your respond on this issue.
Thanks!
Thanks!
06-30-2010, 10:55 PM
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Apparently it's a ground issue. I've had the same problem for about four months now, and I have a 9 month old red-top Optima in my car. For some strange reason my left headlight blinks on and off every once in awhile too. Somebody on the other forum mentioned it being a ground. I guess check the grounds to the chassis(I think there's three-one near the hood strut and two behind each head on the forewall or something like that.) and see if they are loose, dirty, or corroded. I just haven't got around to checking mine out yet. It's no fun working under the hood in the 100 degree El Paso heat, so my tinkering has been limited lately. I just did the TB coolant bypass, and my hands are still feeling it.
07-06-2010, 11:15 AM
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Yes, it was a short at the PCM. I never did anything with it since I traded the car in on a TBSS. Check the PCM wires for a short.
a lot of people told me the same thing but I checked and cleaned up all the gnds on the car and still had the same issue.
Check the gnds underhood and then the PCM...hopefully its a ground issue and not the PCM issue.
Apparently it's a ground issue. I've had the same problem for about four months now, and I have a 9 month old red-top Optima in my car. For some strange reason my left headlight blinks on and off every once in awhile too. Somebody on the other forum mentioned it being a ground. I guess check the grounds to the chassis(I think there's three-one near the hood strut and two behind each head on the forewall or something like that.) and see if they are loose, dirty, or corroded. I just haven't got around to checking mine out yet. It's no fun working under the hood in the 100 degree El Paso heat, so my tinkering has been limited lately. I just did the TB coolant bypass, and my hands are still feeling it.
Check the gnds underhood and then the PCM...hopefully its a ground issue and not the PCM issue.
07-24-2016, 08:10 AM
#18
My V just started doing this 
So......I'm hoping it isn't a PCM issue and I'm just throwing parts at it. I bought the Mechman 240a alternator at a hefty price of $400
But, I guess I needed the upgrade anyway eventually. I hope it frees up a pony or two also!
Anyway my car literally started doing this yesterday afternoon after a couple of highway pulls against my buddy's C6Z. It was like 102 outside so I'm hoping the heat and the 6,900 rpm together killed the factory alternator.
I guess we will find out when the new one arrives. Hopefully they have one instock and don't take 3 weeks to build it!
So......I'm hoping it isn't a PCM issue and I'm just throwing parts at it. I bought the Mechman 240a alternator at a hefty price of $400 But, I guess I needed the upgrade anyway eventually. I hope it frees up a pony or two also!
Anyway my car literally started doing this yesterday afternoon after a couple of highway pulls against my buddy's C6Z. It was like 102 outside so I'm hoping the heat and the 6,900 rpm together killed the factory alternator.
I guess we will find out when the new one arrives. Hopefully they have one instock and don't take 3 weeks to build it!
07-25-2016, 07:43 AM
#19
check the voltage at the battery while the car is running and compare it to what the DIC is reporting. If they are the same, your PCM is ok.. it gets the signal from the two small wires on the alternator harness. The resolution to this problem is almost always a new OEM alternator. Hopefully mechman doesn't have the regulator problems the cheap rebuilds do.
