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Go to pick it up, and there's brake fluid all over the place. Tech puts it back up on the lift, says, "oh that's just runoff from me washing it down" and proceeds to hit it with another half can of carb cleaner. Somehow I imagine the MBZ/BMW/Audi shops aren't quite so blase. But I digress... surely I'm not the only shadetree who HATES letting other people touch their stuff.
While he's chitchatting, mentions "Your battery's really ****". Okay. Service advisor let me know that I had low voltage codes in "all your car systems". Not completely surprising. Nor was the, "by the way, you need brake pads and have a leaky power steering hose" message he left for me. Hey, 4K out of a set of HP+, I call that a good day at the office. But I digress again.
Back on target: not shocked at the low voltage issue. Last week, out of the blue, I got the message battery voltage low (or something along those lines). It's been a little weak on cold start, but no problems. I figured it was just the battery letting me know its days were numbered.
So driving home today, the message comes back almost immediately, voltage drops to 10.2, sits there most of the way, creeping down to 10.0 by the time I get home.
Disconnect the negative terminal and the car dies immediately, so while the battery may be "****" it's not the end of the story. Obviously the alternator or charging circuit is out to lunch.
Searching here suggests it might be the alt pigtail, so I'll have a look at that when it cools off. Assuming underneath is the way to access it?
Worth noting that the buzzing noise I was complaining about last week seems to be gone. Not sure if they topped up my PS fluid (and that hushed it) or if the noise was in fact the alt chewing itself to death.
And I could be imagining it, but the steering feels heavier. Probably it's just getting back into and old skool hydro steering system after the featherweight electric setup of the Cruze, but I'm wondering if maybe the belt's slipping (possibly courtesy of blasting brake fluid everywhere, hmmm?) and the alt's just locked up being overloaded trying to charge a thrashed battery. Something tells me they ran it dead while working on it.
As far as the Alt. You can put a volt meter on the stud and if its anything less than 12 volts its not charging. You can also remove it and have it checked at the local auto parts store after you check the fuses. I don't believe there is a fuseable link in the system.
Good to know I'm not alone in the sloppy workmanship. Man, I spend twenty minutes just getting the lift plates lined up, and this guy just kicks the arms under the car and let's her rip. Ugh.
Those idiots must not know that brake fluid washes off with plain old H2O.
As for the alt. thare was a thread not too long ago about a good deal on someone selling new ones.
Saw that thread, also saw a followup suggesting the alts weren't all they were cracked up to be (maybe).
Question to anyone who knows - I have an 05 LS6, but only have two tiny (20ga?) wires in the pigtail, the other two are open. Most of the posts about this refer to three... wondering if the entire thing went AWOL or if it's an LS6/LS2 difference.
I have #2 and #3 only.
Still can't figure out how to get at the alt, looks like maybe the rad has to come out?
I just replaced my alternator twice in 2 weeks. ( see other post) First time I did it from underneath ( had to pull rads etc) second time I took it out from the top ( pulled the ps steering pump and cold air)
It was faster for me to pull it out through the top then from underneath as I had to pull rads, supercharger intercooler etc.
sorry to hear that man. thank god i did my own lines. i am dreading dropping the car off for the fuel pump next week. i really hate having somebody else touch it.
Whoever "engineered" that mounting setup is an *******.
Not sure which was worse:
Getting the hot lug loose, thanks to the wire being too damn short and the inviolable boot of none-shall-pass, or
the idiotic side bolt that, once loosened, stuck out so far into the wiring and PS hoses that I couldn't get the ratchet off.
By the time I foiled those foes, I managed to drop the alt in the coolant drainpan. Lovely.
Oh, and only two wires on my alt pigtail... so I guess I'm hoping it's dead.
Youre definitely not the only one that had a sloppy job done. When I got my back from have the fuel pump and front lines recall, I gave her a nice wash and an oil change. While under the car, I look at the calipers and see the paint peeling off!!! Seems to me that they let the fluid bleed out onto the calipers, argh Frustrating and pissed me off to say the least!
Anyone following this on the other forum? There used to be some chick/bot that would read the posts and follow up on crappy service. Now that these cars are ten years old, nobody cares, I expect. Still. The guy who worked on my car, I don't think I'd have wanted him working on my lawnmower. When I questioned the brake lines and leakage, he ran it up on the lift (nice enough to do, even if he did mangle my body seams a little more in the process), then he reached through with an end wrench, leaned on 'em, and said, "tight as a bull's ***". Twice. Once per side.
I use endwrenches on brake lines, sure, but I'm not a pro wrench. Get some goddamn flare nut wrenches, ya monkey.
06-02-2015, 05:12 PM
Well this is just great, alternator not charging 
But I digress again.
Youre definitely not the only one that had a sloppy job done. When I got my back from have the fuel pump and front lines recall, I gave her a nice wash and an oil change. While under the car, I look at the calipers and see the paint peeling off!!! Seems to me that they let the fluid bleed out onto the calipers, argh
