Basically, I drove my 01 Ws6 to the mall and along the way the "check gauges" light came on. I had enough in the gas tank so i didnt know why it was coming on till i looked over @ the volt meter reading ~11v (just right on the edge of the stripped zone.

I made to the mall, then came back an hour later & started (alot slower than normal), & made it back to my house but JUST in time as it was on the 8v (as low as the gauge reads).



Cliffs:

Made a 15mile round trip
Volt gauge slowly went from ~11v to 8v during the drive
Autozone says the battery is low but fine
Battery is being charged right now



Anyone?

And if it is the battery...what kind of pain in the *** of a change am I looking at?!?

 

log battery volts (GM.VOLTS)
you should have 13.5v average.
if your voltage fluctuates, check the ground strap.

 

Thanks,

Where is this ground strap?!


Why do i need to log exactly? Even if the dash gauge isnt 100% accurate, I went from ~13.5v down to 8v in a 30 min/15 mi drive. With an obvious electricity problem when the exterior/interior lights dimming & the windows rolling up.


I'm just wonder if the nature of the failure is in the batter or alternator?!

 

Probably the alternator.

 

P1637 - Generator L-Terminal Circuit


C0896 - Device Voltage Range/Performance


Just got back with a charged battery, then took the car for a 15 min drive & it eventually started loosing voltage again. I dont suppose a fuse change would fix this huh?

And what is the L-Terminal Circuit?!?

 

it`s probably your alternator.
the ground strap is on the drivers side of the engine,
bolted to the block behind the alternator and below the fuse box.

 

Autozone can check your alternator, but I think they will have you take it out of the car.

It actually may not be either of the items you are looking into. The battery cables can get corroded over time and cause the battery to not charge.

Do you have a voltmeter?

 

I'd look into the Alternator, but if you do have a bad connection somewhere, that will do it aswell.

 

I have access to one, yes. But what settings do I put it on? And what can i use this to test for?


As for the cables getting corroded or terminations, that I understand. But it took a **** soo quickly, it wasnt a gradual loss of power...

 

It really sounds like the alternator. It's not tough to remove. Just remove it and take it to the parts store for testing.

 

Really? I was afraid it was going to be a nightmare. Do i need to remove the radiator?

 

No, you do not need to remove the alternator. It should only take you a few minutes to do really.

 

Sorry for the delay. I guess I lost this post.

Before you do any of this check the fluid level of the battery if it has the removeable caps on top. Most cannot be serviced, but if yours is serviceable and low. Just fill it with distilled water and the problem will likely be solved. If not go on>>>

Set your meter on DC volts. It should have a V with a straight line over it.

Put the leads on the appropriately colored posts on the battery. The reading will give you the battery voltage. This just tells you how charged the battery is.

Now start the car. Let it warm up if it is very cold and then just bump the throttle over 2500 RPM's. This will get the alternator charging. VERY CAREFULLY (avoiding moving parts) put the black lead on the battery negative and the red on the battery positive. You should see about 14 volts. If you have that or more then your alternator and cables are doing what they are supposed to and your battery is bad. If you don't get the 14V then>>>>

To confirm which is bad you will have to gain access to the positive post on the alternator itself. It will be tough and dangerous to get to, but it is necessary. Probably from under the car with it running place the black lead to a ground (I believe there is an engine ground right next to the motor mount) and the red lead to the postive alternator post. Record the voltage. Now compare this voltage to the voltage you took directly from the battery with the engine running. You should see a VERY similiar number. If the voltage is greater than a volt more at the alternator than it is at the battery then your cables have high resistance and requires replacement. If the voltages are similiar then your battery cells are not charging and it requires replacement. Even though you may have voltage directly off the battery it is not accepting a charge.

I forgot to add that if you do not have around 14 volts at the alternator then it is bad.

Hope that helps.