Arash Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Dear all members I have a 94 STS with 90,000 miles.Recently I've had problem starting my car in the morning. I've had two consecutive failed starts due to battery being out of charge. Both times I used a charger for 20 minutes to charge the battery sufficiently for one start. Then after about 10 hours or so, it's the same story again-the car doesn't start. I've cleaned battery terminals with boiling water and a worn out tooth brush. The battery itself is just one year old. The alternator is, however, original. During driving, I monitored the "Battery Volts" in the DIC and it doesn't exceed 13.5 volts, which is strange to me because I had seen about 14.5 volts before. Also, after long periods of driving, I opened the hood and checked the batery eye. It was black, not green as you would expect. I also don't get any related codes or warnigs such as "Battery low charge" or any such thing in the DIC. My battery's eye only becomes green when the charger has been on it for more than 6 hours.Initially after the full charge, I start the car and get 14.7 volts, but after 20 minutes of driving, it drops to 13.5 volts. Are these signs of alternator failure?How can I change it myself? Thanks in advance for all responses. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stsjoe Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 try taking it to one of the auto parts places that will check it for free, sounds like a dead batt. but they should be able to tell you Joe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBuckley Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 I would do as STSJoe suggest, take to a local auto parts store and have them test the battery under a load, this should tell you if you have a cell that is going bad on you, your volts sound fine to me, mine hits 14.5 or so after startup and then settles down to a constant 13.4 to 13.7. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dloch Posted April 12, 2004 Report Share Posted April 12, 2004 Dear all members I have a 94 STS with 90,000 miles.Recently I've had problem starting my car in the morning. I've had two consecutive failed starts due to battery being out of charge. Both times I used a charger for 20 minutes to charge the battery sufficiently for one start. Then after about 10 hours or so, it's the same story again-the car doesn't start. I've cleaned battery terminals with boiling water and a worn out tooth brush. The battery itself is just one year old. The alternator is, however, original. During driving, I monitored the "Battery Volts" in the DIC and it doesn't exceed 13.5 volts, which is strange to me because I had seen about 14.5 volts before. Also, after long periods of driving, I opened the hood and checked the batery eye. It was black, not green as you would expect. I also don't get any related codes or warnigs such as "Battery low charge" or any such thing in the DIC. My battery's eye only becomes green when the charger has been on it for more than 6 hours.Initially after the full charge, I start the car and get 14.7 volts, but after 20 minutes of driving, it drops to 13.5 volts. Are these signs of alternator failure?How can I change it myself? Thanks in advance for all responses. A bad regulator in the alternator will also kill the battery when the car sits. When you shut off the ignition it will also kill the signal to the alternator, in my case the regulator didn't shut off and killed the battery. Changed the alternator, 2nd one,and the problem was fixed. Even with the new alternators the DIC voltage jumps around, it's probably the cheap regulators in the alt. It wasn't a new GM alt..... but it has a lifetime warranty...... even so if it pucks again I am going to ask for something other than the brand I got even if it means I gotta pay more for it. Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arash Posted April 13, 2004 Author Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 I doubt it's the battery;I just purchased it a bit more than a year ago.Also, if it's the battery, why does it's eye turns completely green after I connect it to a charger for a few hours? I think a mulfunctioning battery has a black eye all the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Don't rule out anything. I've had batteries go bad in a year. Infact I've had bad batteries right off the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted April 13, 2004 Report Share Posted April 13, 2004 Don't rule out anything. I've had batteries go bad in a year. Infact I've had bad batteries right off the shelf. Amen, brother. Jim Drive your car. Use your cell phone. CHOOSE ONE ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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