Loudog Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hey so my Seville is having a problem, it started the other day I had a couple weak starts during the day and the car later died on me, I replaced the battery and ran the car for a while and it continued to go down after the new battery was in. So last night a put in a new alternator, and now when I run the car for about the first 5 miles of driving it stays up at 14V and then it will start to drop down and gets down between 12.8-13.2, and sometimes dips lower. I feel like there is still something wrong. Any ideas on what could be causing my voltage to drop like this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 How do your battery terminals look? Is there corrosion? You can try cleaning them until they shine. I used quick drying electrical cleaner and a 9mm pistol brush to get in the holes. The positive cable is two pieces that come apart, make sure you clean inside there as well. There's also a couple grounds in that area. If you follow the terminals there's a ground on the block and a ground up by the passenger headlight. I'd start there, and hopefully someone else chimes in with a suggestion. WARNING: I'm a total car newbie, don't be surprised if I ask a stupid question! Just trying to learn. Cheers! 5% discount code at RockAuto.com - click here for your discount! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cadillac Jim Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 I think lothos is right -- the battery cables need to be thoroughly cleaned and inspected when you change the battery. The high voltage means that the battery is charging, and dropping gradually down to about 13 Volts means that the battery charge is topping off. A dirty connector -- either one -- can exaggerate this effect. If the cables are clean and tight, and the car seems OK, I would let it go as normal. -- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data -- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BodybyFisher Posted July 3, 2008 Report Share Posted July 3, 2008 Hey so my Seville is having a problem, it started the other day I had a couple weak starts during the day and the car later died on me, I replaced the battery and ran the car for a while and it continued to go down after the new battery was in. So last night a put in a new alternator, and now when I run the car for about the first 5 miles of driving it stays up at 14V and then it will start to drop down and gets down between 12.8-13.2, and sometimes dips lower. I feel like there is still something wrong. Any ideas on what could be causing my voltage to drop like this? Your charging rates appear normal to me. The reason you are at 14 volts right after a start is because the alternator is charging the slightly discharged battery, then once its charged up, it drops down, and yours appears to be dropping down to a normal level in the summer with a new battery. Turn on some stuff and you will see it pick up. It sounds like you are ok.. So the bottom line was that your alternator was bad? Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1 >> 1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/ Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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