lothos Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Hey Guys, I have a 95 STS. Leaving work today I got a BATTERY NO CHARGE message. Was able to drive the car home. P110 HISTORY is showing as a code. (Generator L Terminal or something) Car won't start now. Can I just jump start the car to move it? Battery is less than a year old, Bosch brand. How difficult is it to replace the alternator? 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...
lothos Posted February 4, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 The car started. I turned the keys a couple of times, nothing. Went inside. Came back out, turned key, nothing. Turned key 3 times in a row and it started the third time. Now the car starts. Alternator going out? ACDelco alternator is recommended for a replacement, right? 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...
cdgrinci Posted February 4, 2011 Report Share Posted February 4, 2011 Sounds almost like a bad ignition switch. If it were the alternator, causing the battery not being charged, it wouldn't have finally started after the third attempt. I wouldn't totally eliminate the battery either; an internal short (or open) inside the battery might produce your symptoms. Even new batteries can break. If you get the car started once again, and have a volt meter, you should see if you are getting a charging voltage (at the battery); a charging voltage should be somewhere between 13.5 and 15 volts. Good luck. Chuck '19 CT6, '04 Bravada........but still lusting for that '69 Z-28 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted February 5, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 5, 2011 Sounds almost like a bad ignition switch. If it were the alternator, causing the battery not being charged, it wouldn't have finally started after the third attempt. I wouldn't totally eliminate the battery either; an internal short (or open) inside the battery might produce your symptoms. Even new batteries can break. If you get the car started once again, and have a volt meter, you should see if you are getting a charging voltage (at the battery); a charging voltage should be somewhere between 13.5 and 15 volts. Good luck. Thank you very much for the reply I do have a volt meter. I started the car and tested the battery terminals. It was jumping around a little, I saw a range of 13.80-14.25 and then it seemed to settle around 14.20. I did get a security message on the dash once, that counted down and wouldn't let me start the car until the countdown was completed. That was maybe a year and a half ago and I haven't had a problem with it since. I can drive the car around, and start it back up, UNLESS I see the "battery no charge" message. Then the car won't start next time. If I let it sit for a little bit, then it will start again. Except for last night, we didn't see the "no charge" message but the car didn't start. It started right up this morning though. I've seen the "BATTERY NO CHARGE" message 3 times in the last 2 days now. When the NO CHARGE message comes on, it seems like the lights on the dash are dim, and the battery volts show somewhere around 11-12 volts. Then after maybe 15 seconds, the dash lights seem to get brighter and the voltage goes up to around 14.5. I'm going to try to take the car to Auto Zone today and have them test the battery and alternator. 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...
lothos Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I had the battery tested today... their alternator tester wasn't working. He told me that the test said something like "please charge battery and retest", and he told me that means the battery is probably working but the alternator probably isn't. I will stop by the other Auto Zone here and get them both tested tomorrow. Will post results. 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...
lothos Posted February 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 6, 2011 I had both my battery and my alternator tested today. The battery tested bad, putting out 400 CCA instead of the 770CCA it was rated for. Pep Boys gave me a free replacement, I bought the battery about 8 months ago because my old battery had an internal short. My alternator tested good, at 14.14 and then 14.00 under load. If the diode thing in the alternator is going bad, will that show up under the test? Or could I possibly still have an alternator issue? Thanks guys 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...
lothos Posted February 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2011 Well, I haven't had any problems since I got the battery replaced. Have a question about the alternator diode though: If the diode thing in the alternator is going bad, will that show up under the test? Or could I possibly still have an alternator issue? Thanks! 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...
Ranger Posted February 11, 2011 Report Share Posted February 11, 2011 Last time I had a diode go bad the car would not start. There was a test, but I had to disassemble the alternator to do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lothos Posted February 12, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2011 Last time I had a diode go bad the car would not start. There was a test, but I had to disassemble the alternator to do it. Ah, I see. Thanks for the reply Ranger, I'll keep an eye on it then 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...
Ranger Posted February 13, 2011 Report Share Posted February 13, 2011 Once I diagnosed a diode as bad all I had to do was replace the diode bridge ($20). I also replaced the regulator since it was cheap and I already had the alternator apart. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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