boatboy Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 On a short drive to work <0.5 mi, as I turned the car to pull into a parking space I noticed that the power steering wasn't really working. It was so tough to steer that I actually thought the car had stalled. I looked down at the dash and saw that the car was still running, but I also saw the message 'BATTERY NO CHARGE' on the DIC. Upon checking the voltage I notice that it had dropped to 11.9 (usually ~ 14 when running). I revved the car and noted that the voltage went back up to ~14 and the message went away. So instead of pulling into a parking space I backed in, just in case I need a jump, tow or what have you. I checked the codes and the only one that came up was IP1911 as History. Has anyone else experienced this, as in this happening right before their alternator or something else failed? I should also make note that it was raining very hard this morning, but as stated before it is a short drive to work! Any ideas, anyone? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Maybe the belt got wet and was slipping on the pulley? Sorry, but that is all I can think of. When I first started reading the post, I was thinking the belt had broken until you mentioned that revving the engine brought the voltage back up. Charles Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 check out the serpentine belt tensioner. if the belt was slipping both alternator and power steerng pump might be affected. The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigfoo Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 battery is going bad, or generator is going bad, or bad/corroded wires. Take it to an auto shop or a sears or a place that does charging system checks for free. Most of them will at least give you a little more info on it and do load checks on your genny Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adallak Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 battery is going bad, or generator is going bad, or bad/corroded wires. Take it to an auto shop or a sears or a place that does charging system checks for free. Most of them will at least give you a little more info on it and do load checks on your genny bigfoo, does the loss of power steering has something to do with a bad battery or alternator? The saddest thing in life is wasted talent Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 battery is going bad, or generator is going bad, or bad/corroded wires. Take it to an auto shop or a sears or a place that does charging system checks for free. Most of them will at least give you a little more info on it and do load checks on your genny bigfoo, does the loss of power steering has something to do with a bad battery or alternator? I was just about to ask the same question??? Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Barry94 Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 The same thing (sort of) happened to my wife last week. However, revving the engine didn't fix it. The belt was in shreds and hanging to the ground. The small "fixed" idler pulley had partially separated from the bearing and had forced the belt to run off alignment and wore the side of the belt over to the backing cords. The cords then got caught in all the pulleys and kicked itself off. Check your pulleys. Barry 2008 STS V82016 Colorado Z711970 Corvette LT-1 Coupe Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Sounds like the alternator is going bad. I had the same problem and it turned out to be the alternator. If you find the voltage to be 11.9 or lower when you start-up, it's an indication that the alternator is going bad. If this happens and you stop and start again and the alternator suddenly works, this is another indication that it's going bad. Also, if the voltage dramatically fluctuates (11.5-14.5) while driving, it is likely another sign of a bad alternator. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chazglenn3 Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Sounds like the alternator is going bad. I had the same problem and it turned out to be the alternator. If you find the voltage to be 11.9 or lower when you start-up, it's an indication that the alternator is going bad. If this happens and you stop and start again and the alternator suddenly works, this is another indication that it's going bad. Also, if the voltage dramatically fluctuates (11.5-14.5) while driving, it is likely another sign of a bad alternator. I still fail to see how an alternator problem would have an effect on the power steering Can someone explain? Does it have to do with the MagnaSteer? Charles Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ranger Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 The loss of P/S and charging would lead me to think slipping belt. The only other thing I can add is that I had the "no charge" message last year. It happened the moring after I did an engine cleaning but went away within 30 seconds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EJPut Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 The same thing (sort of) happened to my wife last week. However, revving the engine didn't fix it. The belt was in shreds and hanging to the ground. The small "fixed" idler pulley had partially separated from the bearing and had forced the belt to run off alignment and wore the side of the belt over to the backing cords. The cords then got caught in all the pulleys and kicked itself off. Check your pulleys. Barry Same thing with mine, replaced the fixed pulley and new belt with out much problem. I would check the belt and the pulleys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBuckley Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 I had the same thing happen to me during a hard rain, it caused my belt to slip, new belt and it was fixed. My old belt was pretty well glazed, my tensioner is ok and working fine, the excess moisture just caused the glazed belt to slip which caused a no charge and very tight power steering. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phillip Posted October 16, 2004 Report Share Posted October 16, 2004 Boatboy, My initial thought, based upon your description, is that your alternator/generator is going bad, but since you had powersteering problems at the same time, I would bet you have a belt/tensioner problem. That is certainly the place to start anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MAC Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 I still fail to see how an alternator problem would have an effect on the power steering Can someone explain? Does it have to do with the MagnaSteer? My mistake. I agree that since there is a power steering problem the logical thing to check is the serpentine belt. I don't recollect having power steering problems when I experienced the Battery No Charge alert. However, I did run into all kinds of mechanical problems once the battery drained, including transmission failure, disengagement of Traction Control, shutdown of DIC information, shutdown of ABS, and loss of power. In other words, there is a lot that can go wrong mechanically when there is a malfunctioning alternator. I don’t know if the 96 Deville would react differently. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Regis Posted October 17, 2004 Report Share Posted October 17, 2004 I along with some other members have experienced the "loss of power steering" and rain seems to be the common denominator. Water may have splashed up onto the lower path of the serp belt. Some things to consider regarding the Battery No Charge alert: 1. The belt being wet, slipping, causing a charging problem. 2. If in the past couple or few days you've only driven to and from work then parked the caddy each time. Because 0.5 miles each way sure doesn't give it much time and opportunity to recharge especially if you're running several hard drawing accessories at the same time. Just a thought. -kg "Burns" rubber " I've never considered myself to be all that conservative, but it seems the more liberal some people get the more conservative I become. " Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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