Bitten By the Alternator Bug

'96 SL2, 89,000 km.

Just returned from a three-hour road trip, made a short local trip, and
noticed the battery indicator was on. OK, it's just five blocks from home,
no big problem. Did a few errands, tried starting the car, no way! Call to
son for boost. Got home, put on the battery charger.

Next day it started OK, drove two blocks from home. Both ways car started
again, but didn't sound too good.

Made an appointment with Saturn and put the charger on overnight. I was
sweating, hoping I'd have enough juice to get there. No worry, it wouldn't
even turn over, so a tow to Saturn. Verdict: alternator and battery need
replacing. Both were original to the car. (Yeah, I know, I know. Honestly,
the battery gave no indication it was on the way out. Last winter I was
starting it without a plug-in at -30C+. I got 10 years out of a battery on
my K-car.) The damage was $291 for the alternator and $90 for installation.
I thought that was good considering the money other people paid for the same
stuff. And these weren't real dollars, it's Canadian currency.

Anyway, an interesting PS. Half-way home from Saturn I noticed the Service
Engine Soon light was on. Merde! I hoped it was transitory, but it stayed
on. Not a half hour after I got home I got a call from Saturn. "How are
things," he asked? Well, good part was it ran very well, the bad part was
the SES light. "We think we know what's causing that." he said.

Soon I had a Saturn tech at my door with a hand jack and diagnostic reader.
He had what looked like a 1/4 nut which was left off some cable which
attaches to the starter. Nut replaced, code cleared, problem gone.

What I found interesting was how the car behaved when the battery was very
low. The tranny would bang into reverse and the car had no acceleration. I
think maybe, since it's electrically shifted, it defaults to one forward
speed, so you are actually starting in second or third gear. Anyone know how
it works?

Only the day before the failure we were in the middle of a national park
surrounded by bison. I don't know, I must have a guardian angel.

 

A Saturn dealer who makes house calls? Wow, where is that?

Box134 wrote in message ...

 

What I found interesting was how the car behaved when the battery was very

The transmission is computer controlled and the lack of juice messes up the
computer. The car accelerates slow because there isn't enough juice to light
the spark plugs properly under high cylinder pressure(ie under load when
accelerating).

 

Winnipeg, Manitoba. Located in the Pointe West Autopark. Yeah, I thought
that was OK. They could have played dumb, let me book another appointment
and pay again. That's why I've done all my service work there. Other times
they've given me goodwill warranties on things that could be chargeable.

 

OK, thanks. The effect of a low battery was surprising to me since I never
had the experience before in a Saturn. That was the first and last time the
battery was completely discharged. I think maybe that was why it lasted so
long.

 

When my alternator quit while on vacation the Saturn dealer in Kamloops B.C.
drove an alternator 50 km out to me no charge (for delivery that is) and it
was cheaper than the local auto shop wanted to bring on in and have me wait
a day or two.

 

OK, thanks. The effect of a low battery was surprising to me since I never

Had the battery been not so old, it probably would have recovered from the
discharge. But since it was so old, the discharge killed it.......

 

Yes, that was what the techs said. They also considered that anything over
five years for a battery was a bonus, so I did OK.

 

Acually, the Transmission problem came from the battery being low.
When the transmission isn't getting enough power to the shift selector
on the transmission it sends a code to the PCM telling i to revert it
"limp" mode. It is designed to let you "limp" home if anything ever
happens as far as low power or broken shift selector. It has nothing
to do with fuel injectors or fuel, sorry.

 

Acually, the Transmission problem came from the battery being low.

Yeah, your transmission problem comes from that.....obviously.

But the reason it doesn't run right in general is because their isn't enough
power to light the plugs properly, and possibly fuel delivery problems
also............

 

....I just lost another battery - it was about 2 years, 4 months old (Napa).
I went out to go to lunch today and the car wouldn't start. I went back to
work and then at quitting time called AAA and got a jump. It was doing some
real weird things on the ride home... airbag light flashing, speedo going
from 0 to 75 and back and my CD player kept starting the same song over
again. When I got home and was idling in the driveway, it just died. When
I put the charger on it would barely register any amperage (the battery must
of really fried itself). I went down to Kragen and got another batt
(Exide).

So, last time I did this the alternator started sounding like a turbine
about 2 weeks later - we'll see if history repeats itself. So far I'm in
for 3 alts and 3 batts in 6 years and 82k miles.

 

Caramba! What does that? I got almost 8 years on one battery and one
alternator. And I live where it goes to -30 C and lower in the winter. Maybe
heat is worse than cold?

 

....I have no idea. My commute is about 10 miles (20 to 40 minutes depending
on traffic) and I have a pair of aftermarket driving lights (used
occasionally) and a small aftermarket amp for a subwoofer. I don't run the
accessories with the engine off. The weather is moderate here in San Diego.
I do have a lead foot and run the AC almost all the time (I switch it on
AFTER I start the car). Thank goodness I have a job, eh?

 

I think heat is worse than cold. I used to live in the northeast and would
get 5 or more years on a battery.

But now in Houston, I average a new battery about every 3 years... doesn't
seem to matter what type of car either.

 

The plugs hardly take any power at all. They're high voltage but very little
current. The fuel pump actually consumes more power. With most modern cars,
electrical problems show up first as fuel delivery problems -- stalling, and/or
lack of power. I was surprised when it showed up as a transmission problem in
the Saturn, but that's how it goes.

Alternators do seem to be Saturn's achilles heel, but at least they're not
expensive to fix, as alternators go...

Matt O.

 

It is for batteries... and possibly alternators too.

Matt O.

 

Manual or automatic?

-DanD

 

The way mine acted when the alternator died was definitly a spark issue. Lots
and lots of black smoke once I got it running again, and the unburned fuel
smell was brutal.

 

Manual