94 Saturn SL2 DOHC Battery kepps dying and Car loses power

alternator! My 94 sl2 ran fine one morning then started to lose power, very slow in accelarating and thenfinally died two minutes later, couldn't even turn the key. The shop replaced the alternator and it did the trick

draining the battery is another sign. I also heard the that as it gets worse the radio will get staticy if playing and slow in the drive gears but reverse works fine.

Get a warranty that covers cost and labor(which most shops have I believe) as when I had mine replaced the new one was also bad as it started to actup after a month. I had had it replaced as the warranty was still valid.

I'm not a mechanic, just my 2 cents.

Does the battery light come on? If so, this means that the alternator is not putting out the voltage required to charge the battery, which should normally be about 15V with the engine running.

If you have a voltmeter, you can easily check whether it's the battery or an alternator.

navman

I had this problem with my '94 about 5 years ago. I'm not a car guy, but it was a loose connection on a "device/box" attached on the passenger side, of the engine compartment. Good Luck!

I had a similar problem on my 95 SW2. The alternator had died, but there was no failure light. The car died in traffic with little warning, except that the speedometer appeared to die (low voltage).

First you need to install a known good battery and have it charged to the proper level. Only after that, you can properly diagnose an alternator in the car.

It is very common for a GM alternator to "fail" but the battery light not come on. Depending on the failed part in the alternator determines if the light comes on or not.

1. Once you have a good battery installed, connect a voltmeter to the battery. Your reading should be around 12.4 - 12.6 volts. If not, you still have battery trouble.

1. Start the engine. Voltage reading should go up to 13.5 - 14 volts. It can jump immediately or take a minute or so.

Generally speaking, if the alternator is bad, the voltage at the battery will actually go down from 12.5 volts once the engine is running. It will go down because of the additional draw from running the electronics to make the eng run.

One more thing, a defective alternator can put out enough charge to keep the battery light off, but not enough to keep the battery charged under a heavy load, for example at night in the rain with lights, wipers, heater blower, and radio on.

Good Luck, James

The best way to test an alternator is to remove it and have it bench tested for maximum output. I believe most older Saturn alternators have an output of either 85 or 95 amps depending whether it is normal duty or heavy duty. I replaced mine with a 95 amp when I did the job.

But with a Saturn, removing the alternator is not a 5 minute job.

James