Battery not charging light

Nov 02, 2007 5 Replies

I have a 1998 Cadillac STS w/Northstar engine. The battery was not charging. I cleaned the battery connections and now the voltage is



13.9 volts but the light and messages are still on. I double checked the voltage w/volt meter, says 14.0 volts. This w/ac, headlights, and stereo on. Maybe a code stuck? How do I fix this? TIA

Are you sure the battery is good? Sounds like a shorted cell to me. I have a 2001 Deville DHS and the battery went bad after five years.

Spendy battery, $145.00

wrote

Maybe but completely disconnecting the battery for about 15 minutes should cause all the onboard computers to reset.

Does the warning light come on only when the accessory load is high, as above. If so, your charging system may indeed not be charging enough. Voltage is the best and easiest indicator to check but not the only one.

This might require a dealer visit.

Battery is 1 year old. Just drove the car around for 30 min. w/every accessory on. Voltage says 13.8 to 13.9v no matter what is on. Light is on the whole time. Battery stays hot. Friend told me to look for a bad ground that might be fooling the gauge. I will disconnect the battery now for an hour and see what happens. Thanks.

wrote

Good advise from the friend, however,..................... The battery should NOT be hot to the touch EVER in normal operation; a tiny bit warm, maybe but not hot. With a battery that big, to get it hot requires some serious power. Not a good sign. I'm betting the charging system is not right; maybe charging TOO much.

i believe you are right. It is charging 14v all the time. It doesn't drop after driving around. The regulator must be bad. Is the regulator part of the alternator as in most GM stuff, or is it a separate part. I see on a parts site that they sell a regulator separately, but if it is an internal part i'll just take it to the dealer. TIA

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